Help Me Stay Afloat After Unexpected Job Loss

UPDATE: Thanks to your generosity I have been able to pay down some and even pay off one of my major pieces of debt. I am still applying for full-time work, picking up side jobs, and doing whatever I can to supplement my income until I have a stable job. I'm close - within one or two extra payments on a loan - from where my current monthly income will fully cover me. I can't thank all of you enough for helping me throughout all of this. Your kindness has helped me not drown. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Below is the story of what happened to me.

Hi, my name is Chris, or as some of you might know me online as The Challs. I don't like asking for help, but I'm in a situation and position where I don't have a lot of options or choices outside of the ones I'm already doing.

A little over two months ago I lost my full-time job. There wasn't any warning, it wasn't because of the economy or my own job performance, it was simply a situation that was out of my hands and frankly out of the small business owner's hands who I've worked for over the last 10 years. It knocked the wind out of me. You never expect a, "Here's your paycheck, it's unfortunately your last one" conversation but that's exactly what happened.

Losing your job is never "good timing" but this timing couldn't have been any worse. I was in a position, or so I thought, to where I could take a really aggressive approach to pay off my debt. That meant restructuring and really going after it, and I was ready, I was tightening up the belt and keeping discretionary spending down, etc. But then this. So, now that monthly number is looming instead of being just a goal. I need it to help pay off the few things I'm close to paying off and then once those few things are done, it will be manageable even if I make less overall each month. If I don't pay it off or meet the minimums, it's going to cascade into a death crunch and I'll be under the weight of my own bad choices over the years and a well intentioned choice that was the worst timing possible.

Since losing my job I've been scrambling to find similar work in the same field to cover my income and keep me ahead of the impending storm, but even with the few smaller jobs I've been able to secure, they're all at a lower rate and altogether don't add up to my previous monthly salary. I've applied for other jobs as well and I'm doing the work to bring in money every way I know how.

If you've made it this far, congrats, I know I'm longwinded, but I'm at my wit's end and I'm stressed out beyond any level I've ever experienced before (minus extreme trauma from being run over by a semi truck). I want to be the one who helps, the one who gives, and I've lived my life that way as much and as often as I can. So, it kills me being on the other end of that and even asking, but I do need help. The amount listed would be for the next 3 months until I can secure a new job or at the very least get enough smaller ones to supplement my regular income. My immediate needs (housing and food) are thankfully taken care of right now by my family, which is why I was able to feel comfortable enough to take an aggressive approach to becoming debt free. At any rate, they are gracious and kind to provide that, so I won't be on the streets or without food if you can't help, this is simply to save me from further financial disaster and to get my head above water until I get it all figured out.

If you feel like you can help and would like to, I would appreciate it more than you could ever know. Thanks for hearing me out. You can ask any questions you might have if it would help your decision, I'm more than willing to help explain how I got here.