Surviving Downsizing

C

chewbacca

Joined
Mar 17, 2007
Messages
929
Well guys, much to my surprise, I was let go today. This morning, my boss called me in his office, and told me that the powers that be told him to let his least senior engineer go, and with a mere 14 years with the company, I was low man.

With that, I was wondering what advice you guys have to stay sane, and maybe cut costs at home. These may be survival skills more of us will need in the near future.

Any input would be great, but I'll start off with this, anyone got a good link on how to can veggies? grow bigger tomatoes? fix your own car? I guess all the things that our grandparents knew how to do that this generation doesn't know.
 
Sorry to hear the bad news...
Turn off lights/TV's in room nobodys in ,use 60watt or lower bulbs...check a/c filter keep it clean, turn off water while brushing your teeth,recycle aluminum pay is not to bad these days.roll change and take it to the bank ,do not use a coin machine at the grocery store for cash(ripoff)
 
Really sorry to hear that. I had a similar thing April last year - my employer went into receivership and we got told on the last day of the month (after working all day!) that we weren't going to be paid and had no jobs.

I'm back in work - less money, harder job, tougher bosses - but surviving at least and on the way back up.

Can't really offer any good ideas off the top of my head except what I did: Stop buying gear; sell gear; shop at Aldi and Lidl; make instead of buy gifts for family birthdays etc.

Best of luck to you!
 
I lost my job after 37 years of working there. It used to be privately owned, but got sold to a big corporation. Just watch your expenses, don`t go out to dinner, and keep the extra lights off when you are not in the room.
 
Get your finances in order, If you owe any money figure out how to get out of debt. Find some land, pay cash, build yourself a small cabin for cash. I have seen some guys lately buying car hauler type trailers and building a nice little cabin on them. They are no good for traveling but if you need to move them around a little you can as they are mobile.

The biggest thing is just being very tight with the money you already have since you no longer have a income. Figure out a way to get a small income to pay basic monthly expenses, this again protects whatever savings you have.
 
Sorry to hear that. The main thing I could suggest is doing a written budget every month. Just seeing on paper where your money is going will give you so much control over it.

Also find out which radio station Dave Ramsey is on in your area. he uses old fashioned common sense ideas about handling money (which seem like revolutionary ideas now).
 
Sorry that you lost your job!

Some excellent advice that has been posted here.
(I will find out next week if I will continue to have a job at my company or not.)
Found this link and it's basic, but good advice on the emotions of losing a job:
http://finance.theladders.com/caree...s-job-loss?et_id=968084472&sign=y&link_id=537

On the positive side:
Every friend I've ever had who was laid off ended up getting a job that they liked better, was more suited to their skills, AND paid better than the one they were laid off from. That is EVERY friend I have who had been laid off.
So, keep positive, watch the budget, keep looking and networking to find another job, and best of luck and wishes!

Regards,
Mike
 
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Sorry to hear that. You aren't alone. I was let go a little over a week ago (Dec 29 2008) after almost 9 years with my company. Our office closed due to "lack of profitibility". I have a part time job at Home Depot and was using that extra $ to save up for a house and pad my bank accnt if this day ever came along. And it did. I had my resume up to date and have actually been looking for other jobs, but the economy is just sooo crappy atm.

Maybe Spyderco, BM, etc are hiring...
 
I didnt get laid off but did sell my buss 7 months ago. Been doing what quietmike said and it realy makes a HUGE diffrence when you see where your money goes. Been doing it for a long time as well. There are alot of accounting programs out there that would do it for you if you plug the #s at the end of each day.
As TheFlash has said you must stay positive it can make you or break you. Look at it this way, now you are forced to find a better job that you would enjoy more.

Sasha
 
Get your expenses down.

I can't believe how many people are losing their jobs. I have had clients all day telling me they have:eek:
 
Keep your chin up and think of all of the other skills you have that are marketable. might be a good time to make sure that the house is as heat efficient as it can be.

http://www.pickyourown.org/pressurecanners.htm

Keep your eyes open in bargain finder type places, pressure canners are expensive, but they last nearly for ever, so I'm sure there are high quality used ones on the market

Buy a haynes or Chilton manual for your car, might be able to find one at a used book store. There are also small appliance, lawn equipment, and home repair manuals. Tools can be found for cheap at pawn shops, discount places or just watch for sales at your favorate tool warehouse. just look for tools that you NEED

My basic home repair kit
Large vice grips -make sure they are a solid pair or you will be back to replace them
Chan-L-Lock model 410 (parrot beak pliers) much better than regular style water pump pliers.

flat wrenches- crescent wrenches will do for light work if you are careful
screw drivers
cheap multi-meter

see if your local lumber yard has a free "chopped ends" bin if you need less than full length lumber for home repairs.
 
First off, sorry to hear about this. Second, as someone who is used to major work in the summer and no work in the winter, i can recommend the following:

- cut all expenses immediately. That new knife or pack can wait, cook at home, stop buying name brand and prepacked foods and meals and by generic or bulk foods. stop eating out too, except maybe once a month. Cut the cable tv. Walk more instead of driving, to save fuel. You save a ton of money this way.

- its winter right now, if you need money, shovel driveways. Its hard work, but easy money. I made enough in 1 hour to buy a new Maxpedition pack this week. Seek out all the casual labour jobs you can while looking for new work.

- Start networking quickly, and have contact cards or resumes to hand out. Go out every day for a bit and look!

- stay focused, don't get depressed. The past is the past you cant change it. Move forward.

- Dont concentrate on a single field of work, lots of people never find work if they do this. Branch out and adapt.

Good Luck!
 
Sorry to hear it, Chewie. We got infrastructure in tatters in this country, from civil engineering to power to telecom, but we're laying off engineers. It's ridiculous.

Same old song and dance, COBRA/resume/network/interview clothes. If there are any additional qualifications you could be getting (PE, CCIE, etc), get them. If it's been 14 years since you had to find a job, then go to interviews for jobs you don't especially want, just for the practice. Be prepared to travel. Be prepared to work in one city while your wife and kids live in another.

Be prepared for a LOT of rejection. HR departments like to hire indentured servants and kids fresh out of school these days because they're cheap on paper. Let them. Somewhere, someone out there has gotten sick of it and screamed out "Find me someone who knows what they're doing!" Your job is to find that person. (My entire job before I retired a little while ago was fixing the screwups of the cheap labor.)

Above all, keep your head together. This wasn't your fault. You didn't deserve this. Our current economic turmoil is the result of rich bankers using brainless idiots to screw over Wall Street. It was obvious to Absolutely Everyone for years, but our fearless leaders point-blank sold us out for a buck. Your company didn't lay you off because you weren't profitable, they laid you off so the craven idiots upstairs could walk into a meeting next week and talk about how they're "proactive" they are.

This is not the time to get depressed or scared. This is the time to get constructively angry. It's gonna be rough for a while. It's gonna last for a while, but not forever.
 
While I am lucky enough to still be employed, I did take time off to raise my son for close to two years. We planned for this so it's not the same situation, but we did have to make some serious changes to keep out of a never ending spiral of credit card debt.

Some things we did:

We planned meals for the week and stuck to our grocery list. Skip the impulse buys and make meals that have leftovers like a big lasagna or a turkey (very cheap meat per pound), pork butt (a big 'ol shoulder is super cheap and makes a ton of pulled pork or homemade sausage) or the staple of many traditional societies, good old beans and rice. I also grew tomatoes but it didn't go as far as I thought it would. Going the extra step to avoid pre-packaged stuff was key and actually a lot healthier.

My wife packed her own lunch for work instead of going out to lunch or eating expensive garbage from the vending machines.

We ate out rarely and tried hard not to order takeout for dinner. That stuff adds up.

We planned our driving and carpooled often. Now that gas is cheaper it's not such a big deal but every little bit helps. We also downsized to one car. Challenging at times, but half the repair/maintenance costs and it made us think about our traveling.

No cable except for cable internet for my wife's business. We got entertainment through netflix instead of HBO or going out to movies.

We had already gone to fluorescent bulbs but we also turned them off when we weren't in the room.

Just like my parents said, I put on a sweater when it got cold inside in stead of running the furnace. We also sat in front of the fire on some nights.

I took a small amount of money for the week and tried hard to stick to it for fun purchases. It was hard at first not to pull out the credit card or visit the ATM, but it really stuck with me after I started up work again.

I stopped checking ebay and craigslist except to sell some things I had lying around and didn't need.

I made some money with a hobby. In this case, I built guitar effects pedals from schematics on the internet. Fun stuff and I'm happy to be doing it again.

I also decided to drink only water, coffee (no fancy cappuccinos) and milk on my cereal in the morning. Better for my health and much cheaper in the long run.

I hope these things can help you out. None of them is much on its own, but put it all together and you can really make a saving. The best part is that if it becomes a lifestyle, you'll be much better off when you land another job. Good luck and I hope these things help.
 
Sorry for the jobs that have been lost.

What we have done, is use fewer electronic devices during the day and night. For instance, I grew a beard and don't use the electric shaver. Instead my wife uses a straight razor (yes I trust her :D) to shave the small amount that needs it and scissors to trim it. We don't have any lights on at night while watching TV. We limit TV viewing to a favorite show, series, or movie, which we have always done anyways.

We are looking for a solar charging system, so we can use it, instead of house current.

If we can get the landlady to front the funds, we are planning on putting up a windmill and hooking it into our electrics. My Dad did this years ago and the power company in the area was having to pay him every month, because his electric meter was running backwards.

Since our shower water takes awhile before it gets warm, we place a 5 gallon bucket under the faucet and switch over to shower when warm, then remove the bucket. It takes a dozen showers to fill the bucket and we use this water to water indoor/outdoor plants during the dry months and filter it and use it for watering indoor plants, pet baths and washing vehicles, as well as drinking/cooking water during the winter months.

When not in use, we turn power off to appliances. Pain in the butt if their is a clock, etc., but it saves us money every month.

I have always shopped thrift stores for my recreation and work clothes, but now our family shops for our everyday clothing as well. There are some thrift stores here that are favorite donation spots for the rich and famous in the area and their prices are excellent and the clothing is cleaned and made sure it's in excellent condition before it hits their racks.
 
We cut the cable down to the bottom line basic. Ditto as others said about power consumption-- turn down the thermostat and wear a sweater. The library is a great source for books and videos. Bulk foods, better planning (easy for an engineer, right?), drop the newspaper, go for walks rather than expensive enterainment. Have a yard sale, Craig's List or eBay the toys you don't need.

Look for books and web sites on simple living.

Best of luck finding a new job. Looking for work is a royal pain! Tune up that resume and get hip to on-line resources like Monster.com. Network!
 
Sorry to hear about your job loss. Are you in an area that you can hunt and fish? Wild game can help cut your grocery bill. Lots of beans and rice. Keeping a positive attitude is the most important. Take up a hobby to keep your mind off things.a hobby that makes you money on the side is a plus. I know a guy who buys old high carbon kitchen knives from the thrift store. He rehandles, and reshapes it into a outdoor type knife, with a sheath, He will sell or trade these when he`s done. Hang in there, and good luck.
 
Bushman5 said:
- cut all expenses immediately. That new knife or pack can wait, cook at home, stop buying name brand and prepacked foods and meals and by generic or bulk foods. stop eating out too, except maybe once a month. Cut the cable tv. Walk more instead of driving, to save fuel. You save a ton of money this way.

- its winter right now, if you need money, shovel driveways. Its hard work, but easy money. I made enough in 1 hour to buy a new Maxpedition pack this week. Seek out all the casual labour jobs you can while looking for new work.

- Start networking quickly, and have contact cards or resumes to hand out. Go out every day for a bit and look!

- stay focused, don't get depressed. The past is the past you cant change it. Move forward.

- Dont concentrate on a single field of work, lots of people never find work if they do this. Branch out and adapt.
Click to expand...
All sound advice.

Depends a lot if you can reasonably expect to find another position in decent timeframe or if you have to prepare for a long precarious period.

Particularly be vigilant on all recurrent payments, phone, cable,... Change your way of life by choice BEFORE you're forced into doing it, at least you'll be able to decide how you land.
 
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