What do you do when suddenly layed off?

[crunchy_mommy]

DH was just layed off (Merry Christmas, sheesh!!)

I'm wondering what things to do/apply for to make this go as smoothly as financially possible.

We still have income from my job but I'm only part-time right now (work from home) so it's not much. I could see if I could go to full-time but I HATE HATE HATE my job & I don't think we're that desperate yet, I would be severely depressed doing full-time again. We do have a good amount of savings (we'd been saving up a cushion so I could quit my job once we had another source of health insurance, though unexpectedly had to spend some of it on a new vehicle when the other caught on fire last week). Of course I will see if full-time is an option -- not sure it is -- if he remains unemployed more than a couple months.

So obviously he'll file for unemployment... is there anything else we should file for, anything we should know?? Would it make sense for him to find some part-time lower-pay job (fast food/retail) or put 100% of his time into a job search?

I'm hopeful that he'll find something quickly but our state still has one of the highest unemployment rates so it will be tough & I don't want to end up in debt because we didn't take the right steps...

[Denvergirlie]

File for unemployment, find out what that weekly amount will be. I have a feeling he would have to work 30+ hours a week in a entry level retail/ restaurant job to match his unemployment check, although that will vary by state. But if he gets that entry level job, he won't be able to take the unemployment check as well. So then he is tied into working 30+ hours a week for the same check he would get on unemployment, thus reducing the time he can look for a more professional job.

See what else you can't cut out of your budget. Bare bones is what you should be spending and saving, saving, saving as much as you can.

best of luck

[crunchy_mommy]

Yeah we already don't spend at all. That's just our lifestyle. There's really nothing we can cut back on, maybe oil to heat the house??? lol

I guess I was thinking the same thing, that it wouldn't be worth it to take an entry-level job right now.

Can you file for foodstamps & stuff if you're temprorarily unemployed??? Or is that something you'd do only if it was a more long-term thing? (Sorry if that's a dumb question...)

[zebra15]

File for DES asap, you can get food stamps if you are only temp unemployed, Honestly how do you know if you will only be temp unemployed?

Figure out what you are going to do about medical insurance as well.  Get the COBRA information from DH employer (if applicable).

UE in my state is 240/week, def not going to pay much at all, yes 240/week is the max rate for awhile we were getting the 25/week extra but thats been cut now.

[lmonter]

You formulate your plan of attack. 

For us when hubby got laid off unexpectedly a year and a half ago?  We sat in shock for about 10 minutes while the wheels in our heads started turning.  By that evening we had our bare-bones budget written down on paper, had already filed for unemployment online, were thanking our lucky stars that I'd been stocking up the pantry like a madwoman the months before and socking away more money in savings.  We also sold our 2008 vehicle and got a 2001 - that gave us some extra money as an emergency cushion (and a few extra seats for the babe I was pregnant with at the time).  I looked into WIC (the way I shop, it *might* have given us an extra $50-$100 in our checking account a month, maybe - I hit sales, and hard), but it wouldn't have been worth the hassle for me at the time.  Looked into food stamps, and since we'd kinda prepped beforehand just. in. case. we didn't qualify for squat.  Worth looking into though in case you do qualify.  Luckily we ended up only (heh) officially being unemployed for 4.5 months, but then my hubby spent a year away from us working in a less-than-desirable job before just up and quitting one day (with my blessing).  It was a wild ride.

Sorry, I'm rambling.  Anyway.  Exhaust any and all resources available to you.  That's what they're there for.  If you're part of a church, look into what programs they may have.  Etc.  It's worth a shot, especially to make unemployment last and to try to keep afloat in the meantime.

[mnnice]

Reading the ins and outs of the unemployement in your state is really pretty important.  That max amounts and precise rules vary a lot from state to state and they are complicated.  DH honestly answered all the questions and got three or four weeks of unemployment than found out that he had not initally been eligible, because of how his severance was paid out and had to pay it back. In my state you can work and collect unemployment at the same time if the income from work is low enough. 

Another useful tool is the benefit calculator for you state.  With unemployment and a part time jpb we never were income eligible for any assistance other than our  kids would have been on state insurance (but we weren't really eligible for that because I had family coverage from my employeer).  It was a stress reliever for me that we would have had some assistance if we had exhausted DH's unemployement.