You have 23 days of cash.
Unemployment takes 21.
Here’s the bridge.

Cash runs out before — or right as — unemployment starts. Job one is stopping every automatic outflow you legally can. Call before you miss a payment: most auto lenders, utilities, and card issuers have hardship programs that pause payments 30–60 days, but only for accounts still current. Use these scripts word for word.

Get every agreement in writing (email counts), note the rep’s name and the confirmation number, and ask whether interest still accrues during the pause — on most auto loans it does, which is fine: interest is cheaper than a repossession.

You have a bridge, but it’s short. The mission: file UI flawlessly on day one, squeeze every dollar out of your payout, and close the weekly gap with stopgap income so the cushion survives until you’re rehired.

• File the UI claim today — benefits never pay retroactively before your filing date, and most states impose an unpaid waiting week.
• Have your documents ready: last employer name/address, last day worked, SSN, and your separation letter if you got one.
• Certify on schedule. Weekly or biweekly certification is mandatory — miss one and the payment stalls or the claim closes.
• Log your job search. Most states require documented work-search contacts every week to keep benefits flowing.
• Choose tax withholding on UI (10% federal) unless cash is critical — unemployment income is taxable, and a surprise tax bill is the last thing you need.
• Elect direct deposit — paper checks add 5–10 days you don’t have.

PTO payout optimizer: if your employer lets you choose, taking unused PTO as a lump sum in your final check is usually fastest — cash now beats cash later in a shutdown. Ask payroll whether the payout can be issued as a separate check: it doesn’t change the tax owed, but the flat 22% supplemental withholding is predictable, so you can plan around the exact net. Don’t let a payout sit unclaimed — some states let employers forfeit it if you don’t ask.

Gig target math: your weekly shortfall after UI is $230. Delivery, warehouse temp shifts, and moving/gig apps at roughly 12–15 hrs/week cover it in most markets. Report gig earnings on your weekly certification — states reduce that week’s benefit, but unreported earnings can kill the whole claim.

Your cushion clears the 60-day wall. Now the danger flips: a long job hunt tempts people to raid the accounts that are expensive — sometimes impossible — to rebuild. Lock these rules in before the hunt gets long.

• Retirement stays untouched. A 401(k)/IRA withdrawal under age 59½ costs income tax plus a 10% early-withdrawal penalty — a $5,000 raid can net under $3,400 and permanently lose decades of compounding.
• Spend in order: checking → savings → taxable brokerage → (only in true emergency) a 401(k) loan, never a withdrawal — and know that a loan usually comes due fast if you don’t return to that employer.
• Keep the emergency fund fenced. Once the new job starts, rebuild it before any lifestyle spending returns — target one month of bare-bones expenses first, then three.
• Roll over, don’t cash out, any old employer retirement plan when you land — a direct rollover to an IRA keeps every dollar tax-sheltered.
• Keep minimum payments current. With 60+ days of runway, protecting your credit score is protecting your next job — many employers and landlords screen on it.
• Trim, don’t amputate. Cut subscriptions and extras, but keep the phone, internet, and transportation that the job hunt runs on.