What To Do When You Can’t Pay Your Bills (3 Tips)


what to do when you cant pay your bills
i can't pay my bills this month
moerschy / Pixabay

It’s something that no one likes to think they’ll ever be faced with, but the sheer reality of things is that we never know what could happen. You might be financially stable right now, but should unforeseen circumstance come up in the future, you could be left with no money and no way to pay your bills. Being a prepper is about being prepared for all things, and this is one area that often gets overlooked. So, let’s talk about what to do when you can’t pay your bills.

No one knows what the future holds. Maybe you’ll be faced with huge medical bills. Perhaps your identity will get stolen. Whatever the case is, you could end up at a point in life when you have no money to pay bills and no idea where to go from there.

This is an admittedly scary situation to think about yourself being in, and while it is serious, that doesn’t mean you’re totally out of options. A prepper needs to be prepared for anything and everything, so let’s talk about how to pay bills with no money.

1) Keep a roof over your head

First and foremost, no matter how many different bills you might be faced with, the most important thing that you can do is to keep a roof over your head. Whether you’re living on your own or have a family, keeping hold of your home/apartment is critical.

If you’re someone that’s renting, whether it be a house or apartment and your rent isn’t too expensive, keep paying that bill so you can stay where you are. You could move to another apartment that’s less expensive, but your upfront cost for moving will likely be very costly.

Don’t rent and own your own house? This is where things can be a bit tricky. Property taxes and insurance for your house are a part of your mortgage, and if money stops going to any of these things, a foreclosure will happen.

Alright, so let’s say that you can’t pay your mortgage, insurance, or property taxes – what’ll happen then? A foreclosure is in your future, but this won’t happen immediately. It takes time for foreclosures to fully give through, and this means that you have some time to think about what your next step are.

If you have any money coming in, start setting it aside for funds you’ll be able to put towards wherever you go to live next. Maybe you’ll find a place you can rent out, or you might even use it as money you could give to a friend or family member that will let you crash at their place while you work on getting back up on your feet.

Saving money is very difficult in a situation like this, but it’s going to be essential to do so if you want to keep yourself from going homeless.

2) Don’t let yourself go hungry

Just like a shelter, food is also something that can’t be ignored. You need to eat. If you don’t eat, you’ll get sick. If you get sick, the situation you’re in is going to get even worse than it already is.

Going to eat out at fast-food restaurants might seem like the best, cheap way to go, but this isn’t good. To make sure you fill your body with the energy and nutrients it needs, you’ll want to cook your meals from scratch. You don’t want to get too fancy, but you want to make sure you’re cooking your own meals.

Don’t know where to start? Pick up some beans and rice and stick with that for a while. It may not be all that spectacular, but there are two foods that are cheap and filling that’ll keep you going while you focus on managing your other matters at hand.

Save any and all leftovers that you have to make sure you’re not wasting the limited supplies you have, ever skip out on meals, and if you find yourself in a truly desperate situation, there’s never any shame in going to a food bank. Food banks exist for a reason, and if you need to go to one, don’t second guess it.

You’ll want to try and provide for yourself as much as possible, but should it come to it, swallow your pride and get a free meal from people that are willing to help.

3) Tend to utilities

If you’ve got your shelter and food situation under control, your next step is to try and pay for any utilities that you absolutely have to have.

You can keep your utility bills quite low if you’re savvy with how you use them, and while this will cause you to change your lifestyle, it’s a move that you’ll need to make if you really want to make the best of where you’ve found yourself.

Utilities are essential for cooking, keeping food fresh, having access to drinking water, cleaning your body, and so much more.

If you’re not able to pay you bill in full, get in touch with the company managing your utilities and inquire about making payments in little chunks. Most companies have programs like this, so take advantage of them if they’re there.

In addition to this, don’t forget about alternative utility solutions – such as wood heat and water from a hand-pumped well. Not everyone will have access to these things, but if you do, you can absolutely use them in place of being connected to a utility business. It may not be the norm, but it is an option you have available to you.

Final Thoughts

You may not know what to do when you can’t pay your bills at first, but with some careful thinking and planning, you can make progress and get by while going through whatever situation you’re in. There’s always an option available to you no matter what, and while you may have to get savvy and be creative, that’s all part of being a prepper.

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