Surviving the Government Shutdown

There is a sigh of relief from the 800,000 workers have been affected by the Federal Government shutdown.  After the bipartisan bill to guarantee retroactive pay for all federal employees was passed, many citizens are now able to stop wringing their hands with worry about paying their bills; however, the storm is not over. While the government is shutdown, here are some tips on surviving until you go back to work:

PLAN WELL

Come up with a plan on how to handle the government shutdown. Everyone’s personal situation is different, so there is no general way to handle an event like this. Create a “worst-case scenario” plan, and a “best-case scenario” plan, incorporating your finances, personal & family life, and upcoming events.  Prioritize what is most important and work your way down. After writing things down, you may find that your situation is not as bad as you thought it was.

PAYING BILLS

Call your bill collectors immediately, and tell them your plan to handle paying your bills. Almost everyone is aware of the shutdown, and knows there may be delays in people paying their monthly bills. This is not to assert that companies will give you a “break” on paying your bills- however, you may have options to post-date payments, or pay bills in increments instead of the full amount on the set date.  If you can pay your bill on a normal schedule, do so. This will avoid the time you will have to take to follow-up or change your payment schedules back after the shutdown, as the same businesses will be swamped with customers who need to do this. Overall, it is better to address any financial issues, rather than to avoid them.  Businesses are usually willing to work with you under these unusual circumstances.

SAVING MONEY

Now is the time to cut back a bit on non-essential things like eating out, or early holiday shopping.  There will be plenty of restaurants and malls open after the government reopens. Resisting the urge to spend on minor items could help you in the long run. You may be able to still pay some of your smaller bills in the event that there is a delay in you getting your retroactive paycheck. Use this time off to clean out your cupboard and make your favorite recipes. You can also do some “fall cleaning” and go through your closet to find items you can revitalize and wear like they’re brand new-but leave the goldfish platforms in the closet!

BEING PRODUCTIVE

You know all of those projects and books you have been meaning to catch up on? Here’s your chance. Finally organizing the linen closet and cleaning out the garage should be at the top of your “To-Do” List. You will probably have TONS of projects waiting for you at work, so use this time off wisely, so that when you do return to work, you will feel accomplished in your personal life. Also if your spouse or family member is still reporting to work, you can do something nice, like starting dinner, or meeting them for lunch one day. Be creative and don’t let the uncertainty get you down.