You need to buy food, pay taxi fare, pay off a loan, and find money for your sister’s or your child’s school fees. You don’t know where you are going to find the money, and it is keeping you awake at night.

In fact, you’ve been having headaches, stomach pains and you’ve been feeling very stressed and anxious. And the more you think about it, the more worried you get. You cannot see a way out. How are you going to choose how you are going to spend the money you do have, even if it is not enough for everything?

On the 6th of October it is World Financial Planning Day. And while planning might not provide you with more cash immediately, it can help you to make sure that you do spend the funds you have on the things which are most important – especially if you are living on a SASSA grant, or receiving a child grant.  It can also get you thinking on what you can do to make a bit of extra money.

If you’re really struggling, it may help to know that you are not alone. Almost two out of every three fellow South Africans between the ages of 15 and 24 are unemployed according to Stats SA in June 2022. This includes graduates, school leavers, people who have not completed school, for whatever reason, young people looking for work, and those who have stopped looking for work.

Signs that you may be anxious or depressed

Not having enough money can make you feel very stressed, and possibly also unable to do anything to change your situation.

According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group, signs of depression and anxiety can include the following:

  • Feeling restless, and unable to concentrate
  • Having negative thoughts and feeling like a failure
  • Feeling sad, miserable, frustrated, overwhelmed
  • Difficulty sleeping, sick and run down, stomach pains, headaches, no appetite

While everyone feels these things from time to time, the difference comes in when you are feeling like that almost all the time. And, if your funds are low, it’s not always easy to find help, or pay for a doctor’s visit. You may have to wait a long time, but try the local clinic anyway – at least it won’t cost you money.

Here are some quick tips that might help you to feel better, and give you some ideas on what you can do.

  • Speak to someone you trust about how you are feeling.
  • Get out, go for a walk, and get some exercise, or play some sport.
  • Think of something people need in your area, and see whether you can provide a service of some sort – it might bring in a bit of extra cash.
  • Tell everyone you know that you are available and looking for any sort of work – and take whatever you can find, even if it is not exactly what you are looking for. Experience is never lost, and one thing might lead to other opportunities. Don’t give up.
  • Even if the pay is not much, it will be more than you would have made if you just stayed at home.
  • Sit down and spend time with friends or family – perhaps over a meal.
  • Find out about free courses you could do, or volunteer work (while you might not earn anything, you will get some experience).
  • Join the library, and read a book.
  • Everybody likes nice clothes or a new phone, but it will stress you out even more if you spend your money on these things, and then having nothing left for food or transport or airtime.
  • Make a budget, and write down what the most essential expenses are.

If you can save even R200, it helps to know that in a real crisis you can use this money. You can open a low-fee bank account that will cost you almost nothing. Keep the money in there- if you have it on you, it is too easy to spend.