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What did you learn while unemployed?

S

slackerinabox

Lifer
I've had a pretty long stretch of unemployment and times were very hard but my wife and I managed to learn quite a few things about budgeting during the course of that year (worked as a real estate agent once I gave up the job search but am now happily back at a 9 to 6). Here's some things we learned, please share!

1. Cell phone bill: OLD BILL: $300+, NEW BILL $90. Savings $210/month
2 lines with data on verizon was costing us over $300 (they forced me to go to the highest minutes plan after consecutive overages. Switched to two unlimited prepaid plans and couldn't be happier. First step was porting over to google voice for $20 a line, then we're free to hop from service to service if we'd like (but we're happy with straight talk)

2. Groceries: From $400/month to $200 a month, Savings $200/month
Stopped buying prepared/convenience foods to a very specific, healthy grocery lists of raw meats (bought in bulk), brown rice, almond milk (can buy and store in bulk), etc. We're also much healthier these days by skipping the frozen pizzas/tv dinner life style

3. Packing lunch: $200/month to $100, saving $100/month
Even though I was "unemployed" I was spending money eating out while trying to find work and during my limited stint as a real estate agent. Walmart's store brand slim fast was an easy solution to two of my problems and my wife packed leftovers

4. Cable TV/Internet: Was $200/month now $108, a savings of $92
I planned on (and still do) cutting the cord and just getting internet service for around $60. Talking to retentions knocked almost $100 off of my bill with the same services. I still plan on getting a professional antenna installation and going all the way down to $60/month. OTA works GREAT with TIVO ($28/month for two boxes) especially since Hulu and Netflix apps are built in and it's much more wife friendly compared to an HTPC

5. Baby products/clothes: SLICKDEAL ALERTS FOR THE WIN! With our 6 month old baby we need a steady stream of diapers and the occasional new piece of gear (next on our list is a high chair). I've added alerts for everything we need so, when a good deal comes through, we jump on it and stockpile. Combined with Amazon Mom/Prime, we now have 3 months of diapers/wipes/etc. stockpiled and are crossing things off of our list ahead of schedule and lower than expected. For example, we needed a nicer umbrella stroller and was able to get a Maclaren for 50% off amazon's price, just because we weren't in a rush and waited until a slickdeals deal came through

6. Insurance - my wife's insurance wanted about $800 a month to add my daughter to her plan. Since I had time on my hands and our income low enough we qualified for a state program that had a $45 premium (not medicare/ medicaid, care provided by a major provider). Now that I'm no longer unemployed I do not qualify, but they're allowing me 6 more transitional months, which is awesome

So, now that I'm back to work and making a little more than my old job, these money saving simple (so simple I feel dumb) means we can easily add $500 a month into the baby's college fund, and we're living healthier and less drama filled lives. SHARE YOUR TIPS!
 
I learned not to do any work, my effective rate of pay for a part time job was like $1.50 an hour since it affected my unemployment benefits.

I was only out of work for about 5 weeks.
 
The moment I start to get unemployment is the moment I am going on one long ass vacation. Don't know what I'll learn, but I'm pretty sure it'll be sweet.
 
I have never been out of work for more than 4 weeks since leaving "school" and that was only beacause I had a lot of stuff to do round the house and I got a decent payout from my previous job. Worked part time while at 6th form aswell.

Saying that I did take a quite large paycut to do something I enjoyed and the "mrs" and I learnt a lot about how much money we were wasting eating out and on general crap. It amazes me some of the truly crappy deals people are willing to put up with when they have spare cash floating around.
 
I've learned there STILL isnt' enough time in a day to do the things i want to do :'(

been out of work for 6mos now...have yet to be bored :thumbsup:

i love this shit
 
I wasn't in a good state when I was unemployed. Thankfully I had a good friend to help me through it, but I was still a wreck.

It was 2008, I had just graduated university. I was of that generation that had spent their entire life being told that you were almost guaranteed to get a good job as soon as you graduated. Then the subprime crisis hit in the US and spilled across the border. Right when I was picking up my diploma. No jobs, at all. Imagine waking up every morning and feeling useless and unwanted.

It took me months until I finally got a job as a driver for a car rental company. I still work there. Decided to go back to school and get some practical training. That's what I've been doing since. There's still not a lot of opportunities out there. Especially here in Ontario. I've got one good career prospect but they've been leaving me dangling for awhile. I'm really hoping they make the final call so I can start living my life.

If it taught me anything, it's to have a great appreciation for those who work the shit jobs. It also taught me the tremendous value of practical training and volunteer work for future jobs.
 
I cannot possibly sit and watch the price is right/maury for more that about a week. I went and got a bullshit dishwashing/delivery driver job
 
Learned if you can't eat it, wear it, or take shelter inside it that it doesn't matter. Asking yourself if something is really a need or a want and being honest with yourself about it could cut most peoples expenses down drastically.
 
amdhunter said:
The moment I start to get unemployment is the moment I am going on one long ass vacation. Don't know what I'll learn, but I'm pretty sure it'll be sweet.
Click to expand...

One of the requirements for collecting unemployment is that you are actively looking for a job and in some cases, going in for X amount of interviews a week.

A "long ass vacation" doesn't include any of the above. 🙂
 
I have only been unemployed for 2 weeks in the last 21 years and I was receiving unemployment AND severance (yes, allowed in KY) during those 2 weeks so I learned nothing specifically from that. With that said, the high cost of gas and economy in general has caused me to spend less and save more (just in case). I know that I'm driving the economy further into the ground but it's just a natural things to do. Besides, I don't need all that stuff anyway.
 
slag said:
One of the requirements for collecting unemployment is that you are actively looking for a job and in some cases, going in for X amount of interviews a week.

A "long ass vacation" doesn't include any of the above. 🙂
Click to expand...

In Florida - you need to make 2 "communications" per week. This is solved by using a motels free wifi and a shitty laptop to use a companies website to submit an application and resume. Very simple to do. In this state they don't have enough funds to actually follow up with making sure all the unemployed are actually doing that.
 
i haven't been unemployed since i was 14, which was 16 years ago.

i learned in middle school and my freshman year in highschool while i was unemployed, but that is about it.
 
haven't been out of work in 35 years. Don't know what to do with the mud slide of revenue coming to me these days. Maybe more property.
 
Sometimes nothing, sometimes new skills, sometimes new degrees, sometimes just how lean I could live. It's the up and down side of many different periods of unemployment.
 
freedomsbeat212 said:
I've had a pretty long stretch of unemployment and times were very hard but my wife and I managed to learn quite a few things about budgeting during the course of that year (worked as a real estate agent once I gave up the job search but am now happily back at a 9 to 6). Here's some things we learned, please share!

1. Cell phone bill: OLD BILL: $300+, NEW BILL $90. Savings $210/month
2 lines with data on verizon was costing us over $300 (they forced me to go to the highest minutes plan after consecutive overages. Switched to two unlimited prepaid plans and couldn't be happier. First step was porting over to google voice for $20 a line, then we're free to hop from service to service if we'd like (but we're happy with straight talk)

2. Groceries: From $400/month to $200 a month, Savings $200/month
Stopped buying prepared/convenience foods to a very specific, healthy grocery lists of raw meats (bought in bulk), brown rice, almond milk (can buy and store in bulk), etc. We're also much healthier these days by skipping the frozen pizzas/tv dinner life style

3. Packing lunch: $200/month to $100, saving $100/month
Even though I was "unemployed" I was spending money eating out while trying to find work and during my limited stint as a real estate agent. Walmart's store brand slim fast was an easy solution to two of my problems and my wife packed leftovers

4. Cable TV/Internet: Was $200/month now $108, a savings of $92
I planned on (and still do) cutting the cord and just getting internet service for around $60. Talking to retentions knocked almost $100 off of my bill with the same services. I still plan on getting a professional antenna installation and going all the way down to $60/month. OTA works GREAT with TIVO ($28/month for two boxes) especially since Hulu and Netflix apps are built in and it's much more wife friendly compared to an HTPC

5. Baby products/clothes: SLICKDEAL ALERTS FOR THE WIN! With our 6 month old baby we need a steady stream of diapers and the occasional new piece of gear (next on our list is a high chair). I've added alerts for everything we need so, when a good deal comes through, we jump on it and stockpile. Combined with Amazon Mom/Prime, we now have 3 months of diapers/wipes/etc. stockpiled and are crossing things off of our list ahead of schedule and lower than expected. For example, we needed a nicer umbrella stroller and was able to get a Maclaren for 50% off amazon's price, just because we weren't in a rush and waited until a slickdeals deal came through

6. Insurance - my wife's insurance wanted about $800 a month to add my daughter to her plan. Since I had time on my hands and our income low enough we qualified for a state program that had a $45 premium (not medicare/ medicaid, care provided by a major provider). Now that I'm no longer unemployed I do not qualify, but they're allowing me 6 more transitional months, which is awesome

So, now that I'm back to work and making a little more than my old job, these money saving simple (so simple I feel dumb) means we can easily add $500 a month into the baby's college fund, and we're living healthier and less drama filled lives. SHARE YOUR TIPS!
Click to expand...

First congrats on finding the new job and at even more money, awesome.

Congrats on pulling through to you and your wife.

Congrats on the new addition to your family.

Thanks for sharing the tips.

and finally continued blessings
 
slag said:
And his kid(s) will have a jump start on life with the college fund while yours are wondering why their parent didn't have any savings to help them.
Click to expand...

I'm not religious, but I still pray to a god that people like him don't have children. Basing his intelligence and social prowess on his posts, I don't have much to worry about.
 
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