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Another job bites the dust

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bites dust job
3K views 19 replies 16 participants last post by  Kyn 
#1 ·
Hubby lost his job yesterday. When his boss talked to him they said not enough work we have to let you go. However, when hubby called to get seperation notice they said they were putting him down as terminated. He is trying for unemployment but I don't know if they will approve him or not. He started networking but his boss talked to one of his friends and said some things that would make it hard for hubby to get one with that company-and they never wrote him up or pulled him aside to talk about these supposed issues-poor hubby is trying not to be depressed but hasn't had to deal with this before. We had our freak out day and today we have to get moving (used a vaca day to stay home and let him have the car-only one)

I am trying to figure out what we need to do and how to do it. Luckily when we bought our house in October I made sure to keep it at the rent price level and we could afford it on one salary.

We don't have a stockpile, had just started working on it. We are pulling DD out of daycare (next week is last week) which is sad she loves school, but hubby going to watch her and parents are going to watch her when hubby goes looking for a new job. He is in construction and that area is hit hard right now.

When hubby told me I though I have go to frugal village and learn/get advice. We do have a bit set aside in savings and we don't want to touch it-we want to try to live off my salary alone.
I don't know how to budget for every other week paycheck-hubby got it weekly. I have my little notebook paper full of to-dos and would appreciate any suggestions.

-Pull DD out of daycare
-Cancel DSA and 401k at my work
-Keep AC up and lights out (habit we need to work on granted)
-Coupons
-Put stuff aside for yard sell later in summer
-Cheap groceries (be a bit of a challenge b/c hubby doesn't eat veggies at all)
-Redo budget
-Call CCC for debt repay plan
-Downgrade/cancel tv and cell (I am on contract for both so I have to price)
-Check into government programs/angel food
-recalculate witholding taxes
-Find state refund (said sent it I never got it), stop pay on check if need be
-Sell books/ebay stuff
-Hang up laundry
-Quit smoking (A good reason now and in a couple of days we are going to, shock has to where off).

Thanks
 
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#2 ·
So sorry to hear this :( but at least you have a plan started. Very smart of you to keep you mortgage payment low. As far as the groceries go, does your hubby just not like vegetables? Or are there other reasons he can't eat them? Because I'm not sure just not liking them would be a good enough reason for him to not just 'suck it up' and eat them anyway....would set a good example for your daughter, too. Hopefully you live somewhere they double coupons, because that will help quite a bit. Try and find a store that does and that also runs BOGO specials each week (and lets you use a coupon on both items).

If you have circulating fans use those as much as you can instead of A/C. You can run them nearly 24/7 for pretty much pennies a day.

Try using CVS ExtraCareBucks to get toiletries and such for free or little. A good site is Southern Savers. If you go under the CVS tab, the site owner keeps the current circular updated and matches sales with coupons and the ECB's and works up senarios to get good deals. That's how I got started doing it and it takes very little time to do because she works out the deals for you. You just need the coupons.

I wish I had more advice, but I hope this helps. You'll make it through :)
 
#3 ·
*Shop loss leaders at stores. Get your stores flyers and only buy from those stores the items they have on deep discount, like 10 pound bags of chicken legs .49 cents a pound.

*start making everything from scratch. There's loads of homemade mix recipes here in the recipe section.


*Dollar tree is a great place to get shampoos & such. Ours even has frozen food. I can get blueberris, strawberries, sometimes green giant complete frozen skillet dinners. Just be careful, you've got to know your store prices and sizes.

*keep a price book of the foods you buy from each store and carry it with you for quick a check while shopping.

*Think ahead, if you know someone in your household wears size 9 shoes and they are on clearance for $2, or at a yard sale cheaper. Pick them up even if you don't need them right now. It could be a lifesaver down the road. Just be careful not to get carried away, allot yourself X amount every week (even if it's just fifty cents) and tuck it away in an envelope for when that deal rolls around. My husband is in commercial construction and has been laid off almost 3 years now, this kind of shopping has saved our behinds on numerous occasions. Like an unexpected funeral and a very nice dress shirt I found for a quater. Had I not done that DS2 would have either had to go to funeral in a t-shirt or I would have had to take money away from food. Neither choice would have been good.

*Stop ALL spending at quick stops/gas stations. Make coffee in the morning and take it with you to work. Make up breakfast sandwiches and muffins and keep them in the freezer for a quick morning breakfast on the go. Always pack snacks and drinks when you leave the house, temptation to pop in McDonalds is averted if you have food and drinks on hand. For long shopping days I even pack a cooler with platters of food, or sandwiches, hunks of cake wrapped up and mason jars or a big jug filled with iced tea and cups. I'll find a shady spot, or a park and we'll sit and eat. My kids have learned the drill, those golden arches are not happening.

*homemade laundry detergent, a big money saver

*home cleaning supplies, another big money saver

Sending prayers that your husband finds work soon. :hugz:
 
#4 ·
I'm sorry this is happening to you. Smart move living in a place you can afford on one income. That helps so much.

In addition to what you already mentioned doing, changing the way you grocery shop is one of the easiest ways to make budget cuts, nice too that we are coming into the growing season where fresh veggies can be had at good prices. Can you have a garden where you are? If not don't forget to check with family and friends to see if they will help share the extras from their garden to help out.
Take good care & I wish you and yours well.
 
#5 ·
Even if you can't have a garden most times you can get away w/ a lg. deck pot of tomatoes or a hanging basket or 2 of herbs.

-See if friends and neighbors toss their newspapers and would give you the coupon inserts.

- Kmart here gives 10% off w/ proof of unemployment.

-send for samples
-check health ins or dental benefits. You may be covered until the end of the month. Beg to squeak in.

-Petco does cheap exams for cat and dogs on clinic dates. Some even do HW tests.

-go on u-tube and learn to super coupon. Lots of stuff becomes free when you get good at it. I save 50-85% regularly.

Try not to panic. Love that you have an action plan already.
I personally call DH's job and say I was a place of employment and see what he's saying. It's not legal to bad mouth someone.
No write-up/no proof.
 
#6 ·
You're off to a good running start. I'd think about seeing if there were kids in the area who need overnight childcare. Might be profitable, and I know from trying to find it that there's a real need. Should be less draining too, if kids are sleeping. I'd hit the library and learn more about frugality as well.
 
#7 ·
Great advice given. Sending best wishes that your hubby finds something soon. ((hugs))
 
#8 ·
Sorry this has happened to you. Sounds like you have a plan and some good advice here.

If he was terminated through 'no fault of his own' he should be able to get unemp. IF he has worked long enough to qualify for it 'moneywise'. Sounds like when they said 'terminated' that they might try to fight it.....if so.......APPEAL......again, if it was through no fault of his own he can get it. Might take some extra weeks, time, effort but worth it if you win.
 
#9 ·
You're smart that you have kept your mortgage so low that you can live off one income.. I agree with the library post...check out the tightwad gazette...and read anything and everything you can on how to save money.... and good luck to your husband! Let's hope he finds something soon!
 
#10 ·
your family only needs nice clothes when others see you, so wear old or faded or unfashionable ones at home (just don?t buy them especially for this purpose...)

Good luck with your plans and I hope for you that dh gets a new job soon.
 
#13 ·
Thanks for all the well wishes. He got his seperation notice so it has terminated b/c of job performance (yeah right). They did this to some others also. I will definately appeal unemployment and take all this advice to hear. Now I am hoping they pay him his last few days work and hopefully the paid time off he had accured.
 
#14 ·
I figured I would give an update. DH got unemployment but his old work appealed it and he had to go to a telephone appeal tribunal. Luckily there is a laywer in the family and told us how to respond and what we needed to do and we won because his work had no documentation, no dates, no evidence (they even tried to make up a story that DH had a cooler full of beer in the truck-um no! It was a lunch box with soda). They have until July 5th to appeal again-but the law says no new evidence can be submitted. I am just hoping they will give up (longest two weeks ever!). Until then all unemployment is getting thrown into savings until we know for sure (if we lost we have to pay it back).

I am trying to do better on frugality but have had slip ups. I will just keep trying again (Quit smoking day is July 7th). Touched my savings for the last time to get money to take the dog to the vet-now no more.

I have two questions advice would be welcome on:
1) With the unemployment we would only need to spend about $400 at most a month to cover expenses. Should the rest just be thrown in savings until DH finds a job (no one is hiring here but we will keep looking) or should I use it to pay down the car payment (cc can just wait).
2) What are good foods to freeze that retain their tastes and how long can they be frozen for?

Thanks for any advice!
 
#15 ·
Congratulations on your winning your first appeal. If I were in your shoes I would hang on to every penny until DH gets a new job. Make your required payments but no extra payments. When he's back to work you can concentrate on accelerated debt repayment, for now stretch every penny as far as you can because you don't know how long he will be out of work for.
 
#16 ·
Read this string and was hoping for good news at the end. While it isn't a job it sounds like things are positive.
 
#17 ·
Yes, I hope all is going as well as it can. If it was me I'd be reading about taking them to small claims court for slander. Don't know if I'd ultimately do anything, but it would be a partial outlet for my anger at them lying about my reputation.
 
#18 ·
Don't pay any extra on ANYTHING. You don't know how long he will be out of work or if you're entirely safe. Pay only what you have to. Save every dime you can. Voice of experience here. SAVE
 
#20 ·
Saving sounds like great advice to me so I will take it (espically as we had big storms and lost a few trees that were too risky to chop down our selves-powerlines!). Unemployment runs out for him (as long as they don't try to appeal the appeal) in May 2011. Right now he is concentrating in his field or a similar one and if nothing comes up he will branch out soon. He is also going for his GED in August so as long as he studies hard that will open up a lot of doors. Good news for a change is I just graduated college! Horray only took this teacher's kid 12 years to listen to what the rents were saying.
 
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