Timmi’s Story : Before Job Loss

This is an article sent to me by a website called The Dollar Stretcher .com. It’s a great shoulda done story,  I am sure we have all got those stories. It is also a “lucky I did” story. This story is especially a warning, “Maybe we should start thinking of these things now, while we have a job, not wait till we are in the unfortunate position of being in the unemployment line”.

Amongst some of the things he wished he had done, he missed mentioning that he should have bought my book “Simply Fantastic Living Better On Less“. This book is full of simple and obvious saving idea’s but ones we forget when times are good. Also lots of warnings and questions, before you jump into unknown areas in your life like relationships and investments.

My Story: Before Job Loss
contributed by Timmi

Things to do before a layoff

Job loss is nothing new to our family. Here’s what I wish I’d done before I’d lost my job:

- Wish that we focused on buying a few good quality articles of clothing instead of a bunch of cheap stuff. When the cheap stuff reached the end of its useful life and we had no money for replacements, it was a blow to an already bruised ego to be forced to wear obviously tired clothes.

- Wish that I had discovered frugal sites, such as The Dollar Stretcher, earlier.

- Wish that in “times of plenty,” we were still frugal.

- Wish that I had been cured of my aversion to thrift stores!

- Wish that our emergency fund had been larger.

- Wish that my studies had been more diverse, so that if one field of training didn’t pan out, I could have switch to other options.

- Wish that credit card debt had not been a problem.

And here’s what I’m glad we did before the job loss hit:

- Glad that I did not have the habit of weekly salon visits for hair and nails.

- Glad that my husband was a trained mechanic. Our cars were old, well-maintained, very reliable, and paid for in cash.

- Glad that we had deferred buying a home. We would have lost our home during the lean times.

- Glad that I kept a stash of craft supplies. Sometimes my projects brought in a few dollars, but mostly crafts kept me from losing my mind!

- Glad that we had always practiced a somewhat frugal lifestyle. The necessary adjustments to our lifestyle weren’t a huge shock to our systems.

- Glad that I learned to sew. I whipped up simple little outfit for the girls from my fabric stash. I also made throw cushions, curtains, etc. primarily from fabric that was given to me, and I developed the ability to refashion clothes.
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My Story is a regular feature of The Dollar Stretcher.com – a site dedicated to “Living Better…for Less”. Visit their library for more information on layoffs.