Money Management Tips for the Newly Unemployed

ATLANTA, Nov. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- With the nation's unemployment remaining high, Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) of Greater Atlanta today reminds people who have lost their jobs to continue paying their bills on time and managing their credit wisely during this difficult period.

Managing your credit during unemployment is critical since having good credit is a requirement for some jobs. "Some people have the professional and education background for a new position, but may have an inability to pay bills on time," says Mechel Glass, CCCS of Greater Atlanta's director of education. "Failing to manage your finances during unemployment could affect your credit report and hurt your chances of landing a new job."

As part of its education mission, the national nonprofit credit counseling agency teaches classes on money management. Below are some money management tips to help people through a period of unemployment, as well as long-term tactics to implement once they have a new job.

Short-Term Money Management Tips

People who have recently lost a job should determine if they are eligible for unemployment benefits from their state Department of Labor. While state laws vary, a person is often eligible for benefits as long as they have not received a severance package from their employer or receive retirement income.

    Once you have lost a job, consider the following tactics:
    -- Make looking for a new job your full-time job. It may take several
       months for people in some professional and financial services to find a
       new job. Each day you need to network with friends and former
       colleagues, look for jobs online and apply for new positions.


    Plenty of assistance is available. For example:
    -- Contact Angel Food Ministries to obtain food at the lowest possible
       cost. The organization can be reached at 1.877.366.3646 or
       angelfood@angelfoodministries.com.
    -- Call United Way at 211 to find out about other low-cost services, such
       as day care.
    -- If you are paying off a student loan, contact the financial company
       servicing the loan to find out if you can defer or reduce your
       payments.
    -- Contact the financial company servicing your automobile loan to see if
       you can make a similar arrangement.
    -- Make at least the minimum monthly payments on your credit card
       accounts.  If that is impossible, contact your lender, explain your
       loss of income and advise them when you will be able to resume making
       payments.
    -- If you cannot make your mortgage payment, contact a mortgage counselor
       at 1-888-995-HOPE.
    -- Consider downsizing your lifestyle by reducing expenses such as club
       and gym memberships, cable television, bottled water and movies. Find
       ways to reduce "everyday" expenses, such as telephone use and dining
       out at restaurants. For example, families with cell phones for each
       person may not need a land line and cooking all meals at home could
       easily save a family hundreds of dollars each month.

Long-Term Money Management Tips

Many people now unemployed formerly worked in high-income professional jobs, such as those in the mortgage, real estate or securities industries, and may not find a new job paying as much money. They should consider a change in their lifestyles to meet their financial obligations in the future. Here are some tips to do that:

    -- Develop a new, realistic budget that will enable you to pay for
       essential expenses and bills before any extra or luxury items. Consider
       developing a budget so you can live on 70 percent of your new income,
       with the remaining 30 percent used for savings and investments.
    -- Consider selling your car, especially if you have a high monthly
       payment, and purchase a less expensive model with smaller monthly
       payments.
    -- If it's difficult to make your mortgage payment each month and you can
       live in a smaller home, consider putting your home up for sale. While
       home prices are depressed, it may be a better long-term solution to
       live in a home you can afford.

Need More Information?

CCCS of Greater Atlanta offers online education classes that cover a wide variety of money management topics at http://www.credabilityu.org.

CCCS of Greater Atlanta serves clients in all 50 states and has 18 offices in four states. It is the headquarters for the CredAbility Network, a family of agencies serving consumers in north Georgia, south Florida, middle Mississippi and east Tennessee as well as nationally via telephone and Internet. CCCS is accredited by the Council on Accreditation and is a member of the Better Business Bureau and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC). Governed by a community-based board of directors, CCCS is funded by creditors, clients, contributors and grants from foundations, businesses and government agencies. Service is available at offices throughout metro-Atlanta and north Georgia in English, Spanish and American Sign Language. CCCS offers around the-clock help by phone at 1-800-251-CCCS or at its Web sites, http://www.cccsinc.org and http://www.cccsenespanol.org.