I got my unemployment debit card today. I was reluctant to apply for unemployment benefits because I never wanted to be one of those people who was dependent on the government for support.
This isn’t my first time being unemployed. In the last five years, I’ve been unemployed three times: the first time for seven months, the second for a little over a year, and the last time for five months. I never applied for unemployment during those times. The first time I quit, so I don’t think it was even an option, though I wouldn’t have taken it if it was. The second time I was let go and did have the option, but I had too much pride. The last time I was also let go, and I didn’t think I was at the job long enough to have the option, and again, I wouldn’t have wanted to anyway. Since I live with my mom, I was able to get by on savings, emptying my pension, my last checks, a miracle check that came at random and just knowing how to make a dollar out of 15 cents.
But I must admit, those were trying times – stress and anxiety inducing times. Believe me when I say these creditors don’t give a fuck. You’ve been a customer for years, paying on time, never missing a payment – so fucking what. They want they money. And when you desperate and broke those customer service representatives be gettin’ bold as fuck too. You be like:
Me: Hi there, I’ve been with you guys for over 10 years, and uh, recently I lost my job and I’m having a hard time paying. Is there anything you can do for me?
Customer Service Rep: Bitch that ain’t my fault. Nobody told yo broke ass to go charging everything. We want our money.
Me: No, you’re right and I’m sorry. I completely understand. And I want to pay you, it’s just, I don’t have any income right now. Would it be possible to maybe lower my interest rate?
Customer Service Rep: The rates ARE what they ARE.
Me: Surely there must be something you can do. Please I beg of you.
Customer Service Rep: ( Huge annoyed sigh) I guess I can try to see if there’s something we can do. Hold on. (Rep goes away forever and then comes back) Okay look, I’ma ask you a series of questions about your situation, then based on the answers you give, I’ll let you know if we have any programs that can help you.
Me: Okay, that sounds great!
(from there the rep asks the questions and I go on and give my sob story in greater detail, playing up have much money I don’t have and how much I need the help.)
Customer Service Rep: (after a few moments) Yep, just as I thought, we don’t have anything.
There was one more helpful credit card company out of the four I had to contact. They reduced my interest rate to 9.99 percent from like 27 percent, but only for six months. That lowered my payments from around $130 to $100: nice, but still a lot of money when you ain’t getting paid. Somehow I managed to come out of all that without any late payments…okay just one late payment and that took my credit score down 80 points.
The student loan companies were much better, they reduced my payments to zero, except for the one private loan I have which made me pay $100 for a three month forbearance during which time I was still accruing interest.
Couple all that with the fact that it’s hard as hell landing a job when you are out of a job – especially when you are out of a job coming from a low-paying unskilled worker job trying to vie for a professional position. Not only do a lot of professional jobs not want you because they think you’re underqualified, a lot of the unskilled worker jobs don’t want you either because they think you’re overqualified. Ultimately, the low-paying jobs always came through the quickest, because with their less than ideal working environments and low-pay, their turnover is so high they can’t afford to be too picky. If you can count, read, write and pass a drug test, you’re hired. Not only are you hired you can start right away.
However this time around those low-paying jobs that I could always count on were the main places shutting down and laying off workers. I was just furloughed from one.
While I could do something like work at a grocery store, I live with my mom who’s 63, and I’m not trying to compromise her health for minimum-wage or something close to it.
I got my last check from work on March 25. And then I got my tax refund. I was trying to hold out and not apply for unemployment, like maybe somebody will read my blog, fall in love with it and hire me to write something, but nothing doing. Then I started hearing about all the trouble people were having applying for unemployment so I thought I better do it before it was too late.
I applied online and it said it would take ten days for a response. I was hoping I would get a writing job sometime between then and those ten days. Then I got my stimulus check, and I held out for a couple more days.
Finally, I got real with myself. I wasn’t getting a $100,000 writing gig the next day. I needed to certify for my benefits. So on April 17, that’s exactly what I did.
I guess the force was with me, because on May the 4th I finally got my debit card. And do you know the first thing I bought? A $50 burnt almond torte cake. I been wanting to try this cake for almost two years now, but will such a hefty price tag, I shied away from the purchase. It’s not like I haven’t wasted more money than that on food, but I usually do it piecemeal: $10 here, $2, $3, $5 there, but that lump sum is harder to part with. However, this time, since I already had several weeks of benefit checks loaded on my card, it made it easier. That and that extra $600 a month I’m getting which means I make more now than I did when I was working.
Not to worry, I’m keeping splurges like that to a minimum if any more at all. The fact that everything is shutdown makes it easier. I mean where is there to go? What is there to buy? I was watching a video on YouTube featuring Suzy Orman, and she was saying that the best thing to do is build up your eight-month emergency fund.
I’m an avid Suzy Orman follower, but this time I’m going my own way. I can pretty much live off of half of my monthly benefits, and I’m going to use the other half to pay off my credit card debt. That’s what gave me the most anxiety the last time, so that’s the first thing I’m getting rid of.
So take that credit card companies. You’ve gotten enough out of me.
And while I’m taking it to the credit card companies, I might as well take it to myself as well. It’s okay to get unemployment benefits. You need it. You’ve worked hard for it. It’s okay to accept help.
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