No matter how firmly entrenched you are in the corporate womb or how indispensable you appear to be, you could lose your job without notice. The only thing worse than losing your job by surprise is losing it by surprise with no plan to adjust your budget until you find work again.

Married With Debt recommends planning in advance for the grim surprise of a job loss. Here are some takeaways:

* Pre-slash your budget. Look for some fat you’ll be able to trim if need be. Examples include slimming down your entertainment expenditures, scaling down services and choosing ways to come up with extra money.

* Build up an emergency fund. Tailor your savings goal to your trimmed budget, and keep a running count of how many months the fund will allow you to survive before having to resort to credit or borrowing.

* Come up with multiple plans. If you have several income sources, come up with plans of adjustments to make if one of them goes away, as well as a worst-case scenario if you lose all current income streams.

Job Loss Protection: An Emergency Plan [Married With Debt]

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