How to Live Without A Job and Still Pay The Bills (Possible?)

Are you currently unemployed due to the pandemic or other reasons, and are you finding it hard to live without an income? Well, you have come to the right place today because we are going to be talking all about how to live without a job. 

Times are tough these days, and no one was expecting the economic downturn as a result of the pandemic. Just know that everything is going to be okay! I have your back! 

So, if you want to learn how to live without a job in 2022, stick around because I will be giving you some helpful tips and tricks that will help you out in the future. Let’s get right into it! 

1. Create a Passive Stream of Income 

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have a job to make an income these days because of a little friend I like to call passive income. 

For those of you who don’t know what passive income is, it is technically making money while you sleep. While this sounds like something that is not even remotely plausible, I am here to tell you that it is. 

And there are a lot of ways that you can create a passive income, including through affiliate marketing. 

Affiliate marketing is when you promote a product or brand to others and receive a commission from any sales that you generate from your promotion. 

All you need to do to begin affiliate marketing is have a platform that you are able to connect with people on. In my opinion, the easiest way to do this is to start a blog. Starting a blog is great because there is very little upfront investment in terms of money. 

If you are wanting to start a blog and do affiliate marketing, you just need to be prepared to wait a couple months and build up traffic to your site because affiliate marketing works when you have the traffic coming and going to your site. 

Meaning that you will need to gain a following first. Soon enough, however, this will be a great way to make passive income in your future.

I have discussed making money with blogging in these two articles so make sure to give them a read:

2. Cut Unnecessary Spending 

I’m sorry, my friends, but you may need to give up your daily coffees, snacks, and dinners that you usually pay for throughout the week.

I know it’s a tragic experience. However, it is not a sustainable way to live – especially if you have no income source coming in in the first place.

Instead, you should start cooking yourself at home which is the cheapest option. You may also need to cut out your subscriptions to Netflix and any others you have going on. 

Why is it essential to cut these things out? Well, first of all, these things add up over time without us really even noticing. Also, you are going to need to buy food, which you will need to survive. 

Therefore, by cutting out your unnecessary subscriptions and coffees, you can put that money into buying groceries. 

3. Think About Transportation Option 

Transportation is an extremely essential part of living whether you have a job or not. However, it can also be very expensive, especially if you have a car.

Side Hustle Alert: You can earn some extra side income by renting out your car with HyreCar. You can make an extra $8,000 to $12,000 a year just by renting your car which isn’t half bad.

If you do not currently have a job, the best thing to do is cancel the insurance on your car. This is not only going to save you money insurance but also gas. Which is very expensive these days. 

If you need to get places, there is always the option to use public transportation. You should look into buying a bike that you can use to get you around town as you will still need to go get groceries and go to job interviews.

Good News: Lyft is offering free rides or reduced costs to job interviews for people in need. You can read more about it here and maybe use it next time you’re going for an interview to save some extra $$.

4. Always Make Sure to Have Money in Your Bank Account 

One of the most important things that you need to remember when you do not have a job is to make sure you have at least a couple hundred dollars in your bank account at all times in cases of emergencies. 

This needs to be separate from your spending money. If you use all your money, you will have no means to sustain yourself, which is very dangerous to your well-being.

If you don’t have it already, you might as well go ahead and open a separate savings account for your “rainy day funds”. 

You can read more about having multiple bank accounts for budgeting here.

5. Consider Unemployment Insurance 

Depending on where you live and (used to) work, you should be able to apply for unemployment insurance or some form of welfare provided to you by the government. 

Although it will not be much, it should be a couple hundred dollars a month and food stamps in some cases that will allow you to live frugally but comfortably until you get back on your feet. 

6. Don’t Be Picky About New Employment Opportunities

You should be conscious about when you are trying to live without having a job to not be picky about the employment opportunities you apply for. 

While it may not be ideal to have to work at a job that you are overqualified for or at a fast-food restaurant, any source of income you can receive will be crucial in overcoming your unemployment circumstances.

The best thing you can do is to apply everywhere and see what employment options you get back. Don’t limit yourself to a couple; put your name and resume in front of everyone who will take a look at it so you can create more opportunities for yourself to get a job. 

I promise this will work for you. You just have to keep an open mind and wait to see the results that come from it. 

7. Make Sure You Do Not Acquire Any Debt  

Although it may seem like a good idea to just throw all your money on a credit card when you don’t have any income source, it can be really damaging to not only your credit score but also your money circumstances in general. 

You will get destroyed by high-interest rates when you are unable to pay off your credit card, which will cause you more financial stress in the long run. 

The best thing to do, and as a rule of thumb, is to always have enough money in your bank account and more to be able to pay off your credit card in full at all times. 

This way, you don’t spend out of your means. Although it makes it hard not to use a credit card at all, trust me, this is going to save you in the future. 

8. Consider Freelancing Online 

Although you may not have full-time employment, there are still ways that you can make money online to at least have some source of income coming in. 

For example, sites like Fiverr and UpWork allow professionals to sell their services to businesses online. The nice thing about these micro job sites is that you do not need to pay a membership to start working there. 

Another advantage of freelancing sites is that you may be able to do the job you were once employed for. For example, if you were a graphic designer and were laid off from work, you can freelance on these websites and work for yourself. 

These sites have millions of users on them. You are guaranteed to make money if you work hard enough to get 5-star ratings and provide people with quality work. So make sure not to rule this option out!

You may even be able to work for yourself for the rest of your life without working with anyone else! 

9. Sell Some of Your Items 

As hard as it may be to part ways with some of your items, it may be the right way for you to have some extra money in your bank. 

For example, you could sell some of the clothes you don’t wear or perhaps your car if you are really tight on cash. 

Anything that you don’t feel is necessary at the time and that you can always purchase for yourself later down the road may be worth trying to resell just so you can have a little bit of financial security until you find another job. 

You don’t have to sell all your items, but ones that you don’t feel are essential just to get by for the next little while. 

Final Thought

Trying to live while being unemployed is difficult and challenging. Just know that you are not alone, and there are ways that you can make your situation more livable. 

Remember to cut costs where you can so you have enough food to eat because it is essential to keep yourself and your well-being healthy first above all else. 

By taking into account all of the points on the list that I have mentioned today, you should be able to make positive changes in your situation and in no time get back onto your feet to where you used to before being unemployed.

If you have any other suggestions on how to live without a job or any other tips that you would like to share, make sure to leave a comment down below – I would love to hear from you.