What Is the Best Way To Budget When There’s Not Enough Money?

How to Budget When You Don’t Make Enough Money to Pay the Bills

The monthly income is lower now than it used to be and money is super tight. It’s hard to even make ends meet each month. And when something happens, which it does frequently, there feels like no choice but to use debt just to get by. 

Yes, it is stressful. Overwhelming. Exhausting. We’ve all been there. Beat up by life’s punches, draining the little savings we had at one point. Not sure where to turn or what to do.

I’m not going to tell you to quit cable or stop eating out, because I know you’ve already tried that. In fact, I’m sure you’ve tried just about everything and you just need some new ideas to make it all work.

First, let me come alongside you and say, you, my dear friend aren’t alone.

And…it will be ok. Maybe not tomorrow or even next week, but you will get through this and I’m here to help.

Being slammed by one unexpected expense after another and finding yourself drowning in bills doesn’t make you a failure. Your worth is not defined by when the numbers. just. don’t. work.

You can take the time to just breathe and be present. Hug your family and do something fun (and free) – to relax for just today…. And when you start tackling this mess again, with a clearer mind, progress will be made.

It might not feel like much progress and you might be tempted to give up and throw in the towel… but small steps every day in the right direction build up to be lasting money wins that will change the entire situation you are facing now.

Secondly, I know it’s hard and you feel like there’s no point, but now – more than ever- it is so important to dust off that ol’ budget.

and let it guide how you spend money on only the absolute essentials.

This is called survival.

For many years, money was soo tight. Anything extra was going to paying for my husband’s school… definitely a difficult challenge to come up with enough money for each semester… and there was little to no savings.

At my most desperate point, I remember scouring the internet for ways to tighten my shoe string budget even more. I started washing my clothes in cold water — even though it didn’t make a noticeable difference — just to save a few pennies.