This weekend I came upon a gem of an article in the LA Times that described what steps you should take when you’re unemployed.
And here are a smidgen of some of the great tips:
“Leftovers are also great — I have barbecued chicken today, and tomorrow it’s in my enchiladas and then it’s in a chicken salad,” said Marguerite Womack, director of economic and workforce development for United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
I’ve seen the United Way office. It is next to the Starbucks where a policeman harassed me for looking homeless. There is a big sign by that building around 5th street in downtown and on the building it says: Don’t give the homeless money, because they’ll just ask for more…ok it doesn’t say that exactly, but pretty close.
Here’s another crumb of advice:
Jessica Hodgdon, 24, was out of work recently for six months. To save money, she moved into the East Los Angeles apartment of a friend, who waived rent in exchange for Hodgdon’s help cooking and cleaning.
Free rent please.
I would like to see a guy try that. I would like to try that.
As a freelance superhero my services have been less in demand owing to the economic downturn and while I thought about going into my former profession as a jewel thief, I decided to look into Tiffany’s (Tiffany is who wrote the article) advice or rather advice that people gave her and she wrote about.
Now I couldn’t find the rent in exchange for cooking job on Monster or Idealist, but I did have some luck on the Craigslist adult section.
Jobs for people who can cook and clean in exchange for free rent.
I was only in the adult section, because as I said I am a freelance superhero and my services know no boundaries.
So those of you who have been unemployed what advice do you have other than leftovers and cooking in exchange for rent?
by Browne Molyneux
hustle your ass off. Now what I mean by this is just go around asking people if they need help cleaning their yard, mowing their law and other random odd jobs of that nature. Sometimes hard labor is the only way to make some extra cash when times get hard. Also this is the time when I can in all my favors and debts to friends and relatives. “Ey remember when I let you borrow $200 so you can buy your x-box ? ‘yeah ?’ well I need that money NOW.” Also cup of noodles become an everyday meal because that’s all I can really afford at the moment, that and frijos y huevos. Then one good thing that comes from being unemployed is that you kinda lose some weight because your not eating as much and your busting your ass.
“Browne…you were harassed by a policeman for looking homeless? Doesn’t that send you a message?” El Viejo
What message would that be? I know how you lack courage so I am not going to play with you. I will say I was being polite to the LAPD since the focus of this piece was unemployment advice.
I was harassed because I was black, the alleged homelessness was just an excuse. I don’t look like a yuppie and I never will, but I certainly don’t look any different or less tidy than any white artistic type person.
There is a big problem with racism in downtown LA. I do not have this problem in Boyle Heights, Silver Lake or Los Feliz so where are you going with this old wise person, because I’m dying to know.
Browne
You’re going to randomly bring up a statement I made in another post. How long have you been holding that. Wow I must really make an impact on you. When are you going to bring up about when I said you were crying?
El Viejo, actually I know why the cop was bothering me owing to the fact that he was one of your relatives.
I pegged him from block a way as I have pegged you.
You know the self hating person of color who over does his job and is overly conservative and extra special hateful to show off to what he thinks the capitalist system wants. This cop was your African-American cousin.
And uh my job is being a writer (and parttime jewel thief) El Viejo.
Did you read this column as some kind of a personal plea for help on my behalf?
You are a smart cookie.
Maybe I’m reading you wrong, but you seem to be happy with the thought that I am having financial difficulties. I am sorry to smack your bubble, but I’m not. If you are (I know how you like to project old wise man) I’d be happy to send you twenty dollars. I am all about giving. I’m a top you know.
And my advice to anyone who is unemployed, start your own business. Work hard for you, don’t work hard for anyone but you.
If you can cook be a caterer. If you can cut hair open a shop in your living room. If you can make jewelry start selling it at the flea market or online. Never ever depend on anyone else supplying you with a paycheck if you can avoid it. If you are young your mission should be working for yourself not a cushy job workng for someone else.
Browne
PS El Viejo your posts are getting kind of long and rambling, I hope I’m not getting to you. You do know this is just online fun 🙂
What did I spell wrong Mr “doesn’t work so hard right now since he keeps responding to my comments” Man?
Hey I’m a writer not an editor or a spelling bee champ.
Point out my spelling error and I will correct it. I’m not above constructive criticism.
And moving on from that, how can you talk about my work ethic? You have never seen me work.
Oh because I’m not happy making money for someone else when I could just as easily watch what they do, do it myself and make it for me. That’s bad?!! Not wanting to stand around and wait for someone to give me something and to let me in is bad?!!
It’s bad to create your own vehicle and support yourself? Well I see why America doesn’t need literal chains anymore if this is what a good American such as yourself thinks; that obedience is synonymous with having a good work ethic.
And just for reference what do you do for a living?
hey, there are a bunch of odd jobs on craigslist (group studies, clinical trials para la flojera – j/k). you can even sell your blood and probably save a life.
As far as saving – I mean not spending a lot of money (hey, when you’re broke, you don’t have money to save). Try to be as frugal as possible, but also don’t leach on other people – that is not cool.
El Viejo,
Look, though some people think you are a troll I don’t. I know lots of people just like you and you think you are helping. I don’t believe you have malicious intent with your statements, but your statements are harmful.
Everyone gets to a certain point in their life where they can decide what they want to do. I made some choices early in my life.
Now owing to my choices I have the freedom to pick and choose certain parts of my life, but not all.
I do not believe you can have it all. I think having it all is a bit overrated. You probably think I have this life where I just do what I want. This is not true.
See your problem is when you were a youth you believed the lie that the teachers told you. You believed in the capitalist dream and when it went wrong you got upset, and you should have gotten upset, because they are total liars and they screwed you. But just because your dreams didn’t come true doesn’t mean that dreams are bad, just the dreams implanted in you by TV and movies and propaganda filled textbooks, which are actually just marketing tools are bad.
Dreaming is good, but planning is better.
I made my own dream. My dream was to have a place to sleep, be able to hang out with good people, and to never be hungry. That’s it. Anything extra is just extra. Imagine how great our society would be if everyone just kept it simple.
Now my plans are big, but I have like five versions of my plans, but plans are better than dreams, because you create the blueprint.
My freedom of choice only looks like choices, because I am very aware of what I am doing all of the time. When you know how to live your life it seems easy. I have been very aware since I was 10 years old. I see my life as living and dying. I want to live. That’s how I make my life simple and it is why I am happy. I’m not dead, so I’m happy.
I am very sure that you have the wrong impression of me, but you know in life the truth doesn’t matter, you work with the lies that are told about you and I’ve always been ok with that.
Stay focused with your comments. There will be plenty of time to attack the various sides of Browne, the night is young.
Browne
I heard that Cuba, China and North Korea have lots of jobs for freelancers.
Yard sales! Or maybe those government funded debit cards for food. Or billion dollar government bailouts and golden parachutes if you’re a suddenly unemployed CEO banker.