Not enough money to pay everything this month

I am behind on bills. What should I pay first?

Pay in this order: housing, utilities, food, and what you need to keep working, like your car or phone. Then loans where they can take the thing back, like a car loan, then everything else. Order bills by what happens if you miss them, not by who calls the most. Then call the rest and ask for a payment plan.

Rank by consequence, not by pressure

The bill that calls most often is not always the one that matters most. Ask what happens if each one goes unpaid. Losing your home or your way to work is far worse than a late fee on a card.

Keep the roof and the lights first

Rent or mortgage, then power, heat and water. These keep you housed and safe, and catching up on them later is usually harder and more expensive.

Then what keeps you earning

Car payment, insurance, transit pass, phone. If you lose the means to get to work, the other bills get much harder to pay.

Then the rest, at the minimum

Credit cards, personal loans and medical bills come after. Pay the minimum where you can and call to explain where you cannot. A missed card payment is costly but recoverable.

Ask for a payment plan

Most companies would rather agree a plan than chase you. Call, say what you can pay and when, and ask for it in writing. Calling before the due date gives you more options.

Questions people ask next

Should I pay rent or my credit card?

Rent, in almost every case. A missed card payment is expensive but recoverable. Losing your housing is much harder to undo.

Will a debt collector take my home?

A credit card company usually cannot take your home without a long court process, and the rules depend on where you live. A nonprofit credit counsellor or legal clinic can tell you your rights for free.

What if I am behind on rent already?

Talk to your landlord now and offer a written plan. Emergency rent help exists in many places, and in Canada and the US dialling 211 can tell you what is available locally.

If this is your situation

Run it against your own numbers

Everything above is the shape of the decision. What it cannot do is use your figures. You narrow four ways out to the one that fits you, then turn it into three moves in the order they work: free, and yours to keep.

Show me which way

Free. No card, and no account to begin.

This is general information about how these decisions work, not financial, legal or tax advice. Check the numbers against your own situation before you act.