4 Tips For Getting By When Money Is Tight

Most people experience periods of money being tighter than usual sometimes.  Whether you’ve hit an unexpected expense, lost your job, or perhaps your bills have increased, there are all sorts of reasons why you may have less money at your disposal.

While a lot of people find themselves panicking during moments like these, it’s important to stay calm and get resourceful.  Setbacks are often a part of life and an excellent opportunity to learn a new lesson. Here are some of the best ways to make it through when money is tight and seeing things through to better times.

Always Have Savings

One of the best ways to prepare for periods of money being tight is to save money aside each month.  Having a nice bit of financial padding will ensure that you have money to draw from for emergencies.

You never know when things may pop up which you need to purchase.  Whether you have to buy supplies for your well-being or your car breaks down, knowing you have money to draw from alleviates a considerable amount of stress.  

Even though it may seem like a stretch to imagine putting away savings each month, doing it in small increments can make it feel like you didn’t lose anything at all from your paycheck. Putting away as little as $50 a month can have a big pay off after a few years.

Create a Strict Budget

When your finances are running thin, it’s time to get strict and create guidelines for your spending habits.

Creating a spreadsheet is an excellent way to set boundaries for yourself so that you avoid overspending.  Since you’ll have a strict amount of money that you can spend on each area of your life, you’ll be able to comfortably cover your basic needs while eliminating frivolous luxuries.

Bring In Extra Income

If your current income isn’t providing enough for your expenses, then you should start looking for ways to bring in supplemental money.

Try looking for part-time work which allow flexibility.  Although it may not be a realistic long-term plan for your schedule, working overtime can often get you through difficult financial periods.

Use Cash Back Rewards

When you don’t have a lot of money on hand, it may be time to start looking at all of your cash rewards programs that you’ve signed up for over the last few years.

Try to cash in on whatever you can find from grocery store cash back to credit card rewards. Use these funds to pay for things rather than using your limited resources. You may be surprised to find that you have more cash back rewards than you realized.

That’s why if you haven’t already signed up for rewards programs, you should do so immediately so that you can save them for a day you may really need it.