We’ve all been there, scrambling at the end of the month to make ends meet, pay bills, put gas in the car, buy groceries, and generally provide for our families. When payday doesn’t come soon enough, this period can be a time of immense anxiety and uncertainty on how to survive.

Whether you get paid quarterly, monthly, biweekly, or weekly, financial demands can spring up at any time. Unfortunately, many misfortunes may be entirely out of your hands: a big deductible payment after your car gets vandalized. A washing machine that unexpectedly decides to quit working. An ill family member or religious, cultural, or community obligation.