{ring ring}
Ryan: Hello?
Me: Hey sweetie! How’s is going?
Ryan: Oh, it’s going okay…
Me: Did everything go okay at work today?
Ryan: Well….. I actually just got laid off.
Me: {shocked silence}
Ryan: And I promise I’m not kidding, I wouldn’t joke about something like this…
I honestly thought it wouldn’t happen to us. But that was the conversation between my husband and me last Wednesday afternoon around 4:45 pm.
{Sigh}
So what do you do from there? Where do you start? How do you make a budget that works in the interim between jobs?
I definitely don’t have all of the answers, but one thing that I do know is that I am thankful that we prepared for a job-loss possibility WAY in advance. We have consistently been living under our means and saving as much as possible for the last two years to build up our emergency fund (thanks to my mom and to Dave Ramsey for instilling that in us!)
In light of our recent experience, I would love to share with you guys a few things that have been top on our priority list this past week:
- Looking at our budget and cutting back on everything we possibly can. My husband has definitely been on top of canceling any extra services that we are able to cancel. This would also include limiting any travel to a bare minimum and encouraging family to visit you instead of traveling to visit them.
- Calling companies that we have a contract with and asking if they have any type of delayed payment program for those who have experienced a job loss. Many companies will work with you on this.
- Filing for Unemployment Benefits (do a web search for unemployment benefits in your state). In many situations, if you get laid off then you can file for unemployment benefits and receive a percentage of your salary every month. It’s not anywhere close to enough to cover all of your expenses, but it certainly helps in extending your emergency fund longer.
I really can’t stress enough the importance of planning ahead for a job loss. Even if you don’t think that it’s a possibility for your family…. we didn’t think it was either.
While this job loss will definitely put a huge strain on our budget, we are excited about the potential doors that could open up ahead of us. God has been faithful thus far to lead us into exactly what we need to be doing, so we trust that He will continue to lead us. We plan and prepare, but our desire is that in our planning and preparing we stay free from worry and anxiety.
Here are a few verses from the Bible that have really encouraged me during this time. Feel free to skip over them if you aren’t interested, I promise I won’t be offended. But hopefully they will be an encouragement to you all as well, whether you have experienced a job loss or not!
For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. — Matthew 6:25-34 (NASB)
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:6-7 (NASB)
Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)
For those of you who have experienced a job loss in your family, what were some of the things that you did to prepare ahead of time, and what were the steps that you took once it happened? I’d love to hear your experiences and encouragements!
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