Hiding a layoff from the family, bad idea? - what worked for you?

I was laid off 18 weeks ago and have not told my family because I do not want them to worry. I would rather hear the honest version than the polite one. Bills are coming up and I cannot keep this quiet. How did you handle it?

Thanks for writing this out. I went through something close to it last year, and it settled down once I kept a simple log of every call and form.