Make Money

9 Things To Do If You’re Barely Scraping By Financially

millennial woman with tattoos writing note
Last updated March 28, 2026 | By FinanceBuzz Editors

You've got just enough money in your bank account to last until Friday … but then Monday rolls around, and you're in the same situation. Again.

Food. Bills. Rent. Gas. They dry up every bit of your take-home pay. 

But it doesn't have to be this hard. With a few smart moves, you could supplement your income — without doing much extra "work," or even getting a side job!

Here's what to do:

Get out of $20,000 or more in credit card debt

If you have a lot of debt, getting out of it can feel stressful (and nearly impossible). Here’s the problem: the longer you put off tackling it, the harder it gets to fix. If you don’t take control of it early on, it can add undue stress to your life for years. But what if there was a way to get out of debt once and for all?

TurboDebt1can help. If you have more than $20,000 in debt from credit cards, medical bills, collections, or personal loans, their representatives might be able to assist you in consolidating your debt into one low monthly payment.

Best of all? There are zero fees until your debt is resolved, and you could be debt-free in as little as 24-48 months. To get started, just answer a few simple questions. It only takes 30 seconds to see if you qualify!

Try TurboDebt

Set up direct deposit and complete qualifying activities - pocket $400

If you aren't banking with Truist, you're missing out on a boost of extra cash just by following a few simple steps.

Earn a bonus of $400 after you open a new Truist One Checking account online between March 26, 2026 and July 9, 2026 using promo code AFL400TR1Q226.2To earn the $400 bonus, your account needs to receive at least 2 qualifying direct deposits totaling $2,000 or more and complete 20 qualifying debit card purchase transactions within 120 days of account opening. The reward will be deposited to the new checking account within 4 weeks after the qualification requirements have been met and verified. Terms apply.

This is a great way to supercharge your earnings. It basically takes no extra work at all other than following the steps above. Plus, your new account offers benefits like no overdraft fee and options to avoid a monthly maintenance fee on top of the bonus.

Open your account and earn a $400 bonus

Access up to $500 without interest or late fees

If you need a few dollars in between paychecks, a little daily cushion can go a long way.

The Cleo app lets you access up to $5003 — and won’t charge you any interest fees to do so. You’ll need to pay it back, but you get to set your own repayment date, giving you up to four weeks to use the cash for whatever you need.

Download Cleo to get started. Then link your bank account and get instant access to features like budgeting and automatic saving.

Now, you do need a paid subscription to use the cash advance feature, which starts at $5.99 a month. But if Cleo can help you avoid costly overdraft fees, it's more than worth it. The best news? There is no credit check, no interest, and no late fees.

Get started with Cleo here

O&O Auto Insurance
  • You could save up to $600 with some companies
  • Compare dozens of providers in under 5 minutes
  • Fast, free and easy way to shop for insurance
  • Quickly find the best option for you