The purpose of the following information is to help you get through a money crisis. There are a number of steps that you need to take. This is the best information we have, but if you have additional or better information, please let us know by Contacting Us. Women in crisis ALWAYS know more than they think they know. You can help each other solve problems, even when you are in crisis.

Women in a money crisis need a lot of emotional and social support. The crisis feels much worse if you try to get through it by yourself, so don't do that. Tell your family and /or your friends. If you don't have family or friends nearby go to a community mental health center and talk to a counselor. The counselor will help you make a plan, and you will only have to pay what you can afford to pay. Tell your church group. If you don't go to church, or if members are not providing the kind of help that you need, find a support group at the YWCA, the Senior Citizens Center, or a Women's Resource Center. There is a lot of comfort in learning that you are not the only one in crisis, and that there are others who have actually survived a crisis as big as yours.

Women who are trying to survive a money crisis must be SOBER. That means if you have a substance addiction (alcohol, illegal drug or prescription drug) or a process addiction (sex, gambling, or "love"), you will not be able to pull together the energy and focus to solve the money problem. Every community has self-help and provider-sponsored groups to help you to get SOBER. Go do that and then come back to this page to find help with the money crisis.

Some women are in a money crisis because no one ever taught them how to budget their money, or they have never had enough income to make ends meet. Others get into a money crisis because they expect someone else to take care of them. There are many messages in the culture that build and reinforce that expectation. Some of the messages are:

• A prince will come along on a white horse and take you, the princess, away to live happily ever after

• A kind and loving man will marry and take care of you

• Your wonderful husband will outlive you, and you will be taken care of until you die

• Your boss will see how valuable you are and will pay you what you are worth

• The government will take care of you

There are several problems with these expectations. For most women, they are illusions - a figment of their imaginations:

• The Cinderella story is a beautiful fairy tale, but it is a myth

• There is no guarantee that the man you choose will be kind and loving

• Women outlive men by an average of 5 years

• Women's incomes are falling, not rising, compared to men's who are doing similar work

• The government withdrew its guaranteed care with the Welfare Reform Bill

If your expectations led you to a violent partner, and you and your children are still in danger, your biggest priority is to develop a plan that will help you to escape the danger. Click here to see Personal Safety Resources.

Women are sometimes hesitant to take risks and that reluctance leads many to put off taking responsibility for their lives. Others maintain an optimism that makes them deny their reality and keeps them from facing the seriousness of their situations. If you are in a money crisis, eventually you will be forced to acknowledge how bad your circumstances are. When that happens, there are a number of steps you must take to stabilize your situation. The following Steps may help you to take charge of your life.