Mark Ramos—
As if life isn’t complicated enough for those of us who are already struggling, especially financially, it’s undoubtedly been compounded by the effects of COVID-19. For the broke college student who doesn’t know what to do, here are three tips that will hopefully help get you through these tough times.
1. File for Unemployment Assistance
If you’ve been laid off or brought to a 0-hour work week because of COVID-19, you qualify for unemployment benefits. Currently, the payout in Massachusetts is 50 percent of your regular paycheck plus an additional $600 per week from the CARES Act. You can apply or Unemployment Assistance here.
 
2. Plan out a budget 
Planning out a budget is the best way to use your money efficiently. One of the biggest expenditures is food. Even though Wendy’s 4 for $4 deal is cost-effective, you’ll make better use of your cash if you go to the grocery store and buy things in bulk. A single 16 ounce bottle of water costs about $2 when a 24 pack is around $4. Buying things in bulk is not only cost-effective but also has the added bonus of increasing your social distancing by eliminating the need for multiple trips to the store. 
Also, try not to go to the grocery store if you’re already hungry because you’ll likely end up buying a lot more stuff than you intended to. The purpose of budgeting is to stretch out your financial funds for as long as possible without any unnecessary spending.
 
3. There are still employment opportunities
Yes, believe it or not, there is still a lot of work out there. Within just a five mile radius of Leominster and Fitchburg there are nearly 800 job openings. Needless to say, that there are thousands of job openings despite COVID-19 putting thousands of people out of work. If you are looking for employment opportunities click here for MassHire’s list of current job listings.
Alternatively, you can use the state’s job search website JobQuest here.
The job openings range from working in grocery stores to nursing homes, so regardless of what you’re looking for there is definitely something out there for you.