Raining, pouring, what's the difference?

I'm going to be brief about this because I don't want to start a pity party. (Or maybe I should? Whatever.)

Here are the simple facts: I have been unemployed since the end of November and barely scraping by since then, mostly off my photography. But on Friday night, my beloved Canon Digital Rebel XSi camera body died suddenly and without warning. It wasn't a slow-burn death like with my old XTi that died shortly after Lollapalooza 2008; this one just went out of the blue.

I'm fortunate in that the extended warranty covers repairs for my camera free of charge, but now I'm going to be stuck without my lifeblood and only real income source for literally a month while it's in the shop. Any time is a bad time to lose something that's incredibly important to your very existence, but damn.

My initial plan was (after hopefully getting a job again soon) to save for 6-8 months and upgrade my whole setup with the new Canon T2i plus a new lens, bigger memory card (T2i shoots HD video), etc. Then I would have my old XSi, which I figured would be wearing out and in need of repair at the end of 2010, become my emergency backup. I guess my timetable wasn't good enough for fate though, which has proven to be quite fatal.

But in all honesty, all I would need to be back on my feet right now is the T2i body ($799) with an extended warranty (~$70, it's SO WORTH IT) and maybe a spare battery (~$80) because everything else I have is still compatible (except for the battery). Problem is, I don't have a grand lying around. Heck I don't even know how I'm going to pay my rent for April yet...

I'm open to any creative solutions for this nightmare of a problem. Donations and ideas small and large are most certainly welcome; and the sooner I can get back on my feet the sooner I can get out and start shooting again.