I know two people laid off last week— ages 61 and 57. Neither was a fed but were second order DOGE victims. Honestly, I can’t imagine either one finding a full time job with benefits.

OP here. In some ways it’s good to know I’m not alone in trying to figure this out, but I wish none of us were dealing with job loss.

I’ve never made a lot by DCUM standards, but didn’t really blink at eating lunch out once or twice a week. I just had to renew my car registration, and it ate up more than half of my weekly unemployment. I’m trying not to take money out of my 401(k), especially since the market is going down.

On the bright side, I’m really looking forward to being able to go places (thankfully lots of free ones in DC) in the middle of the day, maybe the cherry blossoms with less crowds rather than having to wait till after work or the weekend.

I thought I was overreacting when I had a full blown panic attack in the supermarket. It does my psyche good to know I’m not alone. I’ve always been a price shopper except for certain items and continued that even though my income increased. But it hit me that was personal preference and now I’m back to limiting my food expenses out of necessity. It’s ok but it did hit me hard.

I'm 58 and haven't been laid off, but I'm at some risk of being RIFed. If I am, I'll probably buy a house in the midwest and declare pseudo-retirement. I'm single and have no kids, so it's easy to make the move. And the last time I was job hunting showed me how hard it is to get a job in your early 50s. Job hunting my late 50s? Yeah, not looking forward to that.

I’ve been applying for other jobs. Just heard from one and they are no longer hiring. I assume it’s due to the effects of what doge is doing (they receive a lot of Fed funds). So. That’s incredibly depressing

What's your specialty? One of my best employees (I work for a remote company) is a woman who is an empty nester that was laid off and moved to a rural area. She is amazing and calm and super experienced.