Finances have always been an issue for most people. They are even more of an issue with the current pandemic state. I know as well as anyone how tough it can be to make it on zero income while waiting on unemployment benefits. It’s not just unemployment benefits, either. There was a time when my husband got injured at home, and we had to live off of the disability payments through his employer. Those payments were only 60% of his weekly wages, which weren’t much to begin with.

At that point, you just start paying the basic necessities. You don’t have any extra for credit card bills and such. In fact, you really don’t have enough for necessities. You will probably find yourself wondering how you will ever get out from under the debt. There are a lot of things you can do to help.  Let’s take a look at a few things.

  1. Groceries. Oh boy, this can be a doozy. To help save money on groceries, that you can use toward other bills, the first step is to make a meal plan each week. This is going to be a lifesaver, I promise! By planning your meals ahead each week, you can lay out the meat from the freezer, and know what sides you will be making. This is going to stop you from eating out so much, thus saving a ton of money. It will also eliminate the need for daily shopping, which tends to happen if you don’t have a meal planned.
  2. Another thing to do is to make a monthly budget. Even if you don’t pay all of your bills just one time a month, writing it down (or using a program such as Microsoft Excel) is the best way to go. This is going to let you see exactly what you need to pay each month all in one place. Getting your bills organized is really the best way to start, so that you aren’t forgetting things. When doing a monthly budget, make sure you are putting EVERYTHING on there that gets paid out each month, no matter how small. For instance, I pay 99 cents to iCloud for storage each month, and I ensure it is on my written budget every month.
  3. Look into debt consolidation. There are many places such as Dune Ventures that can help you pay off your debt with a lower payment than you have currently. 

Dune Ventures offers a low interest consolidation loan to help you pay your debt off. This enables you to save money and lower your monthly payment. For instance, if you pay nearly $3,000 in credit card interest each year, you could cut that down to 1/10th of that amount! Dune Ventures has a convenient calculator on their website that allows you to estimate how much you could save each year.  Filling out the application is quick and easy, and you aren’t committing to anything by doing so. If you are in a tough place with your finances, check out Dune Ventures and see if it’s for you!

Majenica

"Time spent with cats is never wasted." ~ Sigmund Freud