Hiding a layoff from the family, bad idea? - any advice?

I was laid off 14 weeks ago and have not told my family because I do not want them to worry. I worked as an IT help-desk technician before this. Bills are coming up and I cannot keep this quiet. How did you handle it?

I told my partner the same evening with a simple plan: what happened, what I was doing and what I needed. It was a relief.