what would you do if in 8 weeks your unemployment was going to run out?

You might as well ask what DID I do. I was there in the last recession right after 9/11: Laid off, unable to find a job, and unemployment benefits running out.

What did I do? I did what I needed to do to put food on the table for my family: I started applying at anyplace that might hire me, not just apply for a job in my field. I got hired at WalMart as a Pharmacy Tech, and I continued to send out resumes and attend interviews. After a few months, I finally found a job in my field, and I quit the job at WalMart.

I would use every waking hour networking at social and/or business functions, volunteering and getting out and about at all times. One never knows when they will come accross an opportunity for supplemental income which may turn to breaking even, possibly more.

STAY THE F^CK away from on-line searches, they are designed to get information from you w/no return. Good luck, and keep a positive attitude, it shows and people will want to be around you. - PS: don't let on you're job seeking, it is a turn off and people will shy away from you because they are all in the same boat or have heard it from others over and over again.

I would prepare my paperwork for collecting welfare.

I will never be homeless because I purchased a home that was well withing my price range and paid it off in 10 years instead of 30. This of course does not help you, but I would apply the same principal to your situation... find something you can afford and pay it off. Even if you have to move far away and live in a dump that you have to fix up.

http://www.rebuildus.com/

Additionally I would spend my spare time making things to sell ... paint pictures, garden, do something.

No matter how bad the economy, I have never been out of work for more than 2 weeks, except when I went back to school to get my MBA. Even then I worked parttime. Most people I know are holding out for a job like the one they lost and refuse to take anything less. I say, enjoy starving to death then.

Expand your spheres of influence and job search support team. Everyone you know, and everyone they know, should be aware that you are actively searching for work. Join a job search group. Volunteer. Even volunteer to do some work on the side for a company you'd like to get on with.

laid off is a polite way to say you're fired. Good lick in your job hunt.

Look into welfare, see what you will need as far as paperwork goes, learn what you assets have to be down to before you can apply.

Don't wait to learn what you need to do until the last minute, getting welfare isn't automatic or quick, it takes time so you don't want to leave yourself penniless while you wait for it.

Get a job?