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Unemployment: The struggle is real

After five years at the same company, I was laid off. It came as a real shock, but I was getting the feeling something bad was going to happen. I was asked to come to a meeting room and two people from HR were there with a folder. They gave me information about cobra and asked if I had any questions. Obviously, I was still in shock so I said no. They asked for my badge and told me I had to leave and couldn't go back to my desk, which was filled with pop toys, my 8-month-old basil plant, and pictures of my daughter. Just like that, I didn't have a job or income.

That happened on the 19th of February. A week has gone by and I'm getting into a rhythm of breakfast, games, applying for jobs, lunch, cleaning the house, repeat. But I'm really missing going to work. There's a saying, "you don't appreciate something until it's gone." and I feel that. 

Being laid off also threw a huge wrench in my "get out of debt" plan. The plan is being put on hold until I get my income back up again. I'm trying to figure out this whole unemployment stuff and how to get paid for unemployment. By the looks of it, I should be getting about what I was making at my previous job but I don't know if taxes are taken out of the amount I'm calculating or not. 

I was also debating if I should defer my student loans or not but I think I might hold out on that if I can. I have an interview lined up with the company I was working for previously but in a different department so hopefully, I get back in and just think of all this as a bad dream.

Have you been laid off before? How did you handle it? Tweet me @Ditchindebt and we can chat about it!

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