My husband lost his job, and we are already behind on bills. What can we do?

Question

He lost his job while he was in jail for charges that were dropped. Since we were already behind on bills, I'm afraid we are going to lose our house. Both he and I have been aggresively searching for employment for the past two weeks, but we need something immediately. What can we do?

Answer 1

The worst thing to do in this situation is to cut off all lines of communication with debtors. Be rest assured that you are not the only one who falls on hard times trying to make house payments and pay all other necessary bills when you are unemployed. Cut out as much luxury items that you can. You will have to make that determination. Some immediate cash can be accessed through your local health and human services department. You should also be able to qualify for unemployment benefits as well. Call your local department of labor office. Some ways to try and get new employment are by using any of your contacts that you have professional or otherwise. Word of mouth is still the number way to find jobs. As has been mentioned, be willing to sign up with staffing agencies. Most of them pay weekly. And many people have found full time employment through the different assignments given by the agency. Seek any financial support from family members first if they are able to loan you any money. Now, if you have a career where you can provide services privately, ie. accountant, consultant, etc, then try soliciting people on a contractual basis. And really this should be a part of a person's income stream in today's job market. There is no such thing as a permanent job anymore. EVERYONE'S job can be moved, cut, eliminated, and downsized. Jobs work for the short term. But educate yourself on a real long term solution.

Answer 2

If you haven't already done so, see if you and/or your husband are eligible for unemployment benefits. Even if he wasn't at this job for the required amount of time, he may have been at the last job long enough.

The next thing I would do is call all my creditors and ask them what my options were. Several years ago I had a huge, unexpected financial setback and all the utility companies and the mortgage company were willing to work with me.

It may not be your cup of tea or what you wanted to do with your life, but have either of you considered waiting tables until you find 'permanent' employment? Tips are fast, honest money that you can spend the same day. Most quick-service family restaurants like Denny's, Bob Evans, etc. clamor for responsible adult help, especially for the night shift. I have waited tables a few times--I am by no means a professional waitress--but with a smile and a ready coffee pot I found I could easily clear $50/night for a four hour shift. I am sure it would be more now, that was a good 15+ years ago.

I hope this helped.

Answer 3

First the only importent bills are the mortgage, and your utilities.

Call your mortgage holder, and ask what you can do in a hardship senario like this. Do not wait. A bank or reputable mortgage company is willing to work with you if you have a decent track record.

Call the Utiliity companies and talk about what to do in case of hardship(s). Usually you can work out payment plans with them.
The only utilties you should have is phone, electric, gas (if you have it), water / sewer, and garbage collection. Any other is a luxury. (i.e. cable, Internet, etc.)

If you are already a few months behind on the Mortgage, put the house up for sale, and when you talk with the bank let them know that, as a precaution, you may sell the house to get them the money you owe. If you find a job then you can take it off the market, but do this as a precaution.

There are many other paths, but this worked for me.

If you are already in Lis Pendens then get prepared to move out. You can go to the court, but usually the mortgage holder wants their money NOW. Rarely will a judge will suspend Lis Pendens for 30 days to allow you to get 'all the money", but in some states it is required if Lis Pendens is contested. If you are in Lis Pendens have a "estate" garage sale, and get rid as much as you can, and store the rest. You'll lose the house but at least you can retain some of your stuff.

YMMV..

Answer 4

Take a job even if you think it is beneath you. And work lots of hours (two jobs) to get things stabilized financially. You literally have to work through this. It will establish an employment history and make getting the next job easier.

Talk to the companies to whom you owe money and tell them your plan. Utilities often will set up payment plans to let you pay back past due amounts over time as long as you stay current with current amounts due.

Answer 5

My fiance' lost his job in October and I lost mine in June, I am currently working as a temp so I understand your situation. Do not get behind on your car payments, heat/lights/water and your mortgage. Take a McDonalds job. My fiance is cooking hamburgers right now to help with bills, normally he designs for the automotive. We are both w/o health insurance too. Just try to stay current on your house payment and sell stuff on ebay, that's what we have had to do. Good luck.

Answer 6

Have you went to the department of human services.If you go there they can give you emergency food stamps.The salvation army and places like united way will help you with rent once a year.On Monday morning I would go down to my local department of human services and tell them you are there to apply for emergency assistance,You should be able to leave there that day with food stamps, also while your there ask were you can get help on rent, utility bills they will direct you in the right location.Good luck.Make sure you are aggresive about needing emergency asistance or they will just treat you like a regular case.Make sure to make them know you need help now.

Answer 7

Some logical advice that contains proper words and spelling is to call your creditors and tell them of your situation so that they will be aware of what is the best option for you and your spouse.

Sit tight things have an odd way of working themselves out. Debt management companies could possibly assist you with arranging a settlement and completeing a debt settlement program. Debt settlement programs can lower payments and reduce fees in order to get you out of "hock".

Relax people don't lose their home over bills that are a month or so behind.

Answer 8

Keep working extra hard to find work. If you have to, take a job while looking for a better job. Do what you have to do to pay your bills but be VERY careful about selling yourself short and taking on debt, loans, or fees in order to pay out. About the worst kind of thing you can do is stuff like cash advances (which you may not be able to do without a job anyway). Work hard to find a job, sell things from around the house, turn off the cable if you have it and cut back on everything from eating out to power usage around the house. When it comes to finances, you need a good defense as much as you need a good offense. Good luck!!

Answer 9

One suggestion that generally works is to contact each of the companies involved, and explain your situation. Their #1 concern is that they get paid something. But if you cannot pay, then you cannot pay.

By being honest with them, they won't feel that you're just trying to get out of paying what you owe. And quite often, they'll work out payment options with you, such as temporarily reducing the payment amount, extending the time to pay, etc.

I would say it works about 90% of the time, but they have to know that you're really willing to repay what you owe, but are just going through a rough time.

Answer 10

Get any job he can, even if it's minimum wage flipping burgers...take it, and keep looking.

Its undignified and sad, but a few hundred a month will be a hundred a month. A few hundres adds up over times.

And, he might generate contacts, might run into someone he knows....someone in the field he wants to be in.

I do the hiring for my job, and if I met someone who had experience at a job, and I ran into them flipping burgers, and they explained to me that they lost their job but just can't stand to sit at home and do nothing, would rather flip burgers than flip channnels, I'm gonna hire that guy in a heartbeat. And I'm gonna pay him a little better than someone who came in off the street, because this guys got work ethic.