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I may not make this month’s bills

Last reviewed September 29, 2026 · 30–45 minutes today

Who this is for. Adults in the United States who already know this month’s money may not cover every bill.
Who should skip this. People whose bills are current and who only need a buffer or interest explanation.

What this page is for

This is a path for *this month*, not a plan for the rest of your financial life.

The job is narrower than “get out of debt.” It is: keep shelter, power, food, medicine, and the ability to earn a paycheck, then decide what can wait.

You are still responsible for every bill. When the cash is not enough for every bill on time, the order you pay in changes the damage. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s *Your Money, Your Goals* materials treat that as a tradeoff you weigh, not as a slogan.

FourHundred does not know your lease, your state shutoff rules, or your court dates. If eviction, foreclosure, utility shutoff, repossession, or a lawsuit is already in motion, use the official links below and get a person — legal aid, a housing counselor, or 211 — the same day.

Do this first (10 minutes)

Sit down with this month only. Ignore next quarter.

Write four lines:

  1. Cash and money that will actually arrive before the next due date: $____
  2. Bills already due or due in the next 14 days
  3. Which of those bills, if unpaid, would take housing, heat/cooling/water, medicine, or the way you get to work
  4. Any letter that mentions eviction, foreclosure, shutoff, repossession, wage garnishment, or a court date

If line 4 is not empty, that item jumps the list. A notice with a deadline beats a clean theory of “what people should pay first.”

A working order when cash cannot cover everything

Use this as a starting order. Then change it if a notice, a state rule, or a court order says otherwise.

Protect first

  1. Housing — rent or mortgage, and the insurance or taxes that keep the home
  2. Essential utilities — electricity, gas, heat, water
  3. Food and required medicine
  4. Transport and insurance required to keep a job or required medical care
  5. Court-ordered payments such as child support, and tax debts that already have enforcement

Keep current if anything is left

  1. Minimum payments on accounts that are still open and not in collections, so late fees and penalty rates do not stack this month

Usually later than the list above

  1. Extra payments on credit cards or personal loans
  2. Subscriptions, nonessential apps, and anything that can be paused without losing housing, work, or medicine

This order is about *consequences this month*, not about which company called most often. A collector can sound urgent. An eviction notice is a different category.

CFPB’s prioritizing-bills tool asks you to weigh job needs, insurance, housing, and other debts separately. If losing the car means losing the job that pays the rent, the car-related bill may need to sit higher than an otherwise similar loan. Write that exception on the page. Do not let a phone call write it for you.

What to do with each unpaid bill (20 minutes)

For every bill you cannot pay in full this week:

  1. Call or write the landlord, servicer, or company before the due date if you still can.
  2. Say the month is short, name an amount you can actually send, and ask what hardship, extension, or arrangement exists.
  3. Write down the date, the name, the amount you offered, and what they said.
  4. Do not promise an amount that would bounce rent or a required minimum somewhere else.
  5. Do not give a one-time debit authorization if you do not understand when it will hit.

Housing help and utility help are local. CFPB points renters to local organizations and to 211. Energy help often starts at the local LIHEAP office or the National Energy Assistance Referral line, 866-674-6327. Assistance can take weeks. If shutoff or eviction is close, say that in the first sentence of the call.

If someone is collecting overdue rent or utilities, they may be a debt collector under federal law. That does not make the debt disappear. It does change what they may say and when they may call. Use CFPB’s collector pages before you argue on the phone.

What not to do this month

How this connects to the rest of FourHundred

After this month’s housing and utilities are handled, or after you have a written arrangement:

If the problem is not “this month” but “the balance never falls,” leave this page and open the Playbook.

If the problem is already collections, lawsuits, or wage garnishment, this page is only a bridge. Use CFPB’s debt-collection and credit-counseling pages and, if needed, legal aid.

Next action (today)

Finish one list with three columns:

BillDueThis month I will
Pay in full / pay $____ and call / skip and call

Send or schedule the first “protect first” payment that is still possible. Make the first call on the first unpaid essential bill. Put the 211 number or your utility hardship number in the same note.

That is the whole assignment for today.

Official places to go

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/housing/housing-insecurity/help-for-renters/get-help-paying-rent-and-bills/

https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/documents/cfpb_your-money-your-goals_prioritizing-bills_tool.pdf

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tools/your-money-your-goals/

https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/tools-to-help-pay-bills/

A HUD-approved housing counselor or a legal-aid office is the right next human if a notice already names a court or a lockout date. FourHundred does not assign counselors and does not take a cut from referrals.

FourHundred is an education tool. It is not personalized financial, tax, or legal advice. This page does not tell you which specific bill to skip in your household. It gives an order for weighing consequences and points to official tools.