Reader asks: Should I quit a job I hate even if I don't have another one lined up?

Here's a question many employees have had at some point in their career: I'm miserable at my job. Should I quit even though I don't have another one lined up?

And here are a few tips from an expert who advises 20-somethings on money matters. First, unless you're working in an abusive environment, keep working while you double down on the job search, supercharge savings and replace the benefits you'll lose when you quit. Build financial reserves now, and you'll be better prepared to leave this chapter behind.

Poring through job postings is tough when you feel emotionally drained or overworked. Decide on a future quit date a few months from now. That can motivate you to connect with professional contacts who may have job leads, and to spend evenings and weekends on applications.

Kim David, 25, set a deadline for six months from the date she decided to leave her former employer.

"I think I realized that I was sort of falling into a downward spiral," she says. "The situation that my job was presenting," including demanding hours, "was kind of taking over my life."

She searched for jobs — unsuccessfully — and finally resigned without having a position lined up. A month later she landed her current job as a strategy director at a public relations agency in New York.

If your workplace is toxic or your mental health is suffering, it may be in your best interest to quit sooner than four to six months from now. But in whatever time you have, set aside money to cover rent, food and bills (including any student and car loans) while you're out of work.

Ideally, save at least three months' worth of basic expenses; use an emergency fund calculator to come up with a total. But you may be unemployed for longer than that. Moving in with your parents — while it sounds like a nuclear option — can make sense. This is especially true if it helps you get out of an unhealthy job, and you can all agree on how much you should contribute to household expenses.

This is particularly important for young people, whose retirement savings have a long time to grow: Your 401(k) isn't an emergency fund. Act like that money isn't there, Broadway says. Instead of cashing out a 401(k), roll it over to your next company's plan or into an individual retirement account.