You looked in your vehicle for spare change, you checked the couch cushions and even looked through the clothes in the dirty laundry for some of that elusive change, but sadly, you found none. Now you're seriously broke, and it aint no joke!
Now, people might be advising you to budget, or maybe to keep better track of where you spend your money, which is some very sound advice. You thank them for their advice, but you're probably thinking "A lot of good that does me now, when I'm broke."
When some people find themselves flat broke, it usually isn't due to bad budgeting, but rather some type of emergency that came up and you needed what little money you had left to take care of it. There's a wide range of other reasons that can cause you to be broke, but deciding how bad it really is will help you in deciding what to do about it. But rest assured, there's a remedy for every situation.
Here's some ideas to ponder for the different severities of brokenness.
No money for food -
Even though you can't afford to buy more food, if you have any food in your house at all, you might be surprised at what you can still make. One of my favorite sites to help me conjure up a meal, is "All Recipes." They have a handy gadget where you can type in what food you have/want, and it will give you a list of recipes that include those ingredients. Here's the direct link to that page - http://allrecipes.com/Search/Ingredients.aspx.
If you have absolutely no food, you can look up different food banks in your area. They are a wonderful resource for desperate situations. There's also church groups, social service organizations and even your community Health and Welfare Services Office can help you find some immediate help.
No money for bills -
This can be a tough one, but not impossible to overcome. Hopefully, before you found yourself broke, you were able to pay your bills up to current. If you need help with next months bills, you can talk to whoever you owe the bills to and work out some type of future payment arrangements.
With some utility companies, they have help such as energy assistance programs. Again, check with your social service organizations and explain your circumstances so they can point you in the right direction for the type of help that you need. If your bills are past due, or otherwise in serious need of payments, your community Health and Welfare Office can be a huge help here as well.
Never be afraid, or ashamed to ask for help. We all need a helping hand at some point in our lives. You might also be surprised at how many helpful resources you have available in your area.
No money for gas -
This can either be a small annoyance or a major problem, depending on your circumstances. If you need the gas for work, but yet you live too far away to ride a bike or simply walk, you might try explaining the problem to your boss and he/she might have some resources available that will help you. They may be able to get you a bus pass, find a co-worker with whom you could ride, or give you an advance on your check.
Depending on your job, it could also be possible that you can work from home, at least for the time being. If your company has a website, or is involved with clerical work, you might be able to do your work at your computer. You could even have calls routed to your home line, or take care of other types of business responsibilities from home. It never hurts to ask.
No money for entertainment -
The first solution I usually see offered here is to check out movies or such from your public library. This is great advice too, unless your out of gas and can't drive there, you don't live close enough to bike there, or walk, or you simply don't have that option because of no library in your area, or they don't even have movies for that matter.
If you do have a library option, then definitely consider it. You might just find something you really like, or at least something that will take your mind off of how broke you are. The library might just have something that you didn't know was there and you might just be (imagine this) entertained.
You can also download free movies from your computer, but there's more entertainment you can enjoy other than movies. There's always your television which can be pretty entertaining, or you can simply read more, play games, go for walks, feed some birds, the list can go on and on, literally. Use your imagination, but if all else fails, look around your house. You could re-arrange your furniture, clean, or hey, how about trimming your bushes to look like animals. Just because your broke doesn't mean you can't have fun and maybe even laugh about it.
No money for "other things" -
Laundry - This is a great time to do laundry just like those good ole' days, as in by hand. Don't faint. It really isn't that hard, I've done it too in the past. Just fill up your sink with laundry soap (and yes, water), flex your fingers and start scrubbing away, then rinse, wring out the clothes and hang them to dry. If you don't have a clothes line outside, or a clothes rack inside, just hang them wherever you can (they will drip too, so make sure you hang them somewhere accordingly, or put something underneath them). If you have an iron, you can iron them dry, or you can wring them out in a towel too, to help get out as much water as you can.
Cigarettes - This is a great time to quit.
Alcohol - This is a great time to quit.
Pet Food - If you have a pet that can eat scraps of people food, this could help for the time being. Just remember no sugar additives, since this can contribute to worms in a pets intestines. If this isn't feasible though, you can ask for help from some of your local animal shelters. Depending on the type of pet you have, you can search the internet for ideas on alternative foods.
I hope this helped to give some ideas as to what you can do. Just never be afraid, ashamed about asking for a helping hand. Most of us find ourselves struggling at some point in our lives, so you are definitely not alone. It might be easier said than done, but try not to stress over your situation. Laughter is the best medicine (and stress reliever), so if you can't change the situation you're in, at least at the moment, you may as well have fun with it.
Last but not least, here's some various helpful links.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
http://www.hhs.gov/
U.S. Department of Energy
http://www.doe.gov/
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
http://www.hud.gov/
USA Government Benefits, Grants, and Financial Aid
http://www.usa.gov/Citizen/Topics/Benefits.shtml
United Way 211 Help Line
http://www.211.org/
Salvation Army
http://www.salvationarmyusa.org/usn/www_usn_2.nsf
TEFAP - The Emergency Food Assistance Program
http://www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/tefap/
Modest Needs Organization
http://www.modestneeds.org/