6 months of savings

At the end of June 2011 my well paying contract at work ended.

 

I’ve never just walked into a job the way some people do but I don’t usually struggle too much.

 

I don’t know what was going on last year, but it was hard. I spent months going to many interviews a week, even more months applying for every job there was on the internet. For some reason, it just wasn’t happening for me.

 

This was while my husband was unable to work, so it was a huge stress on us and drain on our finances that I couldn’t get work.

 

The time it took me to find a job made us incurr debt for the first time in our lives. I was getting just enough ‘fill in’ work to pay the rent, but food and bills all had to go on our credit card.

 

I did eventually give up on solely filling up my credit card and apply for unemployment benefits, which of course was the time that I got offered a job.

 

Nearly a year later, we’re still playing catch up, which I find a bit frustrating. But the good news is that we aren’t going backwards.

 

However, this has taught me that a financial goal should be to have six months of living money (mortgage/rent, bills, food etc) in savings. Because no one can predict how long it will take to get a job.

 

Disclaimer: I have no financial qualifications. I have made this decision based on my life experiences and I think it’s good & sound advice. What works for me may not work for you.

3 Replies to “6 months of savings”

  1. […] believe that there is such a thing as a permanent job anymore, and while it’s great to have 6 months of savings for unexpected situations, wouldn’t it be even better if you used your skills and expertise […]

  2. […] blogged before about savings & freelance  before, so I feel a bit silly saying that I’ve had to apply for Newtstart […]

  3. […] not a financial expert, planner or any of that blah blah stuff. But I have my own goals and views on how I want to manage my money to let me live my life. I haven’t achieved them. […]

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