What do chronic illness and living on a tight budget have to do with one another? Well, for one, many people with chronic conditions have had to cut back their working hours or leave the workforce altogether and go on disability. In most cases, this can make your budget pretty tight unless you have ample financial support from a partner or family.
And for those who are able to continue working with a chronic illness, their condition may impact the type of work they can do. That may mean no hustling for juicy salaries or putting in overtime to bring in the big bucks.
Demanding jobs may also be a no-no. From my personal experience, the highest-paying job I ever had was also the most draining. I felt as though my life force was being sucked out of me each day, and it was totally unsustainable. I didn’t have the energy or stamina to keep up, and sadly, the environment was pretty toxic for me.
But like many other people with chronic fatigue or other chronic conditions, I tried to tread water rather than admit I needed to get out of there. Thankfully, once COVID hit, that choice was made for me, so I didn’t have to do it myself.
I live on a smaller budget now, but I’m happier. And working from home has made it significantly easier to practice good self-care for chronic fatigue.
Of course, not every person with a chronic illness is living on a tight budget, but chances are the condition has impacted their finances in one way or another. And since my goal for this blog is to help make life with chronic illness feel a little better, I want to help myself and others enjoy a good quality of life despite any financial constraints.
1. Create a Budget
The first step to living on a tight budget with chronic illness is to create a budget. Now, I know there are some people out there who despise the word “budget.” I’m not saying it’s necessarily fun, but it is necessary. You need to know how much you have coming in and how much you have going out. Knowledge is indeed power in this situation.
There are plenty of budgeting apps out there, some with premium subscription options, but I prefer to just use the free version of EveryDollar. This app was created by Dave Ramsey, and if you’re familiar with him at all, you know he’s a popular budgeting guru with a tough-love approach to finances.
Love him or hate him, he tells it like it is, even though it may not be what we want to hear. Tracking my budget on the EveryDollar app helped me get a clear picture of where my money was going and made me think twice before making any unnecessary purchases (or “money leaks,” as I call them).
I like to exercise a bit more of a gentle approach than Dave because cutting all enjoyable things out of your life isn’t sustainable for most people. But I promise you, once you see all your expenses listed in one place, you may have an epiphany about what you really need in your life and what you don’t.
Using this app consistently since 2020 resulted in me finally having a paid-off car for the first time in 26 years. (I kid you not, the last car I owned outright was a 1986 Chrysler LeBaron.)
2. Track Your Expenses
The EveryDollar app makes it very easy to track your expenses and income. Everything is divided into categories, and you can create your own categories to customize your budget for your situation.
When you’re first starting out, you might not know how much to allot for each category. But as each month goes by, you’ll get a better feel for what amount is reasonable for your monthly budget in each category.
And if you get used to pulling up the app and adding in expenses or income as they come through, it’ll become like second nature to you.
3. Make Modifications as Needed
I consider my budget to be a living document because things can change at any time. (This is also why I prefer using a budgeting app over writing it out on paper—it’s much easier to make updates when it’s digital.)
Some expenses you cannot control might increase, such as rent or property tax. If your income hasn’t risen accordingly, you’ll need to reallocate funds from another area of your budget to help cover the additional cost.
Sometimes this is an easy fix, but sometimes not. It depends on how much wiggle room you have in your budget. You may also have to think hard about whether you can swap out some of your essentials for less expensive versions.
In my case, this prompted a recent Google search for “best budget mascaras.” Am I really going to miss having a $30 mascara? Not if I can find a $5 to $10 alternative that works just as well. (This Essence Lash Princess False Lash Effect Mascara is now on my Ulta wish list. It’s only $4.99…! If you’ve tried it, let me know if it’s any good.)
Balancing Quality of Life and a Tight Budget
The first thing to know: You don’t have to give up everything you love.
It’s really all about determining what is most important to you and what truly adds value to your life. For me, ditching the designer mascara even when it’s half price during Ulta’s Beauty Steals sale, and opting for a drugstore mascara adds a little extra money back to my budget that can be used to offset the monthly increase on my car insurance.
Some people choose to stop using makeup completely, saving them lots of money that can be used elsewhere. That’s not something I’m willing to do, although I’ve stopped wearing most makeup unless I’m going out or have a Zoom call scheduled to help my supply last longer. (I have rosacea, and going without makeup makes me feel incredibly self-conscious, which does impact my mental health and how I feel overall, so it’s worth it to me to designate some of my budget to makeup, although I’m looking for lower-cost swaps now.)
Your splurge may have nothing to do with makeup though. For example, my husband is hooked on Red Bull and other energy drinks. But he would purchase them while he’s out on the road at convenience stores, which are typically the most expensive places to buy them.
Instead of suggesting he cut out energy drinks completely, I encouraged him to purchase them by the case through a big box store like BJ’s. They’re $3.79 for a 12 oz can at Wawa but approximately $2.17 for the same size can when buying a case of 24 at BJ’s. That’s a savings of nearly $39, which covers our monthly gas bill. So he gets to have his Red Bull and cover a utility bill without having to make a single sacrifice.
It’s strategies like these that help me stretch a tight budget further. It may not sound like much, but every little bit adds up. That’s especially important in times when inflation is high and your fixed costs keep increasing.
You deserve to enjoy your life, even on a lower income.
Take a look at areas of your budget where you may be spending more on items that don’t add value to your life and can be replaced by cheaper alternatives or purchased in bulk at a lower unit price.
And if you’ve just got to have that Too Faced mascara because it’s the only one that makes your lashes pop, at least wait until it’s on sale for half price and stock up. Then, look for another area of your budget where you can cut back on something else.
This Is Just the Beginning
There’s so much more I could say about living on a tight budget with a chronic illness, but I’ll cover more in future posts. It’s best to take in information in bite-size chunks and give yourself time to apply what you’ve learned to your life.
If you’re new to budgeting, check out the EveryDollar app or another free budgeting app like Goodbudget to help you get started. If you find yourself getting overwhelmed during the process, take a break and come back to it a little later. It can take time to get used to budgeting and tracking your expenses, but it will serve you well and help alleviate the financial anxiety that comes when you don’t know what your money’s doing.
And if you have any other tips for living on a tight budget, I’d love to hear them!
