In its simplest terms, “struggling” is the inability to pay your bills. Every month you have more month than money, and you get further behind as time passes. It’s as if you have to bring your family water from the river, but there is a hole in your bucket, and by the time you get home, the water is gone. Here’s an example of this situation: one of our clients doesn’t have anything left over when she finishes paying for rent, utilities, food, and groceries. When her car breaks down, she puts the expense on a credit card, and when that is maxed out, she borrows from friends and family. She is constantly in a crisis mode.
The key goal in the struggling stage is to find a way to stop the financial bleeding. You need to plug the hole in the bucket so that it can actually carry the water home to your family.
At this stage, focus on the following things:
- Find sources of income
- Get a budget
- Cut your spending
- Do G.O.O.D. (Get Out Of Debt)