Aw man, that sucks. Hope you can find something new soon. That goes for you too, Leaper.
Best of luck.
My empathies to you both. I have been there, done that. The initial shock and “what now?” thoughts are scary. If it’s not too personal, perhaps you can post what you do. There are a lot of people here, some in hiring mode.
I’m so sorry this has happened to you DMark. You, too, **Leaper[/B.
The media keeps trying to convince us that the economy’s better, but it isn’t. Not yet. Hope you both find something else soon.
It is getting better for many people, but obviously not all. Hope you both can good new jobs you love, and soon.
Day Three
Thank you all for your kind words of support and best wishes!
I have had some surprising offers of support from many - even on this board - but right now I just need to finish up the two weeks at work and start planning the next steps.
Biggest problem will be the health insurance - SO has some health issues (doctors, medications, physical therapy) that are quite pricey, even with our insurance - and COBRA is not a real option for any length of time, as I am sure most of you know…it is a VERY expensive option. Can only hope Obamacare kicks in sooner than later!
I will fill you in on the grand Chapter Two as things progress, but in the meantime, thanks for your support from afar.
Should be pretty easy to find a job in Chicago, New York, Berlin and Los Angeles. 
The commute might be a bitch.
Talk to his/her providers. Tell them about your changed circumstances and ask them what they might be able to do for you in the way of reduced rates, deferred payments, etc. They may even know of some programs that could help out.
Unemployment comp used to (and may still) have a component that helped with COBRA payments. Or – if you and your SO are not married, he/she may qualify for Medicaid as an individual.
There are many, many social service programs out there, each with different rules in each state, with different eligibility criteria with respect to income, assets, age, disability, family size, etc, etc. Sorting through them to find which one covers, say, farmers’ market tomatoes for low-income seniors (see the USDA site!) is a full-time occupation in itself.
Added thanks here.
Great timing, too; as you saw from other threads of mine, I got a new watch and started a new investment account in the past three weeks. Oh, and I was JUST about to shop for plane tickets to visit an old friend of mine whom I haven’t seen in person in almost ten years. Now, of course, I’ll have to establish myself in a new job before I can reasonably take time off to take such a trip, meaning it’ll have to be delayed even MORE. Then, of course, there’s HIS schedule to work around…
We’ll see if I get to see him one last time before he or I is run over by a truck or something.
Marketplace opens October 1. Open enrollment runs from Oct 1, 2013 to Mar 31, 2014. If you’re enrolled by Dec 15, 2013, coverage that cannot exclude pre-existing conditions begins Jan 1, 2014. If you can afford COBRA for four months, I think you’ll be okay in that area (I hope).
If you enroll Jan 1-14, coverage begins Feb 1. If you enroll Jan 15-Feb 14, coverage begins Mar 1. Feb 15-Mar 14 enrollment provides coverage from Apr 1. Mar 15-Mar 31 enrollment coverage begins Jun 1.
Be online in October.
I hope this eases some small part of your burden. And good luck, friend.
I’ll update my response as/if I learn more.
Sorry to hear of your job loss. I’ve been under-employed for 5 years.
Cobra is generally a waste of money. You might spend $8K a year when you could pay $3K a year for insurance with a $5k deductible. The key is to sign up for Cobra so that you’re still insured when you go looking for other insurance. Otherwise you will get turned down because of coverage gaps.
Why not go ahead and go now? You won’t remember how much you saved on last week’s groceries but you’ll always remember your visit.
I turned down a cruise trip one time to pay for a car repair. Ask me what I’m going to be spitting out on my deathbed. 
(“And another thing…” shaky voice.)
Because not going is the responsible thing to do. I mean, in your situation, not having a car might’ve had far-reaching consequences to you (or not paying for it to your credit rating). Arguably you’re better off.
What if the timing of a job interview or opportunity clashes with the trip — there’s two months for that to happen. And if it’s a new employer, they’re not going to like me going somewhere so soon after I get the job, if it’s the latter. And, of course, there’s the money thing. I have quite a bit of savings (over a year’s worth), but still.
My parents and even the friend I was going to visit agree. But it’s still incredibly horrible and painful considering how much I’d been looking forward to it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if job issues keep me from going for another year or more, or if something else really bad happens before then. It’d be just my luck.
(As an aside, the above is an example of a big reason why this whole thing has hit me harder than past incidences: I finally, finally felt like I could save money and spend a little on myself for once. Now I have to start waiting for everything all over again.
It really feels like I’ll never be able to get back to that point again, especially with the way things have gone for quite a while now. Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like: just waiting to be able to do stuff like see a goddamn old friend, just putting it off and putting it off for when I’m “more stable” until it’s too late?