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Surviving the layoff thread

6K views 81 replies 29 participants last post by  nodmicks 
#1 · (Edited)
Well it happened. Dh (the main earner) is unemployed as of next Friday.
Here is my post on it if your curious about all the details
Grrrrr! Dh survived the last layoff and was assured 100 times over by the boss his job was 100% secure! Earlier this week an office worker let leak to dh that the boss was lying. Well she was correct. Dh got the call yesterday that their last day is next Fri.
Dh has lots to think about! The company has a big new contract in March. Dh can go back to work in March. The company is offering staying on to the top 5 drivers (dh is number 1 on the list) but it will be totally on call 5 days a week and you will have to leave for any state in the USA on a few hours notice. Absolutely no guaranteed work at all.Well that is a tad scary with not even a guarantee you will work 1 day a week.

Max unemployment in our state is $350 I believe. Our cobra payment would take all that monthly to keep our ins. We are very worried about any lapse in ins as I'm diabetic and any lapse could be very expensive plus it sets up pre existing clause for when we are insured again.

The orthodontist has only gotten half of the 1000 ins will pay for ds's braces so guess who will owe the rest.........................US!!!!!!!! The ortho office said their hands are tied and because of the way they must bill they can't get it any faster.

Dh does earn at least 80% of our income. I do have 3 month in EF so we could bare bones with unemployment squeek by if it wasn't for that stupid cobra amount.

Dh says he wants to go back in march but has no plans to sit on unemployment until March. The bummer is his current company pays much much better than all the other local companies by a long shot. It also might be hard to find another to hire him when he tells them he will only be working until March.

The biggest worry is health ins. Sigh!!!!!!! I am so so grateful we saved our EF. It will be rough and we will be cutting to the bone but at least I know we can pay the mortgage etc. I know this is why the ef is there but I sure hate to see it all go bye bye.

Thanks for letting me vent!:beat:

Dh is just devistated that this is before the holidays.



I'm just going to share and hopefully get ideas from others as this goes along.

I keep telling myself. We have been through worse!~ It might not be fun but we will make it and thank heavens for some EF.

The biggest issue is affording the ins!!!! I can live without other frills.

My first step was to stop the $60 auto deposit into the EF. Can't do that without a pay check coming in (sigh)
 
#2 ·
Aww, I am so sorry to hear this! My heart is breaking for all the families like yours and AnnK's. It could really happen to any one of us. It is so good that you have your EF in place. :thumb: We will lose my dh's base salary in January, and as of now there is no way we can live on the commission he is making. So, it looks like he will be starting his own business next year. :nerv2: You will be in my thoughts and prayers that just the right new job comes along quickly! Please keep us updated and hang in there! :hugz:
 
#6 ·
Thank you! So what type of business is yoyr dh going to start? That sounds exciting. That is too bad about the straight commision but maybe the business will be just the thing!

Wow what a way to go into the Holiday season (or anytime of year for that matter!) I am so sorry please know you will be in my thoughts, I have to say your determination is amazing I would be in a much worse spot than you are so kudos for preparation. Here's hoping something even better comes along -- you never know!
Thank you so much for the good thoughts. I am very grateful we were kind of prepared!

Nodmicks, can your DH go to a temp agency? Or maybe post some ads at hardware/DIY type places that he is available for hauling? (Don't know if he has a truck he can use.) I also see ads on CL for people offering their services. Maybe he can post there? Or check there for short-term jobs? I've posted there (and seen lots of others) for one-time-only jobs. I found a great guy who helped put up my fence through CL. He had no experience at it, but responded to my ad, and was a hard worker. He earned $40/hour in cash for a week from me, so there must be others who need some help on projects.
Mad hen I have never heard of CL. What is that? He is going to look into the temp agency that handles drivers Mon. Sadly temp drivers make about $10 an hour hear so about half his wage and not much more than the a weeks unemployment in our state but he would go nuts sitting around. He was saying he would feel very guilty not letting a prospective employer know he would be going back in March. He doesnt own a semi. Who knows what might pop up though! Thanks for the ideas!




Thank you Imagine!
 
#3 ·
Wow what a way to go into the Holiday season (or anytime of year for that matter!) I am so sorry please know you will be in my thoughts, I have to say your determination is amazing I would be in a much worse spot than you are so kudos for preparation. Here's hoping something even better comes along -- you never know!
 
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#4 ·
Nodmicks, can your DH go to a temp agency? Or maybe post some ads at hardware/DIY type places that he is available for hauling? (Don't know if he has a truck he can use.) I also see ads on CL for people offering their services. Maybe he can post there? Or check there for short-term jobs? I've posted there (and seen lots of others) for one-time-only jobs. I found a great guy who helped put up my fence through CL. He had no experience at it, but responded to my ad, and was a hard worker. He earned $40/hour in cash for a week from me, so there must be others who need some help on projects.
 
#7 ·
Nodmicks, Craigslist is a free on-line "classified" site. Search for "craigslist" and you'll get the main site, then look for your city and click on that to get to your local craigslist. From there, it is just like a newspaper classified, but in real time. There is a place to post jobs wanted and a place to post employment opportunities.

I use it a lot to sell garage-sale type items, as it is free to post and a LOT of people use it.
 
#11 ·
I am sorry that you have been affected by this, I hope that it all works out for the better in the long run. HUGS
 
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#12 ·
I'm also sorry to hear this..I'm glad you have a ef in place as many don't know the meaning of saving money..Can you apply for Medicaid? I would head straight to Social Services to see if you qualify for any assistance..:hug2:
I hope everything turns out better for your family real soon..
 
#13 · (Edited)
I can check but I'm pretty sure we won't because of the assest limit. I did check on badger care plus (which is for kiddos in wi no matter what the income limit) however it looks like we are disqualified because we have access to ins through cobra. I'll find out more monday

I am very grateful to have that EF!!!:hug2:
 
#14 ·
Awwwhhh! Mick that is just awful! I am so glad you have that EF, that will buy you sometime. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

It makes me a bit nervous too.... Dh's company had two rounds of lay offs in two months and he has survived so far...but it is very scary since the number employees have been reduced by %50.

We went through a lay off and retraining 5 years ago.... and I keep thinking OH no Oh no.... and we don't having savings and we are still in debt from student loans because of Dh's retraining so we are in a worse financial position than before..... ugh... It scares the jeebies out of me when you said your Dh's boss had assured him his position was %100 secure! SCARY!
 
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#18 ·
I crunching numbers today using unemloyment figures just in case! A very wise poster suggested UPS seasonal carriers. I will let dh know as soon as he is here.

I am glad I have 1/2 my Christmas shopping done. I still have quite a few to finish. Good thing I'm a good bargain hunter. It is not worth the hassle and argument to cut back the number (which is a bit) of people. So instead I will cut back to a smaller amount spent.. Long story there.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Dh's boss is seeing if he can get dh to work one day in Nov. Even if it is just moving boxes. According to the boss 1 day of work in Nov continues the ins until the end of Nov. I will be calling tomorrow to the human resources dept to confirm the ins end date.

I've reworked the budget every way but sideways and that cobra payment is not do able. I'm still looking into alternatives.

Deep breath!


Dh has an interview at UPS for seasonal for next week. However it is not as a driver but as a drivers helper. No benefits for seasonal and dh's buddy told him drivers helpers make less than unemployment. However it would get him out of the house a bit and he could still claim partial unemployment. We will see what happens

My pt job is straight commision but I should be nice and busy through Dec. We get real slow Jan and Feb. I love living 30 miles in the sticks until I comes to times like these. Makes it harder to decide to work pt retail or something when it's all min wage and 30 miles one way. However as of now everything is ok!

I can really squeeze a dime and if we could pay off that 46K in debt on an income not much bigger that what we will be living on I have faith. Yeah prices weren't crazy then but determination counts for a lot.
I plan to be as creative as possible and try not to hit the ef for living expenses.
 
#20 ·
One thing to consider with insurance is a private carrier. I mean it will be great if the 1 day keeps you covered but if not look around for something other than cobra - my daughter got insurance for her and her son for around $200 a month. Have no idea if that is common but is something to consider.
 
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#23 ·
Am thinking of you, my sil was laid off last week & there really is very little work available, what there is is low paid or so far away it costs too much to run the car. my dd has taken on a night shift at McDonalds, funny isnt it that people always have money to spend there! She may be able to get more hours but her health isn't so good at present so I am a bit concerned.
You're right, determination is the key.
We are going to get through this!:thumb:
 
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#24 ·
I'll cross my fingers for your SIL! My son wants a pt job at McD's and it would be a good experience for him (he's in 10th grade). However I'm thinking I would burn more gas taking him than he would make.
Hope your dd's health gets better. Your right though McD's seems to always have customers.
 
#25 ·
I would suggest getting on line to get quotes for insurance. I would google "insurance quotes" or something like that. I found the online prices to be MUCH cheaper than going thru an agent and the process is pretty simple just to get a quote. And, where you all have had previous coverage, you shouldn't have any problems getting a company that will cover you.

Good luck to you all and we will be thinking of you and your DH!
 
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#29 ·
Contrary Housewife, I see your point, but please realize that this can backfire. My 24 year old daughter was diagnosed with Osteomyelitis in January and her health insurance has paid $70,000 IN A YEAR'S TIME. I thank God every day that her father and I maintained her health insurance. I shudder to think where she would be (because Medicaid, which is her SECONDARY carrier) covers just about absolutely nothing.
 
#30 ·
I had from a few days ago in the freezer. I made a batch of ham and cheese hot pockets for dinner for the guys (no bread for me). We had broccoli frozen from the garden with them

I now have the ham bone in the crockpot with beans and spices making ham and bean soup for tomorrow. Gotta stretch that menu:apple:
 
#31 ·
Working on stretching my menu as well. We bought a ham at Aldi's for 1.49 a pound. I cooked the Ham on Monday we ate it that night and last night. Tonight I shredded a cup of it to put in Grilled cheese sandwiches. Tomorrow I am using the bone to cook some beans too. All the rest of it I chopped and froze into 1 cup servings to use in soups and casseroles. Many people think that Ham is expensive but it's not really. We spent 13.00 and have enough meat to make a dozen meals. I find Ham to be very frugal when portioned correctly.
 
#32 ·
I am sorry that this happening to you. DH wasn't laid off but his job was eliminated and he went backward on the pay scale by $10 thousand dollars a year, and it was stressful. Here we are years later still struggling. Let's just take one day at a time. Sending you good thoughts.
 
#33 ·
I am so glad you can get insurance through the state. You must be so relieved. The ham meals sound great.
 
#34 ·
Great job Ann! I don't think ham is expensive either! I don't really like ham personally but the guys love. It ate it though!

The guys love the hot pockets.


Buckeye~ I'm so sorry that happened. Aren't you glad we have the skills to get by! Even if it isn't fun.

Thanks Happymamma. I'll be really relieved once we actually qualify to do it. I'll be more than glad to pay that premium. Whew!
 
#35 ·
Well so much for dh getting to work a day in Nov to continue the insurance for November! He can't even work the official last day tomorrow. They have nothing to do. So layoff officially is here.

I was disgusted to see a site auto rewnew that I know I set to manual after the last time it auto renewed. I contacted them but they can do nothing about it. I'll have to watch in in Jan to make sure it doesn't happen again!
 
#36 ·
The grocery by my place of work has a really good sale yesterday. .99 rice crispies, 250 a lb cheese, .89 eggs and 1.49 butter. I stocked up quite a bit.

Dh got his vacation pay out so I payed a few bills a bit early since it will take a bit for unemployment to kick in.
 
#37 ·
Dh got the position at UPS. It is on call seasonal. Interestingly since we have a family member who flies for them dh gets priority if a full time permanent position comes up.
Anyways this will get him aout and about. Unemployment will still be available and we know his job is back in March.

So far so good!
 
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