don t be afraid to request bill extensions or payment plans from creditors skipping or delaying payments only worsens your debt and late fees ding your credit score 
go over all your bills to see what can and should be paid first prioritize those that are late and then set up a payment schedule based on your paydays call the bill companies to see how much you can pay now to get back on track toward a positive status explain that you are taking strict measures to catch up be forthright about the amount you can afford to pay now don t just promise to pay the full amount later stashing 10 of your income into your savings account is daunting or impossible when you re living paycheck to paycheck it doesn t make sense to have 100 in a savings plan if you are fending off debt collectors your savings can wait until you can reclaim financial stability to fix your finances you need to get a handle on your outlay first online banking and online budgeting software can help you categorize spending so you can make adjustments many people find that just by looking at aggregate figures for discretionary expenses they are spurred to reduce excessive spending hopefully your budget has given you a sense of where your money goes now it s time to tighten up start cutting back on items that you wouldn t miss change habits that are costing you like letting food spoil before you can eat it prepare meals at home instead of going to restaurants or getting takeout you may be able to reduce some expenses that you shouldn t drop for example you might be able to lower your auto insurance premium by switching carriers those ultra high interest rates on your credit cards aren t fixed in stone call the card company and ask for a reduction in the annual percentage rates apr if you have a good payment record your request might be approved this won t lower your outstanding balance but it will keep it from mushrooming as fast once you ve gone through these steps monitor your progress for a few months you can do this by writing everything you spend in a notebook with budgeting apps on your phone or with the software you may already use for your budget ensure that every cent is accounted for fine tune and adjust your spending as needed after each month this not only can help get you out of financial trouble it also can put the spotlight back on the importance of your budget for the time being saving and investing is out but consider ways to increase your earnings working overtime getting a second job or picking up some freelance work 