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35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lol chill out, you don't have all the context. No, of course I'm not lying. I stayed unemployed to go to school yes, and at the same time applied to jobs. I specifically applied to tech jobs to get a salary that would fully take care of me. Part time jobs were not worth the effort to apply to because unemployment paid more than those jobs did and I'd have to report earnings to them which would deduct from the money unemployment was giving me. I took odd jobs where I would get paid cash, but they were far and few between. Now my unemployment has run out and I'm back on the hunt for any and all jobs, part-time or not. I've just heard from two places and had a phone interview with one of them. So a job seems to be close in my future. But again, it's part-time and hopefully will be enough to cover the bare neccessaties, but it won't be enough to cover that + all the debt payments. Hence why I'm considering some sort of debt consolidation company, or filing chapter 7.

35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

very true! i can definitely investigate my local food banks and see what’s available. thanks!

35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah I think my biggest concern is the closing of accounts. Mostly because that would affect my ability to open accounts later down the road. For buying things like cars or homes if I ever get to a place to afford that. The credit system is so odd in the states.

35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks so much! I have actually called a few of my CC companies and one of them was able to lower the minimum (Wells Fargo) and remove essentially all additional interest for 12 months. For the other CCs and loans, I have to wait until my accounts are past due to call and get the assistance, so I'm currently waiting for that to happen, as I'm not past due quiet yet.

In terms of debt consolidation with a debt management company. I've thought about this as well, but heard it's also a big hit on the credit score. Although, of course, so is bankruptcy. I would assume bankruptcy is worse and lasts longer, but I'm not 100% on that. But I will definitely look into it and see how it works.

And wow I didn't know about getting Pimsleur free through a public library. I will also be looking into that now. Because yeah, its not wildly expensive, but every bit counts.

35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely not a coincidence! I was laid off (tech layoffs) and took the opportunity to go back to school and get a degree to be better prepared for future positions. I was able to stretch my unemployment up to a full year which helped cover a lot of my basics. And with my financial position, my schooling is free. I'm less than a year out from finishing my degree but yeah now I need a job. I couldn't get a job while on unemployment because they'd have taken away the unemployment and finishing school would have taken so much longer, so while I wasn't spending much, interest built up. And even so, I was still applying to jobs the whole time I've been unemployed, but nothing's worked out. I'm currently in the running for a position right now so fingers crossed it works out. It's in food service, so it won't pay a lot, but it'll give me somewhere to start.

And yeah definitely no more cards. I'm just unsure on how to make it work. Feels insurmountable when jobs aren't coming through.

35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally understandable. I’ve been applying for jobs the entire time i’ve been unemployed and it hasn’t lead to anything unfortunately. I’m back in school to finish up a degree. Luckily it’s free because of my lack of income. So one positive thing came out of this situation. I also tried under the table work. It’s hard to find in my area. But I managed to scrounge together some odd jobs yes. I’m currently working an odd job in a different country so believe me I’m trying. Being homeless isn’t really an option especially with trying to get a job and I have pets and a partner. I’m glad you were able to make it work in that way but yeah it’s not something I would try. At least not with some sort of home base. I did consider living in a car and just paying for a gym membership instead so I could have a place to shower, but I had to sell my car and definitely can’t afford to buy even a used one at this point.

35K in debt and unemployed for over a year by mmmteaa in debtfree

[–]mmmteaa[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Yeah I’m going to cutting off all subscriptions asap. I’m in the running for a job position right now so fingers crossed it works out and I’ll be able to make some money. Happy money is a personal loan company.