Survive, Adapt, and Thrive
Welcome to Goodbudget 911: Crash Course. It’s very possible you’re here not because you want to be, but because something is forcing you to make emergency changes to your budget. That might be a pay cut, a job loss, or a hefty medical bill that needs to be paid soon. Whatever that thing is, it’s shaking your foundation. You might be thinking, “How can I get food on the table? How can we pay bills this month?”
It makes sense to ask these questions. More importantly, it’s okay (and even good!) to acknowledge that a situation like that can be overwhelming and even scary.
You might be in survival mode right now, and that’s okay! This course is all about helping you find your footing in the short term so you can adapt to your new situation and even thrive down the road.
You’ll walk through three distinct stages in this course, and each stage contains two parts. The first part of each stage tells the story of a fictional family who have also hit a bump in their financial road. You’ll see how they:
- Survive the start of their crisis by making a plan to help them pay bills on time and put food on the table.
- Adapt to their situation by developing a lean budget and making other habit changes. They figure out how to pay for necessities indefinitely while also building an emergency fund to shield them from future financial emergencies.
- Thrive, or at least hope to thrive, in the long term by creating a plan for when their next normal starts.
The second part of each stage contains homework: you’ll take what you’ve learned from the fictional family and apply it to your own situation.
Tell us in the comments below
- What are you eager to learn about in this course?
- When are you planning to do the homework?
P.S. If you’re not in the midst of an emergency, but you’re struggling to get ahead because you’re living paycheck to paycheck, GB 30: Break the Cycle might be a better fit. In that course, you’ll spend 30 days working to boost savings and begin building a one-month cushion so you can break the paycheck to paycheck cycle for good.
62 thoughts on “Welcome to Goodbudget 911: Crash Course”
My wife had a severe illness and may no longer able to work. We are deeply in debt and i need all the help i can get.
Adult grandson had to move in with me,causing many extra expenses so he could get a job. One seemed promising but didn’t work out after two months. Things are getting hairy, moneywise.
Eager to learn where most effective cuts can be made, how to prioritize. I am retired.
Had to file bankruptcy because of my ignorance with finances. I am grateful that I am able to pay my debtors back, and I am struggling to survive. I am going to do the assignments every evening.
I have worked for myself for so long and I am fed up with the struggle and the terror when I can’t meet an important bill on time. I need to build a buffer and a plan and do this right for once and to ensure a safe future. My timetable is flexible so I plan to do this in free hours and on my days off.
To deal with the loss of employment
I am eager to learn how to survive financially. I am planning to do the homework on Wednesdays and Fridays in the morning after breakfast.
I’m intentional learning doing a balanced budget for all seasons. Currently no job and it’s never too late to make amends.
I plan to work on the assignments in the early morning or on Sundays. I am a big spender and a low earner. I need to save money going forward.