valentinrussanov/Getty Images In 2015, I was unemployed for six months and underemployed for another year. During that time, I relied heavily on credit cards to cover my basic necessities. If I could go back, I would make sure I had a low-interest or intro-APR credit card going into unemployment, and I would try harder to keep my spending under control. I'm glad I took advantage of balance transfers to pay off my credit card debt, and I'm also glad I went into unemployment with high credit limits to ensure my credit score didn't suffer too much as I racked up debt. See Business Insider's list of the best credit cards with introductory APR offers. A few years ago, I quit my job and ended up unemployed for six months and underemployed for almost another year as I built up a career as a freelancer.