Living paycheck to paycheck can be a stressful way to live, especially when your income is low. It means stretching every penny to make sure there’s a roof over your head, food on the table, and clothes on your back. With the cost of living rising faster, the effects of slim budgeting from month to month amplifies. Anxiety begins to set in when difficult choices must be made between basic needs. Depression may arise when your hopes of getting ahead get dimmer with every expense.
Dealing with the anxiety caused by living on low income can become a daily struggle. While working, you realize that the amount of effort you give doesn’t equate to the amount of pay you receive. Paydays don’t elicit joy at all. You know that as soon as you receive your paycheck or the direct deposit hits your bank account that the funds are already allotted for expenses. There will be little remaining to indulge in your wants. There may even be little to buy quality foods or clothing. Hopefully, you can still keep your utility service.
Monthly bills accumulate due to living on low income. Instead of paying expenses in full, you may likely begin to make partial payments. Living this way, you always tend to keep a running balance with your utilities’ accounts. Running balances have an adverse affect on credit, another likely victim of living on low income. Credit scores tend to get worse as debt mounts due to getting behind on payments. Suddenly, acquiring things like a car or even a home become all the more difficult. Thoughts of not being able to climb out of the hole you’ve created from living on a low income will make you all the more anxious.
The good news is all is not lost. Know in your heart that God will provide. Keep your faith in Him and His strength. He knows your needs and will take care of them in due time. Also, always believe that living on low income is only temporary. We all have to start somewhere. It may not seem worth it now, but continue to work hard and your effort will be rewarded. In the midst of the struggle, it is difficult to see the end. Strive for forward progress in all that you do. You will appreciate your gains even more when you receive them. God Bless and keep your head up.