42 Things To Do Immediately If You've Lost Your Job

Go through this to do list if you're short on income or are facing an upcoming loss.

Delegate activities, if at all possible.

While these are very time, labor & cognitively intensive, they have the potential for significant, realistic & in some cases, sustainable out-of-pocket (OOP) cost savings.

1.) apply for unemployment benefits immediately. It’ll take at least a few weeks or more to trigger/turn on. Do NOT feel badly about it. You more than paid into it with every single paycheck you’ve ever had, whether or not you’ve accessed it, and if you were self-employed, you paid double into it to cover yourself as employee and yourself as employer.

2.) apply for Medicaid immediately if you qualify. Will likely take a few weeks or more to turn on.

3.) apply for food stamps immediately. Also will take a few weeks, minimum to turn on. If dependents, see if might qualify for more. Same for if you have minimal in the bank account, you may be able to qualify for emergency assistance.

4.) apply for SSI, if able. That can take like 5 months to determine eligibility. Hopefully you won’t need it, but you might.

5.). Once you get food stamps/Medicaid, call all your utility suppliers & Amazon and see if you qualify for a utility discount. You’ll need to send them paperwork.

6.) cut off/throttle whatever you don’t need, utility-wise, including tv.

7.) start going to food pantry near you. Anything you get there can help you redirect your income elsewhere and make whatever funds you have access to fungible.

8.). If there’s any chance whatsoever that it’ll be a while until better/comparable income job, start applying for section 8 housing. The waitlist is years long. Start it now. Things change. You could find another job that doesn’t last. Apply now.

9.). If you can move, do it. It sucks. But your limited leftover income will be gone before you know it. Check to see if you can break your leases less-expensively if possible.

10.). Sell whatever you can to free up funds. Make sure it’s reasonable...don’t just give it away. That’s like the only collateral you have for cash, if any.

11.). Make a chart of every bill you have and when it’s due and figure out what your bare-minimum essential number is so that you can easily tell whether or not it’s worth the time for any job or if you have to cut losses and move ASAP.

12.). Apply for the LiHEAP program, even if you’re not a homeowner, to help cover utility costs and bills. They say it can take 30-45 days to get funds. Months is more realistic, especially if issues with paperwork. The LiHEAP cycle tends to run between November - April, annually. It's not uncommon for your application to be rejected multiple times for technical reasons. Apply early so that you can supply additional documentation if requested.

13.). Call your PCP office and ask to speak to the social worker about any other programs in your community that may help. Some churches, and private foundations and nonprofits sometimes have limited grant funding. Speak to more than 1 social worker since they don’t know everything and you want to get as much relevant info as possible.

14.) carpool if possible.

15.). try to joint cooking share with others

16.). Unplug everything. Vampire energy adds up.

17.). Dress in layers

18.) cancel any gym memberships. Start going to a community center, instead

19.) get a public library card. Try to use services there.

20.). See if you qualify for basic internet services &/or discounted computer to help in your search.

21.) use fax machines at your dr.’s office for papers that need to be sent related to your situation.

22.). If you have space, list a spare room or couch on AirBNB and get others to stay with you to defray cost of living

23.) if you can take on a temporary roommate, that may help

24.). See if you can increase your credit limit ASAP and do it, but try not to lose it

25.) then see if you can qualify for a 0% balance transfer and move everything to there without closing your original credit card. You’re going to need that credit, preferably at 0% interest.

26.). Classify what has to be paid in cash (insurance premiums) vs what can go on a credit card (rent, etc.)

27.) figure out if you can do cash advances, and how much it will cost you. Cash is king and you need it.

28.). See if you can qualify for lesser dental or vision, &/or drop it if you can do without for now

29.) use up your FSA before you lose it

30.). If you’re going to COBRA or private HIPAA plan, you need cash. Do NOT miss the 60 day deadline. If your plan was decent before, you prob want the COBRA. It will almost certainly cost you more on the private marketplace for comparable level of coverage.

31.). If you need a comprehensive plan, contact insurance companies directly for underwriting quotes. None of the plans on the marketplace are really PPOs or comparable coverage plans vs what you can get directly by dealing with the insurance company. They also cost more and have better coverage than a catastrophic plan.

32.). See if you qualify for a GoodRx prescription card and ask your pharmacist to put it on file for you.

33.). Any other long-term meds, see if you can get one last 3 month fill on them while you still have coverage this month. It’ll almost certainly be cheaper than paying without insurance.

34.). Walmart has $4 generics for a one month supply for certain categories of medicine, even without insurance. See if it makes sense to fill Rxs there. Some stores offer one-time bonuses for moving your Rx to them. Make sure you get those bonuses otherwise lost cash opportunity.

35.). See the partnership for prescription assistance if any of your meds qualify. If so, you will need a new Rx from your Dr., along with financial documentation requesting need and inability to pay for meds. This can take months, at the earliest if no snag (there’s almost always a delay), so do that now.

36.) shop at farmer’s markets on the last day in the afternoon when cheapest.

37.) bag discounts at grocery stores

38.) save recyclables and bring them to the grocery store for cash deposit refunds

39.). Get a mechanical toothbrush if you don’t already have one & floss. Those two things will help you save pricey and painful dental expenses if you have to do without coverage for a while.

40.). America’s Best offers cheap vision exams. Zenni Optical offers cheap frames and lenses under $10, total, including S&H. 1-800-Contacts will let you exchange our contacts if your Rx has changed if you ordered from them and your lenses are still ok. Warby Parker also has at-home Rx updates, if needed.

41.). If there’s remotely the possibility you may become self-employed/receive a 1099 like working for rideshare or something, start saving all your receipts. One envelope per month is the easiest stored in the same box. Photograph/screen shot all receipts, too, and stick them in a photo file on your phone and keep a running log. You’ll forget them easily & you’ll need them for write-offs when you do your taxes. If your OOP health insurance premium ends up being a high % of your net income (I think now 15%?), you can write off over that amount, but it’s high to get there. Consult a CPA.

42.). Go get a physical and any other exams/tests/bloodwork you need done ASAP, while you still have the coverage, even if it’s been a while. Your Dr. will prob have to help you fill out paperwork to get certain services, and they’ll likely need a recent Dr.’s office visit on file to do that. 1 PCP visit, out of pocket with no insurance, could easily be a few hundred dollars, no tests or meds included. Even if you transition to COBRA, HIPAA or a public or private marketplace or private direct insurance plan, there’s a gap in actually being able to access services and you often have to pay OOP for services and then submit for reimbursement. Do everything you can to get whatever you can done before your health insurance is cut off, and plan to likely go for 2+ months (60 days) where you might have health insurance, on paper, but not have a new policy # and ability to actually access it.

In the broader scheme of things, especially if there’s volatility in the work that you do &/or your income is highly dependent on ability and opportunity to do 1:1 hours &/or not become sick/injured/etc., start looking at other passive income streams that can grow and supplement your income.

Doesn’t matter how good of a worker you are, all relationships end, including work. You want to be able to be self-sufficient and stay afloat for as long as possible, and it’ll happen again.

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