![]() ![]() You can reduce your 401(k) contributions or other withholdings to squeeze a little more juice. If you’ll still be getting at least one regular paycheck before your last day of work, make the most of those incoming dollars, El-Amin said. Some of the best experiences in the state don’t cost a thing (aside from gas money). Travel & Experiences 25 free things to do in California that will get you in the summer grooveĪrt museums, botanical gardens, cultural marketplaces. Tell them you’ll cancel or switch to a competitor unless they can offer you a better rate. Call your cable, phone and internet providers and ask to speak to the cancellation team. Call your credit card companies and ask if you’re eligible for a lower rate. Every bill that reaches your mailbox or inbox is up for negotiation. You are about to have enough free time to tangle with customer service. Negotiate with anyone who sends you a bill Once you’ve got that basic unemployment budget in mind, you can calculate how long your money will last. But you might find that you don’t miss it. You can rejoin Equinox once you’re gainfully employed again. Remember, this is all just temporary until you find a new job. You probably don’t have to cancel every subscription service - you’re unemployed, not a monk you can still watch TV - but do you need all of them? Are you really doing the workouts from your pricey personal fitness app, or could you switch to free YouTube classes and going for walks in your newfound free time? There might also be some things you’ve been paying for on autopilot that you could live without, at least for now. You’ll probably find some easy things to cross off. Take this opportunity to really do a life audit, Ginty said. ![]() Next, go to quality-of-life expenses like subscriptions, streaming services, your gym membership and restaurant meals. Take control of your finances with this eight-week newsletter course. Yes, you need phone and internet access, but do you really need unlimited Wi-Fi? Does your paid-off car still need comprehensive insurance coverage? Can you buy your own internet modem and return the cruddy one you’re paying $10 a month for?Īrchives Sign up for Totally Worth It, and be your money’s boss Start by calculating the bare minimum amount you need to keep living your life: your rent or mortgage payments, a pared-back grocery budget, transportation costs, debt payments, medical expenses, pet and child-care fees. Open your banking website and download your last few months of credit card statements. If starting a budgeting journey sounds too daunting right now, there is a shortcut. ![]() If you haven’t made one before, I write a (free!) personal finance newsletter called Totally Worth It where I teach you how to make and maintain a plan for your spending and savings. Having a personal budget would make it easier to audit your spending. The weekly maximum in California is $450.) (The state has a calculator to estimate your unemployment benefits. To know how long your severance, savings and unemployment benefits will last, you need to know how much you spend every month on necessities. ![]()
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