The Money Talk — How to Map Your Finances After a Layoff

Okay. You made it through yesterday. You took the walk. You made the call. You let yourself feel it. Nice work — seriously.

Now let's talk about money.

I know. This is the part everyone dreads. The “how long can I survive?” conversation you've been having with the ceiling at 3am. But here's the thing: the unknown is always scarier than the known. Once we put real numbers on paper, the panic almost always goes down — because you usually have more runway than you think.

Grab a notebook, open a spreadsheet, or honestly just use the back of an envelope. We're going to figure out exactly where you stand in about 20 minutes.

Step 1: The T-Chart — Income vs. Expenses

Draw a line down the middle of your page. Left side: money coming in. Right side: money going out.

Don't overthink it. Rough numbers are fine. We're going for “directionally correct,” not “auditor-approved.”

Step 2: The Subscription Purge

All those $9.99 and $14.99 charges that quietly drain your account every month? Time to go through every single one.

Most people find $100-300/month in subscriptions they can pause without really noticing. That's real money — that's an extra month of runway.

Step 3: Calculate Your Runway

This is the big one. The number that will either keep you up at night or help you sleep.

Now add in any income — severance, unemployment benefits, a partner's paycheck. Most people, once they actually do this math, realize they're not in “the house is on fire” territory. They're in “I have some time to be thoughtful” territory.

Step 4: Don't Forget the Income Side

Unemployment benefits. If you were laid off, you almost certainly qualify. Benefits replace 40-50% of your previous income. Find your state's unemployment page here →

Your last paycheck and PTO. Most states require your employer to pay out unused vacation. That check is often bigger than you expect.

Severance. If it was offered, great. If it wasn't, it doesn't hurt to ask — especially if you're being asked to sign a release.

SNAP and food assistance. If you qualify, use it. These programs exist precisely for moments like this. Check available assistance programs →

Twenty minutes with a pen and paper can change everything.

Step 5: Put It All in One Place

We built a free budget template that does the math for you. Plug in your numbers and it'll show you your monthly burn rate, your runway, and where the quick wins are.

Grab the free budget template here →

The moment you replace “I have no idea how long I can survive” with “I have 4.2 months of runway and here's how I can stretch it to 6” — the entire game changes.

One More Thing: No Shame in This Game

If your savings are thin, that's okay. If your runway is shorter than you'd like, that's okay. You're not behind. You just got hit with something unexpected, and now you're dealing with it — which is exactly the right thing to do.

The people who struggle most after a layoff aren't the ones with small savings accounts. They're the ones who avoid looking at the numbers entirely. You're here, doing the work. That puts you ahead of most people already.