Question

Ok so Tuesday of this week I was fired for the first time in my 23 years of living. Took a whole day to relax and instantly put my resume out in my home town. Now I need advice on lowering our living costs? We went from having about 4500 a month to hopefully with my husband's over time 2100 a month. Thankfully we have enough saved plus my last paycheck coming to cover mortgage for two months, other bills should be covered as well. But fuck me, I need help to manage money more than ever now and I am falling into a deep dark rabbit whole fast. Any advice will be greatly appreciated thank you!  

Answer 1

Definitely minimize all extra costs if you can. Hard to help with no list of bills but look into wireless accounts, cable, Netflix and such to start with.  

Comments

@oligochaete491 we have an Amazon fire stick and our wifi is the cheapest we can get in the area we live. Other Bill's are gas/electric, mortgage, two cars, student loan, insurance, phone bill, and water every three months (due in march)

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@trapper so of the 4500 to 2100 your total bills were what? Student loans in deferral as mentioned is definitely easy to do.  

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@oligochaete491 no no we were making that much a month and it dropped down to 2100, we have a wedding coming up and a honey moon which is why we didnt have a lot saved and now I am royally fucked for a little bit till I get a job once again

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@trapper - but of the 4500 income what was going out monthly?  

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@oligochaete491 not sure fairly new at this I believe on average we were spending about 2200 between bills n food. We cut out all entertainment already, lost the gym membership (which bless the gods had no extra fees and we don't pay this month) also cancelled my mental therapy, and we cancelled all honeymoon payments with a full refund. I have all the coupons I need for food and shutting food down to about 150 month (going from healthy to boxed).  

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@trapper - so basically you need an extra $100. Ok so definitely not in terrible shape. Let’s thank the God above cause it could have been a lot worse. Seems manageable but definitely start looking for employment. Applying for unemployed takes time and really they make it hard nowadays. Praying that you find something quick.  

Answer 2

And I’ve been laid off so I know the feeling. Keep your head up and start applying ASAP so that you don’t dip into what you have saved.  

Answer 3

Put student loans in hardship deferral if you have any. Don't wait, cut out everything extra now. Go into emergency mode yesterday. File for unemployment.  

Comments

@daub1 in my area I have to be working there for 6month to qualify for unemployment. which is not the case sadly

Answer 4

Can you get unemployment while looking for another job

Comments

File for unemployment even if you were fired! If you lose appeal!  

Answer 5

Take the first job you can get. It's easier to find a job when you already have one (God, I think my mother just said that ) being fired sucks and I'm sorry it happened. Glad to know you have some savings and mortgage covered! Good luck!  

Answer 6

Do you have a budget already set? If so, look at what can be cut. Groceries are usually one place. Look up zero food waste and try use what you have before going to the store. We’ve gone from two incomes to one and it was hard but helped me focus on reducing/stop overspending. Look at side hustle ASAP to fill in before another full time job opens up.  

Answer 7

Apply to do instacart. I think you can get approved quickly. And it can generate some income quickly. Or Uber, but I think that might take longer from what I’ve read. You can do this. ❤️

Answer 8

Definitely get your foot in the door with the first job you can get - you can always keep applying but at least money will be coming through the door. In the mean time try Rover for dog walking, instacart, door dash, uber eats, Lyft, postmates, etc any side hustle to make ends meet while you're job searching. You could also try selling some stuff on Facebook marketplace or Ebay. Best of luck!  

Answer 9

Not sure where you live but Airbnb cleaning is often good pay per hour. May not be what you want to do but it might tie you over. Also depending on your living situation you can rent a room with Airbnb to help pay a bill.