Put your name down with temp agencies and take short term appointments because it will give you some income and you never know when a short term job may become long term.

Look at your budget now, and see what savings you can make. Start looking for work immediately.

Establish a routine for him – it’s important to keep things like getting out of bed, having a time to do job search etc, happening. Financially, look at what you can cut out – eg buy home brand not name brand and look at your subscriptions.

It’s a deflating time when you’re made redundant and have a find another job, but it’s important to stay positive and keep trying. It can take months and months, but remember to keep your options open. Be prepared to take on jobs that may not be to your liking, but will help you get through that period until a better offer comes along.

First, i’m sorry to hear that. Next, please don’t panic. First, ring centrelink and find out what you are entitled to.
Make a budget and stick to it is the next step. Look at all the specials available, but in bulk when you can, look at where you can save by doing so. If you are in WA, spudshed is awesome. I tend to buy frozen veggies for stir frys there for $8 for 2kgs and it has carrots, sugarsnap peas, onions and broccoli.
When you can, try putting a little on every bills.
If it helps back in 2011, my husband was made redundant and it took him 11 months to get a new job. He has been there for 3 years now. Him being unemployed was hard on our relationship because he felt he had to provide and he couldn’t. Try to see if your partner can get involved in any other activities in the meantime. Make sure you don’t lose hope.
It will get better. Good luck.

Lots of talking and reassuring.
Go through your pantry and fridge/freezer and plan your meals around what you already have.
Frozen veg are very nutritious and often a lot cheaper.
Make soup out of your leftovers.
Good luck, you’ll get through this difficult time.

I was made redundant when I was 6.5 months pregnant. It was a real worry but I got a good payout so I was lucky in that respect. We were careful with our money and family were very good and generous to us and the baby (when she arrived) so that helped us financially as well.

Once I was finally able to get fulltime daycare sorted out, it was all systems go for work. I was applying for jobs that paid less than what I was previously earning but it was all about getting something and bringing in some money to help out.

Ask your family and friends if they have any work going or if they can keep an eye out or ask around on your behalf. Sign up for job seeking websites and temping agencies. Ensure that you’re aware of your entitlements with the Department of Human Services – whatever can help you and your family through this time is what’s needed and that’s what it’s there for!

Good luck to you and your family at this time.

Iwas made redundant just as I was returning from maternity leave the first time. The key things I did were to make a new budget and see how far we could stretch the payout by minimising costs, I took a casual job just to keep something on my resume and then I put aside a minimum of 3 hours a day (often more) to apply for jobs.
As a side note I took a job that paid half my previous salary just to get something permanent and then 12 months later landed my dream job on my pre-redundancy pay.
Best of luck!

My partner lost his job just over 9 months ago, its hard but we are getting by. Hopefully soon he can get another one.

We were already signed up to Costco so saving a lot as did not need to shop for some things regularly which is a bonus. I also go to Rite Price (a grocery clearance store only in SA) for my daughters lunch snacks, I can get a 12 pack of LCM bars for $1.99 and they are still in date, see if you have anything like this in your state.

Secondly we cut back on weekend family entertainment, we still go out, but for free, making lunches together is also a great bonding experience for my daughter and I. We find parks or activities that are free, always look on local council web pages, there are some awesome things put on. Other than that try treasure hunting or photo taking in a botanical park. We made sure to join the library as even if we cannot go to the movies quite often they have recent releases on DVD we can borrow for free (not to mention borrowing books)

Thirdly to save money I always write a fortnightly menu (I don’t choose what day will be what I do that based on what we feel like) and only buy what we need from that.

I also rang the gas and electricity company and organised a payment plan with them so I paid per fortnight a set amount to ensure that bills are affordable. They pretty much ignore the fact I still owe money and will do so until I come off the AGL staying connected payment. It also pays that if you know you cannot afford a bill in one hit (like Telephone or council rates) you call them as soon as you receive it instead of putting it off, they are a lot more lenient if you tell them before the due date then when they are chasing the money after the due date (definitely learned from experience).

Lastly I signed up to the facebook group Australian Freebies, Samples, Offers and Competitions, they have links to free samples for anything and everything, I have also won a few things. Very useful.

Good luck, hope your husband is not too long without a job.

You’ll need to work out what is essential and what isn’t. While he’s looking for a new job, you may need to cut out some luxuries.

you must be supportive as it can really hurt someones ego. be there for them and spend some time together when kids are at school which you don’t normally do as he is working. Also it can be a nice time for him to do some things with the kids as he has time like picking up form school and helping in the classroom etc.

well you will get a redundancy payment. My friend went through this. Because of the payment, he was not entitled to get centrelink for 6 months (this is 2012 so things might have changed)

Start looking for a new job or undertake some training to help get a job.

My hubby was made redundant last year, we just cut out all unnecessary spending, stuck to a budget and no luxury items (eating out, movies, etc). I was also on mat leave which made it that much harder, no money coming in at all. It took 3 months for hubby to get a new job and we got through without using up all of his redundancy payment.

Also; workout a new budget; as a redundancy does make a difference to a household budget.

Go see a financial planner to discuss your finances. They will be able to paint a picture of where you stand and help you out with what to do next.

thank for the tips, we will no more later next week but hopefull the redundancy payout helps us as well… maybe i will end up being a working mum and he will stay home! ep!

Seek some immediate financial advice; find a financial planner with a good reputation and with reasonable fees.

Start applying for jobs when he is feeling up to the task, if you need financial help, you could contact a number of support agencies such as Vinnies and Salvos who offer no interest loans and help with utilities. Department of Housing can pay for a months worth of rent if you need rental assistance during this time.

Hang in there, make sure he has the access to the support he needs, just don’t rush into anything too quickly.

Sometimes your Super can help if you are unemployed; it might be worth checking.