In the two months I have been unemployed, I have been thankful every day for my small house that costs less than my monthly car payment. I had a good salary and we had been planning to upsize just months before my position was eliminated. Now, even when I do get back to work, I am going to be cautious about what we purchase. I don’t EVER want to put myself in the position of not being able to keep a roof over my family’s head. The over-qualified thing sucks. That is where I am at. I am either not getting called because I am over qualified or they think I need a huge salary based on my experience and job title. I’m now looking into doing something completely new. One job I applied for had 115 other applicants - and that was what was received on day ONE of the notice. I am finding 40 to 50 applicants per job to be about the norm right now. This private sector is NOT doing OK...freaking moron...
Good luck...keep us posted on your situation.