Plan B – What will you do when the unemployment checks stop coming?
If I can't find a job before my unemployment benefits run out, i'll need a shirt like this.
In the past year congress extended unemployment benefits twice. Now we can all live meagerly, for as many as fifty-nine weeks while we look for a new job. I consider 59 weeks of unemployment to be pretty generous, actually. Under most conditions anyone should be able to find a new job in a year, right? But with layoffs increasing by hundreds and hundreds of thousands each month, it’s not a surprise that many people are having a tough time finding their next paycheck before their benefits dry up. And since the U.S. has lost 5.1 million jobs since the recession officially began in December of 2007, many people have remained unemployed far beyond their 59 weeks of unemployment checks. In fact some estimate that 700,000 people will have exhausted their benefits by the second half of this year.
So here we are – the broke, the downtrodden, the wretched. Scratching and clawing at job boards, networking like rabid dogs and ‘trying to squeeze a dime out of a nickel when we haven’t got a cent.’ At the end of each long week, dozens more resumes have been sent out without as much as a phone interview while you’re one more week closer to the end of your unemployment. So what’s your next move? What’s plan B?
That’s the question I’d like to put to our readers. What do you think you will do when you reach the end of your lifeline? How will you get by then? Will you move back in with Mom and Dad? How creative or industurios can you be when you run out of other options? Will you go back to the land, or take the most basic of jobs? What would you do? What will you do?
We at the Unemploymentality would love to hear your answers or anything else you’d like to add to this conversation. Share in the comments section or email us pictures, videos and/or stories that tell us something about your plan B. Don’t be shy – we’ll still respect you in the morning.
And remember – just because you’ve got a job, doesn’t mean you can’t have an unemploymentality – so don’t be afraid to join the conversation if you earn a paycheck.
well , i didnt even get one single check of unemployment , yeap thats right. If youre a self employed contractor in Florida, that means that you loose your income and youre done EVEN if my last job was a “normal” employee job.
Since the last year i was self employed it means that even that i paid higher taxes (almost twice as much as a regular employee) i get nothing !
Its sooo cool that even that after 15 years of being a blue-collar-working tax paying citizen, didnt get into a sub-prime, didnt get into massive debt, paid my property taxes even when they went up 110% in one single year, NEVER got any food stamps/help from the government, and even picked up after my dog I DONT GET A PENNY BACK !
NO , its nonsense, why should i get any money, even when I and my children will have to pay for this mess for the rest of our lives! even when people with sub prime loans are able to secure their houses i cant do *hit about my plain ol’ fixed mortgage, my house is not even worth the paper is written on, i dont get any help. not even a tax break so i can rebound.
So here’s what i’ll do:
IM MOVING OUT ! and im serious , IM OUT OF THE USA for good ! this land is no longer the land of the free or the just, this is no longer the land of opportunity nor the land of the American dream.
Is is fair for me to pay for other people’s mess when i wasnt even benefited from their greed ? why some people who created this mess can still walk away from all this with MY tax dollars ?
one thing is for sure, im not going to be here for that, and most people dont seem to care that the government hasnt worked for years and prob will never do so,
my family is going to suffer in some other country where at least i dont get hit by 30% taxes of my income (not if i get no benefits back) on top of a hugely high cost of living, i dont even get to see or play with my daughter nor i cant even spend a good afternoon with my wife, not even mention that if i get sick then its really going to get pretty bad… so sad, real Americans would have overthrown the government long ago…
I’m here to put in a cheap plug for my blog, which is laidoffusa.com/blog and not as funny as yours. Which bothers me. Actually, you guys rule the genre of funny laid off blogs and the writing on this post was so particularly terrific that I’m going to post about it. No kidding. I’ll let you know. You can view it and double my readership.
No, actually, I’m here because you only got one comment and I felt sorry for you, but now you’ve got two and I only feel half as sorry.
But mainly I’m here because you said this: So here we are – the broke, the downtrodden, the wretched. Scratching and clawing at job boards, networking like rabid dogs and ‘trying to squeeze a dime out of a nickel when we haven’t got a cent.’ At the end of each long week, dozens more resumes have been sent out without as much as a phone interview while you’re one more week closer to the end of your unemployment.
That’s some mighty fine writing. (Although I’m not sure that technically speaking, rabid dogs actually do network.)
I’ve been laid off for 3 months, but I don’t think I’ll get near the end of my unemployment. I got one interview and one job, but I can’t start till I get a security clearance, so in the meantime and maybe forever, I’ll be writing my blogs and reading yours. Till you guys get jobs and quit this nonsense.
so funny, i didnt even read the damn thing , i dont care, i needed to put my frustration on the cloud maybe some other googler find it, for that the internet a beer. now the important thing here is not the article but the ppl that are in this situation. im glad at least another person cared to share his share of the pain. i really hope history changes things but history has been proven wrong.
My family owns some farm land in Ohio. That is always my back-up to the back-up plan.
I live with the ‘rents…:-( Trust me if you can avoid it then avoid it at ALL costs! Parents are CRAZY. If you were sane before you moved back in with them then trust me you will need to start looking for some psychiatric help immediately. Parents have the ability to take the words right out of your mouth, belittle you, and make you feel like a little ant on this so called earth. Most likely you will be Benjamin Buttonized. This means you have to ask permission to go out and get the silent treatment when you spend the night somewhere else with somebody of the opposite sex. Trust me, parents have the questions to ask that you never have the answer to… Oh yeah, and it’s like they forget that you did live on your own BEFORE you moved back in. Yes, I know how to clean, cook, call the plumber, hook up the internet. Yes, I once was responsible with a “job”. Yes, I know how to budget money.
Now as for meeting new people its like your past history is irreverent. Now you are broke, living with your parents, and unemployed. Mind you a year ago you 1. Had own apartment in cool, hip neighborhood 2. Had a wonderful job with great lunches and happy hours 3. Wined and dined in the city every weekend 4. Went on something called vacations….*sigh*. Somebody said “wow your car is nice for not having a real job”….I did ONCE have a JOB that allowed me the luxury of having a decent car. Doesn’t it seem bizarre your life could get flipped upside down quicker than Will from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air? How does one begin to figure out who they are without the material things anymore? What if you have the material things in the aftermath but no job or real income. In addition, now your identity is being sucked away by your parents.
Am I selfish to want my old life back? At least I am not starving or living on the streets but this is far from pleasant. I keep reminding myself this is only temporary and there are people worse off. But compared to my old life, this sucks! Who would have thought life would get worse and not better with age?
I was laid off in November, I actually have another job now but in that time period I was thinking if I run out of unemployment checks I would go to my parent’s ranch in Wyoming, quit the media business and run away for a while until this all blows over. That or become a phone sex operator [as per your Craigslist job post]. Or both.
Thanks for the contributions thus far – @someguy – do you have a country in mind yet? Are you canada bound, or something more like Honduras? Either way, good luck!
Antoinette – I had a friend that could have lived with his parents while he was making a meager salary. I told him it would be a practical way to save up some real money for a year or so. His response was that even though no money changes hands, there are other more serious payments that you make when living with the family – like those that you’ve articulated. I now see his point!
Keep ‘em coming!
What if your parents are being laid off too? There is a typically middle-class assumption that you can always go back to live with your steadily employed parents, but that’s simply not the case for many people. There are plenty of older people being laid off right now, and they can’t necessarily take the financial strain of having someone else to feed.
Also, just in case someguy above is thinking of Canada as a more hospitable destination, let me disabuse him of that notion — there is no unemployment for self-employed workers here either, and the unemployment system in general has been scaled back so much that it’s estimated over 50-60% of unemployed people don’t qualify for unemployment insurance. Our unemployment rate is rising faster than yours in the U.S. and is on track for double-digits in the near future. Oh, and the weather sucks.
I honestly have no plans at all. Am totally clueless. Hubby can’t find a job, and I have kids which I share with a crazy ex, so moving away is out of the question for us. I have no college background, and screw even thinking of that-working almost 3 years as a debt collector for specifically student loans will scare you! I’m starting to think at this point, I’m going to have to learn how to ask others if they want to supersize it-something I have never wanted to do in my life. Just thinking of the germs in that environment really gives me the willies…
Plan A: To put out resumes the old way and network. (pray my ass off)
Plan B: Look at jobs in my field that I would not normally do (one’s with tons of travel or temp out of state jobs) (pray my ass off)
Plan C: Look for labor work 2 jobs to survive. “Would you like fries with that?”(pray my ass off)
Plan D: Go around the neighborhood on trash pick up day and collect junk and sell of ebay! (One man’s junk is another mans treasure)
I am not sure what will happen, but I do know that if our country doesn’t get back to work, then all those one well fair will be in our shoes soon as well. Can pay for what you don’t have money for.
Someguy, I feel your pain and irritation man, but I don’t know of any other country that has a lower tax rate than we do. I don’t agree with our new government nor do I like they way the old one handled this crisis! I think they should all be tried for misappropriation of fund! This panic spending has ruined my future and that of my daughter who is only 6 years old. Let’s hope that in the next 2 years we get ride of half the problem in congress and get some people in there that have a clue as to what needs to be done.
I would like to say there are options out there, but if our country keeps going on as usual then even the jobs that illegals take will be gone.
Rome fell in a day, and it seems that every great empire did the same except china.
On the bright side, we could run for office!
Well let’s see…
Plan A: Keep writing my blog over at bigdaddycool.info and continue to try to speak for the underutilized workers out there like me. (Underutilized worker – for those of you just tuning in – is someone who is out of work, looking for a job, hasn’t gotten one yet and has used up their unemployment insurance, or they have becone so discouraged they have given up looking.) While I’m writing I’ll keep praying that someone actually buys something over there so I can pay the mortgage. An e-book, a t-shirt, anything!
Plan B: Keep looking for a job on Monster.com, CareerBuilder.com and hope I find someone who’s willing to take a chance on someone who hasn’t had a “real job” in 6 1/2 years.
Plan C: Keep asking my creditors if they are hiring. I actually sent my resume out to my mortgage holder when we filed our hardship paperwork. Hey, if you ask the people you owe money to for a job then they can’t accuse you of not trying hard enough, right?
Plan D: Keep looking around the house to see what else we can sell on CraigsList. We can’t have any more garage sales as the city has a limit (3) on how many you can have in one year. Any more than that and you have to apply for a permit.
Plan E: Get any job I can find where they don’t care if you’re “overqualified” or not. Digging ditches, stocking shelves at Wal-Mart, McDonald’s drive-thru window, mopping floors – I don’t care as long as it’s a paycheck and we stay in our house!
Plan F: Win the Lottery.
Plan G: Lose 50 lbs. and try to break into porn. Hey, if more and more professional women are turning to erotic dancing to pay the bills, where can us guys get in on some of that action?
BDC – you should definitely fastrack Plan G to Plan A….time’s a waistin’!
Good post! I love your style of writing
My e-book “Survive the Global Crisis” has been an interesting venture for me and brought me many interesting views and experiences of people from around the world.
Fact is very few people I am in contact with actually have a “plan B”. Most of them believe the politicians when they hear “It will all get better in a few months”!
I am currently on Unemployment: Part 3. Contrary to what you might deduce from that fact, it’s not me – it’s them! (Part 1 was a layoff, 2 was the end of my contract, and 3 was employer retardation/another layoff). My third job lasted 3 months (and THEN they did the books and found out that they can’t afford another employee!), so upon layoff, I was stuck re-opening my existing unemployment claim from Part 2. This expires at the end of May!
Contenders for Plan B:
—Hope I can file for an extension.
—String together a bunch of part time jobs if I can’t.
—Continue writing my blog (betweenjobstheblog.blogspot.com) and trying to get my book published.
—I liked the “move to somewhere remote and hide out for a while” Plan Bs, and so another option is to become like the “My Side of the Mountain” guy and do just that. Or more recently, the “Into the Wild” guy (only without the dying at the end…)
I’m also seriously contemplating a video resume.
I’ve already gone through my benefits, the 1st extension and now I’m receiving the 2nd extension. I did receive a notice in the mail regarding the 3rd extension (hopefully I will be able to get it). If I don’t get the 3rd extension I have no clue what I will do. I guess my cat and I will be living out of my car since I won’t be able to afford living in my apartment or even the utilities. I have already sent out over 1,000 resumes since April 2008 with no success. I have even lowered my hourly rate to the lowest that I can afford and still no luck. I really feel sorry for the individuals who loose their jobs when they have families to take care of. At least I only have my cat and myself to care for. Good luck everyone in finding employment.
I have no clue what I will do when my benefits run out. I may try caring for kids in my home, or cleaning houses, maybe I need to pray more.
I am trying not to think too far ahead so that I don’t become overwhelmed. Just one day at a time.
Interesting article in todays WSJ on basically your post.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123905105150794313.html#mod=todays_us_page_one
When times are difficult you do whatever is necessary.
I am plan B. Both of my daughters can move back home with me. Their boyfriends can come, too. They just have to sleep in separate rooms. I’m a cool mom, but I’m not that cool.
MJ
My plan B – purse snatching, petty crime, drug importation, start a ponzi scheme, start a cult where people worship me and give me all their money… I’ve got all kinds of ideas!
Jojo99, based on your interests, you may be interested in this article:
http://unemploymentality.com/2009/01/forget-the-job-boards-unemploymentalitys-top-five-get-rich-quick-schemes/
59 weeks? Maybe I missed something but here in Michigan it’s only 18. I suppose you have to file for extension but seeing how difficult it was to even get unemployment in the first place I think I’d flip a nut if I have to go through that process again. I don’t want to think about not having a job in a couple of months. I suppose I’ll continue mooching off my parents. That is if they don’t get laid off.
I am still employed, but just yesterday, my coworker came up to me and revealed that my boss is thinking of letting me go. I am not supposed to know this, obviously, but now that I do, I can’t pretend that I don’t know about. This is the second job that I have had in the past year, and this will be the third time that I have to go through the job searching process. Truthfully, I am out of energy. My life recently seems to be a roller coaster pattern of job hunting, employment, job hunting, employment, and job hunting again.
I’ve been out of work here in Omaha for almost 6 months. My wife has been unemployed for 5 months. I am about to start the 20 week extension of benefits. For the last year, I’ve volunteered with a ministry that helps state prisoners who are in Work Release. I also help with worship services in the Omaha Correctional Center, a minimum security state prison. As I face the very real possibility of losing all my possessions through bankruptcy or foreclosure, I have to admit that I’ve sometimes fantasized about committing some sort of non-violent crime which would earn me 3 square meals a day and a roof over my head. OCC would me more appealing than living under a highway underpass someplace…
I have been out of work since January and I am one of those “parents”. Both kids are now home but we can’t offer much support for them but a place to sleep. My husband is an artist so my plan B is to leave corporate America behind and go on the road helping him sell his art. Our lifestyle will get much simpler, but my gut says we will ultimately end up much happier too. I have had high level positions that were so full of stress for so long and maybe this is an omen….
I recieved a letter today that I have exhausted all Benifits…. I haven’t worked since being laid off over two years ago… I waited several months while looking for work before even applying for unemployment….
I was a Firefighter for a number of years before going to work for a Large Bank
I worked for over 30 years of my life… I now find myself at the young age of 50 without a pot to piss in… I have slowly but surley sold off anything I had of value in order for me and my family to simply survive…There are NO Jobs…..
We do not qualify for Government assistance because we own our home…. Last time I checked my Kids could not eat this freaking house..
First it was Katrina now this…. There’s nothing left to do but simply go out with a big Bang.
Hang in there, J Hart – you’ll find a way through…sometimes the best ideas come right when you think the well has run dry….
Let go, and let God do the rest.
Honestly, i don’t know what I’m going to do! I have been unemployed for almost a year now, my county and surrounding counties are on what’s called a hiring freeze.
I have put in hundreds of applications only to hear the same thing, “I’m sorry, we’re not hiring right now but we are accepting applications.”
What’s the point anymore!
What doesn’t make sense to me is, how are people going to survive if unemployment runs out and no one is hiring?
To be honest natural survival techniques kick in. We may be human, but we’re still animals on this planet. Animals do what ever is necessary to survive.
Why can’t the government just print more money and send it to the Americans that keep this country running. I’m not talking about stimulus packages for the White Collar CRIMINALS at Wall Street. AND YES that is what they are….CRIMINALS. All these years of taking and investing money got them no where! For what? For the government we so trusted for over 400 years to stab us in the back. I’m pretty sure other Americans can agree. They say they can’t print no more money because face value will go down, or thats all the gold we have in Fort Knox. Screw that! $5 is the same to me no matter what!
You know what gets me the most. The Blue Collar people of this country are sinking and the white collar people could care less as long as their pockets are somewhat full and that’s all that matters to them. But if it wasn’t for the little guys investing in their products and the little guys working at their FORTUNE 500 companies, they wouldn’t even be rich.
I worked for a company for almost 5 years, and within that five years it was proven that sales rose because of sales tactics and customer relations I aquired through out the years. Only to be laid of and have some one else take my position at half the pay rate of me. The guy who took my place is no where making the efforts or sales I did. The company could care less. They got their money and now hire people for dirt.
I see on TV all the time about celebs and white collar people spending large amouts of money on things and objects that will just get repossed later in life. (example – i saw a tv show about celebs who spend over 100, 000 dollars on flower arrangements for weddings, or millions on a piece A SINGLE PIECE of jewelry. ) Honestly why spend millions of dollars on a home that you will never really be in. Why spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on vehicles that you hardly drive.
It’s only gonna be a matter of time before this thing spirals out of control and people go nuts! I know because I’m starting to feel it. I know i’m not the only one.
Unfortunately as humans we rob, kill and destroy to get what we WANT. Who’s not to say what this country will do for what we NEED!
PS.
No offense to people who belive in religion. But you’re god is not going to put money in your pockets. Cause he damn sure didnt put money in mine.
well i will tell you guys this, i collect california unemployment and all my benefits have been exhausted. I applied at a hundred of places and still no luck, the onley places that are hiring are the ones i don’t have experience in, now i feel like the only thing to do is illegal things, which i have nevered done before in my life…what should i do to avoid that path? and oh yea i’m a single parent of two, i can’t even buy a car without a job, or rent an apartment for me and my kids..
Well I asked the question legitimately, and this string was the first thing that came up. Thanks for the thread John.
First….Do Not Come to California if your thinking of leaving where you are!! I have never understood why people leave perfectly good states to come to the Ken and Barbie Capital of the world. I was born and raised here so I can speak my mind about it… :*) Now even Ken and Barbie are broke.
It seems I have been more patient than most of the postings I have read. I have been out of work since September 2007, YES it sucks to be me. I was in the same field for over 13 ears. You always think the contacts you make when your “Playing your best Game” will remember you. Trust me they don’t. Unless as in my case they are men (No offense to those of you who are not like this) who lets just say, “Yeah, they can Help you Out with finding a JOB…Throw a few letter in front of many of those words, and you get my meaning.
I lost my job while I was caring for a terminally ill family member, I had to miss work 1 day, yes I said ONE! This after working 6 1/2 days a week for $50 a day plus commission, which there isn’t any… if No one is selling anything. I actually went out and sold a unit myself the last week I was there just to have something to do and they refused to pay me full sales and finance commission, Hell I didn’t even complain. I took what I could get to keep some money coming in.
Cut to the chase Family member is literally dying, work is really slow, and my Supervisor/”Friend” says its a problem and to meet him on his day off. You bet he wasn’t there.
All this time later and No one comprehends that someone who worked as long and as many hours (10-13 a day) doesn’t really want to sit on their BUTT for less than 20% of what they made before (and that’s only until it runs out), without any satisfaction in a job well done. If I hear one more time, that I am over qualified, I could (laughing) go postal. If they can have someone with experience for quite a bit less than they would normally want to be paid….Why do they want the High School Graduate with no experience….And since when does a receptionist need a degree??? I even applied to the employment development department…They asked how many months of customer service experience I have …the requirement was 12 months….LOL I have well over 10,000 months, but alas I did not have enough experience in customer service. I have over 1 2months of experience just dealing with them, and that’s tougher than most C/S jobs I have had in my life time
I wish you all luck with your plans, all of them B thru H. I so far beyond H it’s impossible for me to remember what alpha numeric combination I am on.
Why didn’t the government bail out the people instead of the greedy corporations??? The corporation goes down, get bought out, gets replaced….because of consumer demand….If the consumer isn’t surviving, the corporations won’t be working for anyone. And they are calling this a recession…anyone checked out the economic numbers from the late 20′s and figured the cost of living changes…Recession my ASS
unlike a lot of the other testimonials, i don’t have a back up plan, i dont get my child support like i am supposed to and its now been turned over once again to an attorney. i have been unemployed since last july 17, 2008 and all that time i was first turned down for unemployemnt and then someone happen to think about it and le me know that they cant keep you from drawing forever so i reapplied and i started getting a regurlar once a week check which has kept a roof over my sons head, food in his body and i still have a new car that i purchased two weeks before i got layed off from a job i luvd. i now have two weeks before my money , the only money i get stops and i was told to call back reapply and that i would be denied but for me to contest it, meanwhile my son may lose the only home he has ever had. someone please help me understand what is the next step to keep me from total depression, thoughts of suicide, life in general. PRAYER GETS ME THRU EACH DAY ! God Bless all of you!
This comment is for Vinnie. We too have been unemployed since last November,and no jobs in sight. Being 60 isn’t much of a plus to getting hired these days. I am a Christian, and wanted you to know that when I trusted the Lord as my Savior He promised somehow to care for me. The Bible says God will supply our needs according to His riches in Glory. We know times are hard, and we are without any retirement money plus our bodies are tired as well. Let’s see what we’re made of Vinnie. The pioneers, and the folks that went through the Great Depression did it, and so can we. We’re alot tougher than we think. The Best to you…..Nancy
where was g-d during the holocaust, where was g-d during 9/11, where was g-d during those pedophile priests?
where is the revolt, the overthrow of these imbeciles in “charge”–there is something HORRIBLY wrong when you have criminals who collect our taxdollars , and regular folks get screwed. where is the revolt–sheeple–sheeple? wake up. time to call to action. pointless to “apply” to work —NO ONE IS HIRINIG–freezes, buddy systems etc…. NO ONE IS HIRING. thousands CVs later and NOTHING. this country sucks.
I have been unemployed since March after nine years with my company. It was very easy for them to lay me off at my age of 53, knowing I am a single woman supporting myself. It was so easy for them to lay me off knowing I walk with a limp due to a bad leg. I have sent out over one thousand resumes and can not find anything …. I have taken a job at a local store part time helping me with the low unemployment checks I get. I guess I will roll over and die soon. My unemployment runs out in February. The state of Illinois is huring and expect to see massive layoffs starting up again soon, airlines, transportation, trucking and manufacturing. It is not a beautiful world and I lost my faith in God. Although I control my destiny I can’t begin to tell you the pain I am feeling. No family, recruiters that don’t look for me, a company that left me broken hearted and my soul that has been hit by a mack truck. People have no clue. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. I am totally broke and very bitter.
Dear LW.
I can feel your pain, your anger and you bitter, but we all in the same situation. When I say all I mean middle class who work hard to make paycheck for a normal not rich life for us and our kids and now we out of a job out of govement benefits(it is only for people who never work or work for a small pay chacks). Now we need to go through foreclosure of out houses, collection agency, bad credit report and bankrapcy. I have 1 conclusion from all of this, It is better to be poor than belong for middle class in situation like today.
Be brave and try to live day to day life. Go to any agency which exist in your aria which proclame yourself helping people and ask for help.
I have sent out I can’t tell you how many resumes even for crappy jobs. I’ve been unemployed since January 2008 and I have been on a total of 3 yes I said 3 interviews and still nothing yet. I’m to the point it’s getting depressing and I really don’t know what to do I even had to file for bankruptcy because I can barely afford to pay my bills. I had my job 13 years and they threw me out like trash. I have 2 months before my unemployment ends hopefully I can find some part time work. I’ve been praying every night and nothing has happened. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
applied to over 300 “jobs”–only 2 responses by H. sapiens stating that due to budget cuts cannot hire anyone, 5 additional computer automated responses. Great economy, enjoy the USS Titanic, enjoy the boomers who never retire,…..merry christmas to all and all a good nacht.
Flip items on craigslist to generate 4-5k a month cash. Do this for a year 60k cash. Don’t believe it can be done? Well I just stacked my last $100 bill to have 60k in front of me.
You all have to get creative.. Doing the same thing you’ve done for years will yield the same results…
Wow! I was trying to find some uplifting info on how to survive unemployment and I came across this site. Wrong site for that! My husband has been unemployed for 6 months. He was unfairly fired after working for a company for 4 yrs. We really think his age had a lot to do with him losing his job, he’s 57. He had worked at a Paper Mill for 20 years when they closed the doors with a two week notice. He worked several different jobs trying to make it on a much reduced income. Then he got a job with a big international company that we thought he could retire from. He didn’t like the job much but he only made about $10,000 less than he did at the Mill. This was much better than the other jobs that he had worked for. Well, now he doesn’t have that either. He didn’t get unemployment benefits because the big international company fought it and have high paid attorneys on retainer that they were more than willing to use to fight him. I have a part-time job that doesn’t pay much. We have completely exhausted our savings, our 401k and IRA through the years by trying to make it after the layoff. We have used up all of a line of credit loan we had. We don’t know what to do next. Our house has dropped in value and I don’t know if we could sell it if we put it up for sale. My husband has lost count of how many resume’s he has submitted. He has had 3 interviews that sounded very promising, but they hired someone else. Hardly any potential employers ever call you back or even send you a letter or e-mail. He worked at a temporary/seasonal job in December that lasted 4 weeks. We were getting food stamps until he got the temporary job and then they stopped them. We are trying to apply for them again. I’m starting to look around the house for things we may be able to sell on ebay or craigslist. I guess we could move in with our elderly parents but we sure don’t want to. Except for selling our house or filing bankruptcy, I just don’t know what to do. How is the US ever going to climb out of this mess? They can’t keep paying unemployment benefits forever. If the benefits stop for the thousands that are unemployed, we will definitely go into a Depression if we aren’t already.
All the pain you people are feeling is exactly how these socialist liberal progressive scum want us to feel!! They love Mao.. love communism and stomping on our heads as we beg for their friggin table scraps. I got laid off in Nov of 2008 after my boss (lost his wad in the stock market) said.. “If Obama gets elected.. I’m closing down Florida’s warehouse for good”.. and that’s exactly what he did. he knew what was coming. This black sheep wants to throw us in jail if we don’t pay for health insurance.. like all the sudden THAT’S the BIG crisis. NO WAY!
I’ve worked in this country and paid into the welfare system since I was 15 yrs old.. I’m 40 now and not a pot to piss in during the yrs I should be saving it all for MY retirement! You don’t see the welfare scum worrying! They drive nice cars and I drive a 16 yr old pc of crap that keeps breaking down.. they get to eat steak and I’m lucky to eat processed turkey roll. I have no money or bennefits.. can’t get welfare because I’m not a breeder of dumbass kids who walk around with their pants hanging to their knees. This country sucks because we let them make it suck for us and it’s time we took it back and stopped feeling sorry for ourselves.. I’d give my life because the one I’m living now isn’t worth a crap. To watch a welfare scab and her 5 negro/hispanic kids eat like kings, drive new cars, shop for new cloths, live in a nice house, go to a doctor for free (while we’re being told we’ll go to jail if we work and don’t pay healthcare).. NO WAY!! I will NOT tollerate it any longer and nobody should. Not one person who lives in this country and calls themselves and American should allow this to happen any longer. You got all the time in the world on your hands and you better stop being sheep and start becoming lions.. The gov scum work for us.. not the other way around! Plan B is: Get your ass up and DO SOMETHING BEFORE THEY PUT YOU IN A TENT CITY!!
I am rather saddened by the last comment from Jane Doe, there are those who certainly take advantage of the welfare system, but there are others who have used the system as it was intended and achieved what was needed. The ones that take advantage well I must agree they don’t deserve it, but to place them in category of race is distressing.
Rather than focus on that however I want to give my response to plan B.
First I will say that about 10 years ago I myself was caught up in the welfare system, I received the tools I need and removed myself from the system as soon as I could, now that I am unemployed I am trying to do my best to see it from the same perspective.
There is mention of God in these blogs, I have went through an existential crisis and don’t know my beliefs but they are forming slowly into something I can tell. I have tried to see this all as some sort of lesson for me. Being a single mother of three children who cannot afford to live on the streets with her children, well its a very scary place out there right now. I have had to question within myself why I am going through all of this. See I don’t have a plan B, some people do not have parents who really care if they have a place to live, I have had to go to a womans shelter in the past due to abuse from one of my ex husbands, during that time I was not able to move in with my family, and my family has assured me that I will not be able to move in now, in fact since I was 16 and my parents had gotten a divorce was the day they closed the doors to my being able to return to their home, and since than I have had to learn every way possible to make it on my own or endure abuse from ex husbands in order to survive.
I decided two years ago to face the things I was afraid of rather than teach my children that abuse is normal and took the steps to get a job. During that time I was harassed by my boss who wanted sexual favors from me, and eventually there I was laid off. Laid off and asking my family if the worse thing happened and I needed a place to stay would they take me and my children in, only to be told how selfish I was and how I should not have went to my first abusive ex husband in the first place. This sounds like I am complaining I suppose in a way I am, its not that I am angry its just that sometimes there are lessons I suppose to be learned in extremely hard ways.
I suppose you could say I am spiritual in the sense that I do believe, I must believe in order to have hope that all that has happened in my life, all the doors that have been closed causing me to enter unsafe homes is for a reason.
Now I am here on my own with my children doing whatever I can to keep my family together. I got a temporary contracted job, not sure how long its going to last but it might become permanent, I am relieved for that but worried how it might affect my unemployment, however I know what will happen to my mind if I continue to remain at home applying for jobs hour upon hour.
What I Do believe is that this is all happening to me at this moment, where there is no family to support me and no where to turn, where there is only me and my children to depend on so that I can learn finally and fully what it is like to somehow make it against so many odds on my own, that I can do it and that I will never be forced into a abusive environment again. I know that there is only one way to survive these times if anyone who is in my shoes might read this, somehow finding hope despite it all. There is hope, its only figuring out how to make it happen. When we watch movies about someones struggles we get an uplifting feel, while going through it ourselves its hard to see that feeling inside, its hard to understand that concept, but its because we are the characters in our own stories enduring the challenges we often only read about. I believe my plan B is continue and continue and continue no matter what and eventually things will right itself.
Keep the hope out there, I promise you I will as hard as that is at times to feel.
I was watching a tv program and seen something about unemployment benefits (extensions) being suspended. I am THANKFUL to still be employed and have decent medical insurance in this terrible economy. I just had a baby and I’m a single parent. There is a person in my family that is receiving unemployment and she too is on her last extension, so indirectly it affects me because my family lives together. We can’t afford to pull someone elses weight. The bad part is what would happen when her money runs out. Our rent is $1800 and my mother pays the majority of the rent and all the bills. I have been receiving state disability since July 2009 and because of complications after delivery I’ve been out of work for about 8 months. I’m hoping and praying that when I heal,my job won’t be compromised because of my absence. I know there are hundreds of people that wish they had my job (I drive buses for public transit) so I know how lucky I am to even be employed. I guess what I’m trying to say after eading all the comments and feeling all the pain and anguish from the REAL Americans affected by this recession is have faith. What else do you have to lose? This is the time to call out to God and let Him know your pain. You cannot have DOUBT.Lay your troubles at His feet and leave them there. There are people that don’t believe,and for whatever reason, that is your choice, but for those that DO know that you don’t give up! Not hearing or seeing action right away is not always a “No”. Learn to listen also. Keep praying. I know I do. My family is substained because of prayer. I am the only person that prays in my family. There will come a time where this “system” will come to an end and there will be no more suffering nor pain-But don’t give up on life. You won’t believe what I’ve been through even if I told you and I’m STILL here! God said He will never leave you nor FORSAKE you….and that’s enough for me! For those that don’t live by faith, I hope your Plan B workd for you as well, and don’t give up! Just when you want to let go is when your blessing comes. So HOLD ON!
I don’t know…what do you go when there’s no where to go….how do maintain your household…has the government thought of bailing out americans with more bills than they can handle…are they willing to paid off at least one of our major debts? The American people need a bailout!
dear j hart i read some very good advice for you and could feel a lot of peoples concern for you and your family. you may not want to hear this right now but remember have faith in god he is testing you so let go and put all your faith in him. father will provide if you let him
lots of love (let go….)
I tell you what I’m going to do. I’m going to find a couple of CEOs at Goldman Sachs or AIG, camp out in their front f*&%ing yard, take a dump on their lawn every morning until i get arrested. Every time they let me out of jail I’m going back to take a dump on their lawn. They’ll know my name and what I had for dinner every god damn day until I get a job. Yes, mother effer, I had corn for dinner!
I’m going straight up punk-rock when my unemployment runs out.
My job was eliminated when my company downsized. I was managing three companies in one office, doing the work of six people and thought I had a job until I retired even though it was killing me. When they let me go I didn’t know whether to be relieved or devastated. The workforce center said I was completely burnt out and would I like to try being a cook or something else? I thought they were nuts for even suggesting such a thing. How can you pay for your rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance and groceries on less then half of what you were making? You can’t thus the bankruptcy and foreclosure. But while that was going on I found out that my identity had been tied up neatly with my credit rating. I was super woman supporting several under my roof, managing three companies, paying my bills on time. Then whoosh! It’s all gone. I’ve applied for a hundred jobs since then and gotten nothing. No one will hire me because I was middle management or they think I’m over qualified or want too much money. Telling them that you are happy to take a lesser wage and do the lesser job doesn’t help. “Dumbing” down my resume hasn’t helped. And that’s another thing I worked hard to get that resume to the status it is, why the hell do I have to “dumb” it down? I know. I know. You gotta do what you gotta do. But that hasn’t worked either. So maybe it’s my age or something else I’m not taking into consideration. I don’t know. Anyway I finally got hard up enough to try being a cook. At first they were impressed with me and then I was let go with them saying I wasn’t fast enough. Okay fine I tried right? what do I get for trying? My unemployment is now on hold while they investigate why the job let me go. Rent is due and I don’t have enough money to do more then pay half. I’m sure it will all be fine. This time. But what about next time? And what about when the unemployment is gone? Then what? I’ve applied for every job that has come up, I’ve followed up, I’ve applied for online work. It’s never ending and the shot to my self esteem and confidence has taken such a hit that I don’t know if I can do my job once I get it. I didn’t know I couldn’t do a cook job and it seemed much easier then what I’ve been doing for so many years. I can do accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, taxes, type, sales, phones, filing, inventory, shipping; but no one will hire me!
My question is what do you do and where do you go when there’s no job and you can’t afford a roof over your head? Do I put all my belongings in a storage unit and find a shelter? Do I lose everything I own as well as my credit, my reputation, my skills. Am I destined for the streets? Something has got to happen to put us all back to work or people will be jumping out of windows because they can’t face what so many of us are already facing.
Well that was more of a rant then anything else I guess. Sorry I don’t have some answers instead of just more problems. I wish I had a Plan B. Right now my plan is just to keep trying to get a job before I am homeless.
Wish me luck!