How to Survive and Thrive on Unemployment – Part 2

There’s nothing like unemployment to teach you some valuable lessons in balancing your expenses while maintaining some sense of integrity. You want to save money and get out of debt, and that’s great! But, going overboard on a deprivation type of cycle isn’t always the healthiest approach either. Today, we continue on with our tips on how you can save money and survive unemployment without feeling like your life is on hold until the economy picks up.

Cook at Home
I’ve lived in a lot of expensive cities, and I’ve experienced that big-city dweller phenomenon of deciding I’m going to cook a nice meal and save money, only to find that buying all the ingredients at a grocery store is way more expensive than just dining out. And though it may seem that way at first, in the long run, cooking at home will always save you money. First, you’ll always have leftovers—and that stretches that one meal expense that you could have blown away in 2 hours, so it now will last for a few days. It’s also healthier to cook at home, and you might find that you shed a few pounds just by making the subtle shift. And hey, if you lose a few pounds, you might have an easier time taking on the first tip I offered last time: quit the gym. Another way you save money by cooking is by staying home for the evening. This way, you avoid the overpriced bottles of wine, dessert, and all those expenses that tend to pop up when you are out dining with friends.

Go 100% Netflix
Netflix now lets you buy a box that you can keep forever, so you can download movies on the spot and pay your usual membership fee. So, if you have unlimited rentals with your plan, you can download unlimited movies or television episodes all month long, and you don’t even have to wait for snail mail. With that much accessibility, you could just cancel your cable and try out the way lower cost packages that Netflix offers. I’m on a $5/month plan that only lets me get 2 DVDs a month, one at a time, but the minimum package might might require a different plan. Needless to say, it’s not enough, and considering how many terrible movies I watch on TV because I just get sucked in, it might be worth it to have some control over what I watch.

In part 3 of this series, you’ll learn a final tip about how to maximize your unemployment status and save!