How to Be Unemployed and Still Be Successful

Unemployment is currently plaguing nearly 10% of the U.S. Many PrayBuddy users have posted prayer requests related to this issue. It’s a difficult and often emotional struggle to experience, but most of us have went through it in the past. We know how to be unemployed, but what we need to learn is how to find success while we’re unemployed. With the proper plan in place, you can know how to be unemployed by still be successful.
We often make unemployment harder than it needs to be. Our emotions get involved and tell us lies such as: “I’m a loser.”, “I’m going to lose everything.”, “I can’t provide for my family.” Here’s the truth: You’re not a loser. You’re not going to lose everything. You’re just going through a tough time. You’re going to get through this eventually. The sun will shine through the clouds soon.

Once you break through the emotional barrier, you’ll be able to see your issue clearly. To get through being unemployed, you need to increase income and decrease expenses. Sounds too easy? It’s harder in practice, but it really is that easy. We’re going to look at both in more detail.

Increase Income

Your income is your bread and butter. It helps keep the bills paid and the food on the table. When you’re unemployed, you lose most of your income (or all without an unemployment check). The first step is to find ways to increase your income. Here’s some ways to get started:

Find a Full-Time Job

If you’re unemployed, then your full-time job is to find a full-time job. The average unemployed person spends only 18 minutes a day (or 2 hours a week) looking for a job. The average person spends 222 minutes per day (or 26 hours per week) watching TV. And we wonder what’s holding us back from finding a job. Get off the couch! You need to be dedicated to searching and treat it like it’s your job.

Check out these resources:

• Newspaper Classifieds
• Staffing Agencies
• Local Career Centers
• Online Resources (Craigslist, CareerBuilder, Monster, etc.)
• Individual Company Websites
• Let your existing contacts know you’re looking. They might be able to help.
• Call places and ask if they’re hiring. This is excellent way to get the name of the HR person.

Find a Part-Time Job

Ideally, you’re looking for something full-time. But if you can find something part-time, it can temporarily supplement a  portion of your income. Getting $100 a week is better than getting $0 a week. A part-time position will also leave your schedule flexible so you can continue searching for a full-time job. And finally, finding a part-time job is usually easier than finding full-time. It’s a great strategy during crunch times.

You can find a part-time position by visiting the location’s website or visiting them directly. Also, Snag-a-Job has several companies listed that are currently hiring.

Spouse Temporarily Working

If only one person in the home is currently working, you could both seek part-time employment. Having two income streams from part-time positions will provide you with more time to find a position that will be a good fit for you.

Just a word of caution: If you have children, be sure to find arrangements for them that will avoid professional daycare. Daycare is expensive. If you can’t make other arrangements for someone to watch the kids, it might be best if your spouse continued his/her duties at home.

Sell Some Stuff

If you’re like most people, you have a storage full of stuff you’re never going to use again. Why not have a yard sale? Every dollar that you can make is extra money to put towards your cause. If you find some valuable items, put them on EBay or Craigslist.

Ask for Help

If you’re still struggling after trying to get your income up, you can try asking someone for help. You probably have friends, family, and co-workers who would be willing to help you out temporarily. Who knows? maybe one day they’ll need your help. Check with your local church and neighborhood churches. They likely offer programs that will help people who are struggling to make ends meet.

Decrease Your Expenses

Increasing your income is only half the fight. Sometimes, the best offense is a great defense. Lower your expenses. A wise man once said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Every dollar you save is like earning a dollar back. In a sense, by lowering your expenses, it’s almost like raising your income. Let’s look at some ways to lower your expenses.

• Stop Eating Out: Most people have no clue where their money is going. That’s probably because they’re eating it. Restaurants are expensive. You pay for the food, the costly drinks why not stop drinking coke altogether?), and the tip (it’s a 15%-20% tax). Eat at home. It’s cheaper.
• Watch Utility Bills: When unemployed, you’re home more often. That means more lights and water will be used. Fight this by cutting off unused lights and lowering your comfort level slightly (turn the thermostat down (or up in the summer)).
• Remove Kids From Daycare: If you’re at home, your kids can be too. At least remove them from childcare part-time. It will save you a lot of money while searching for a new job.
• Go Green & Stop Driving: Actually, I don’t care if you go green. The world is going to end anyway. BUT, driving less will save gas. If you’ve been living under a rock, let me fill you in on a secret: Gas is high!!! Plan trips wisely and get it all done at once. Less miles on the car will also reduce auto maintenance.
• Cancel Unnecessary Stuff: Do you have a gym membership?? Did you know that you can exercise at home?? It’s called a push-up! Cancel the membership. You can get it back when you get back to work. Check on things like cell phones and cable. If you don?t have a contract, get rid of any excess expenses in these areas. Antennas will still pick up TV stations. Do it!
• Negotiate Loan Payments: As soon as you lose a job or begin struggling with money, tell your loan officer. If you’re already behind, go talk to them now!! If you’re not behind but think you might be soon, go talk to them now!! Don’t wait to get behind. They might be able to help you temporarily lower your payments or even defer a few payments to help you out financially. It varies from bank to bank. If you deal with Bank of America.. sorry. But it won’t hurt to ask.
• Exercise: You can’t afford extra medical expenses ever? especially when you’re struggling. Become proactive and live a healthy lifestyle. Eat right and exercise regularly. You get out what you put into something. If you put junk into your body, you’ll get nothing but junk out. If you live healthy, you’ll be healthy.

Always Have a Plan

These ideas for success while unemployed are not exclusive. Get creative with it. Sit down and make a list of 10 ways that you can increase your income and 10 ways you can lower your expenses. Then, pick the one off each list that seems the most achievable. Once you’re doing it, add another. Then add another. Make a challenge out of it. Do them one at a time, and see how many out of the 10 you can do. You can find success, even when you’re unemployed. Every little success will get you one step closer to finding the career path of your dreams and finding your way out of a stressful situation.

What other tips do you have for those who are unemployed??