You have a job and more bills than you know what to do with. Obviously you are in debt and have been managing to pay on your bills alternating the bills every other month. You have been an administrative assistant for this tire company for five years. Business has been really slow the last six months. Lo and behold, you go into work today and they inform you they are laying off ten people and you are one of them.

As you begin thinking about this, you are overwhelmed with the notion of being in debt and without a job. How do you manage your finances since you no longer have a job? First and foremost, do not become so disgusted that you are too depressed to take action. Becoming depressed in this situation will be detrimental to your circumstance.

Once you have accepted the fact you are in debt and unemployed there are several steps you need to put into place.
1) Sit down and gather all of your bills. Make a list of what you owe and total up the number. This number is the minimum amount of money you need to bring in every two weeks.
2) Be sure to contact unemployment office to register and beginning receiving your unemployment benefits. It takes time for your unemployment paper work to be processed.
3) Once you have found out how much unemployment benefits would be available to you, follow this next step to eliminate further discomfort in your situation.
4) Begin contacting your creditors about your situation and get an extension on making payments. If you do not, you will find out real fast your creditors do not care about your situation.
5) Understand that while you are receiving unemployment benefits, you must be actively seeking work.

Sure you are in a scary place right now, recently unemployed and not knowing how you are going to pay your bills. Receiving unemployment benefits gives you a little peace of mind. However, as you look over your finances, you begin to see how being unemployed is not the solution.

There are more steps that you can put in place. However, these beginning tips can aid you in establishing a plan. Whether you remain unemployed for a long time or return to work, you should have a plan for your finances. Start today and watch the debt lessen in your life.

Dr. Taffy W. Wagner is the author of the Amazon.com Bestseller Debt Dilemma, Discharged Into Debt and Homebuyer's Helper. She is the Financial Coach for Christianladies.net Dr. Wagner is the Unemployment editor for Bellaonline.com Debt Dilemma may be purchased from Amazon.com Discharged Into Debt and Homebuyer's Helper can be purchased from http://www.paidoff.net.