What Do You Do When You Have Almost Nothing Left?

When payday is still days away

Most personal finance advice assumes you have money.

Money to invest.

Money to save.

Money to budget.

But what if payday is still five days away?

What if your bank account is almost empty?

What if you're wondering how you're going to make it until your next paycheck?

If that's where you are today, this article is for you.

It won't solve everything.

But it might help you make it through this week.

Protect your next payday

When money gets this tight, don't try to solve the next five years.

Protect your next payday.

Every decision you make this week should help you get there.

That means avoiding choices that make next week even harder.

The biggest one?

Payday loans.

When you're desperate, they can feel like a lifeline.

They aren't.

They solve today's problem by creating a bigger one next payday.

The interest is so high that many people end up borrowing again just to repay the first loan.

Before long, they're working to pay for yesterday instead of building tomorrow.

If you can avoid a payday loan, do everything you can to avoid it.

Don't disappear

Years ago, I worked in accounts receivable and collections for a company that delivered heating oil.

On my first day, my manager told me something I've never forgotten.

He said,

"This is our job, but remember one thing. Nobody freezes to death."

I knew exactly what he meant.

Our job was to collect money.

Our job was never to hurt people.

Over the years, I noticed something.

People rarely got into the most trouble because they couldn't pay.

They got into the most trouble because they stopped talking.

They stopped answering the phone.

The mail piled up unopened.

Emails went unread because every notification brought more stress.

They hoped the problem would somehow disappear.

It almost never did.

Silence is one of the most expensive financial decisions you can make.

If you're overwhelmed, make the call today.

Call your landlord.

Call your utility company.

Call your phone company.

Tell them what's going on.

They may not be able to change anything.

But they might.

Many companies offer payment plans or financial hardship programs you'll never hear about unless you ask.

One phone call won't solve everything.

But it can replace uncertainty with a plan.

Spend money where it matters most

If you only have twenty dollars left, don't ask yourself what you want.

Ask yourself what protects your next paycheck.

A tank of gas.

A bus pass.

A packed lunch for work.

Work boots that get you through another shift.

Protect the thing that earns tomorrow's money.

Without your next paycheck, every other problem becomes harder to solve.

Every dollar you spend this week has one job.

Help you make it to your next payday.

Use what you already have

Before you buy groceries, look through your cupboards.

The rice you forgot about.

The can of soup at the back of the shelf.

Half a box of pasta.

Frozen vegetables.

This isn't the week to make exciting meals.

It's the week to make what you already have last.

If you run out of food, go to the food bank.

That's exactly why it exists.

I've heard people joke that they're "having sleep for dinner."

It's funny until it isn't.

There is no shame in accepting help.

One day, when life looks different, you may be the person filling those shelves for someone else.

One good decision at a time

When money gets this tight, your world naturally becomes smaller.

That's okay.

You don't have to solve your entire financial future today.

You only have to make the next good decision.

Then the one after that.

Then the next one.

Sometimes surviving a difficult season is nothing more than refusing to make tomorrow harder than today.

I remember what it felt like when every dollar already had a job before payday arrived.

I remember hoping nothing unexpected would happen because there wasn't room in the budget for surprises.

If that's where you are today, remember this.

Your bank balance tells you where you are.

It isn't who you are.

Don't disappear.

Answer the phone.

Ask for help if you need it.

Protect your next payday.

One day you'll look back and realize you survived something you once believed would never end.

Sometimes victory isn't getting ahead.

Sometimes the bravest financial plan you can make is simply making it to your next payday.