Unemployment chat (apply, work, money, state)

[JMT]

This thread is for those who just want to chit chat about issues related to unemployment. Remember to keep it civil and to not bring politics into the discussion. Enjoy!

[ReturningWest]

Thanks for your trust JMT, I hope we can keep it civil. I'll start;

LVD and I were just talking about frugal living and much to my surprise we do have a sub forum for it. It's very apparent that additional tiers and extentions will be put on hold/wait list, so I was wondering what everyone has done to cinch up their belt.

Here's some of mine:
1. stoped my garbage pick up and take it to my local dump myself
2. cut my phone bill in half by taking out all the nice to haves like caller id and call waiting and I also cut outgoing calls. I need a cell because I live rural and I don't want to get stuck on some lonely dirt road, but I also need a land line as it's the only DSL available in my area.
3. I don't take the paper and the ATL paper is no longer delievered in my area so my neighbors take a trip every Sunday to get one and I get it from them on Monday to check out coupons etc. to help me stretch my $200 food stamp budget.
4. I plan any trip from my home as a multi trip for errand running - if I forgot it - it has to wait until next planned trip to save on gas.
5. Advertised for a roomy - but no luck so far - I just live too far out in the sticks to atract a suitable one.

Any extras were cut out long ago and now I'm looking at what I thought was esential to try to cut even more so any ideas will be greatly apreciated.

On a sad note my state of GA is STILL bleeding jobs right and left, on the news over the last few days there were more massive layoffs and 2 plant closings. I had really hoped GA would be one of the first states to recover since in decades past the ATL area was a "hot" place to live...not so much anymore.

I've re-doubled my efforts to find work, I spend every day with no days off looking and if there is anything I'm remotely qualified for I apply writing a new resume and cover letter to emphasize skills, I've also applied to all the seasonal jobs - no luck there yet. I even applied to an Olin Mills studio photog job...LOL...after all my hobby is digital photography...so who knows - they did say "willing to train the right person".

I'd love to hear from the other unemployed and what they are doing to survive?

[Tuck91NYG]

my household has cut down on stupid spending. We buy whatever is onsale, eat leftovers etc. We've cut back on options to save money. We have jsut basic cable, cut our cell phone services down. Cut back on energy and gas use. We've saved on average of about 300.00 a month.

[WannaliveinGreenville]

How I cut back on spending : I drive by tons of restaurants everyday but I say " No , you are going to eat at home " Which I have done for many months now. So , I make sure I have all the staples for baking and cooking . ( eating out is pretty rare but if I do its grilled chicken )

I did buy my turkey today , at 49 cents a pound. It worked out to $ 6 for the turkey.

They did have a whole meal T meal but wanted $ 35 and I KNEW I could cook it for less , plus I LOVE having the warm oven on all day cooking delicious foods and it tastes amazing

I have tons of ways I save money,.....

[marska]

we did all the things mentioned above; then sold our newest car (we had 2 cars). It needed tires and some other work- just could not pay for it- so we sold it. It is tough to get by with one old car, but it is paid for and the insurance is cheap. Hope it keeps running!

[WildKarrde]

Sold my new sports car. Also stopped eating out except for on the rare occasion with friends. Pretty much everything else I did was bare bones already. I've sold as much as I can, some stuff just won't go. I only eat about once a day now, and I don't work out because that takes more energy, which takes more food. I guess next on the list is not paying credit cards anymore.

[Grrr]

Ooh--I like this thread. I'd love to learn some new ways to save. Here are mine:
Don't have a cell phone, don't have cable, keep the pilot light off until we can see our breath in the house, and even then we use our heater very modestly (of course it helps that we don't have children and live in CA--but we're in Norcal not Socal, so it does get chilly here), I sometimes help a friend out at a local Farmer's Market in exchange for fresh veggies, we buy our staples in bulk and eat beans about 5 out of 7 nights a week, in the summer we had a small veggie garden where we also grew herbs--this helps make an otherwise boring monotonous diet seem a little more exciting, we NEVER go out to eat, and there are more ways, but here's my "favorite" thing about having to save $$--we really appreciate little things that we didn't used to. For example, we LOVE consumable gifts--homemade cookies, body lotions, etc. These are luxuries to us now, and when we have them it's magic. Also, I find lots of free stuff on Craigslist. I'm an avid gardener/plant lover and I find free plants there all the time. I also barter for stuff. I sometimes feel blessed that such small things can bring us so much joy. I compare myself to my sister and her family, who have plenty of money, and I see how they spend so freely on one thing after another, and yet they seem less content than we are.

[danielpalos]

I am into container gardening as well. I am into spearmint, lemon balm, and lavender; plus some other stuff; and some stuff I haven't identified yet. I probably should invest in a digital camera for online identification since I also sometimes find mushrooms growing wild.

It can be a change of pace experimenting with herbal teas.

I am also into sunflowers and use some as natural bird feeders.

[WannaliveinGreenville]

Originally Posted by danielpalos

I am into container gardening as well. I am into spearmint, lemon balm, and lavender; plus some other stuff; and some stuff I haven't identified yet. I probably should invest in a digital camera for online identification since I also sometimes find mushrooms growing wild.

It can be a change of pace experimenting with herbal teas.

I am also into sunflowers and use some as natural bird feeders.

What do you use the lemon balm and lavender for ? Do you make your own soaps ?

[danielpalos]

I want to use the lemon balm as a substitute for lemon; when I have more of a requirement for lemon juice and for tea. Not yet, but aroma therapy and arts and crafts are something I may try to do once I get a decent lavender crop going.

Does anyone have an inexpensive digital camera they don't need? Twenty or less. I am paypal friendly and have a shipping account you can bill that cost to. Anyone planning an upgrade anyway?