Everyday money: United States.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United Kingdom · Canada · Australia.

Moraph for Good · Fluent

Everyday money: United States

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/fluent/everyday-money

This sheet goes with the Everyday money session. It is general information, not advice about your own situation.

A budget that survives a real month

Write down what comes in and the date it arrives.
List the bills that can’t move, next to their due dates, and match each to a payday.
Add up the costs that don’t come every month, divide by 12, and set that aside monthly.
Check once a week, so a bad week can be fixed before the month is lost.

When income goes up and down

Plan on a lower month, not an average one.
Keep a holding pot and pay yourself a steady amount from it.
Pay housing, power, food and getting to work first, and call before you miss a payment.

Starting an emergency fund

Start small and make it automatic on payday.
Keep it separate from everyday spending, somewhere protected.
Use it for real emergencies, then refill it.

If the month doesn’t add up

Free, confidential help with bills and debt exists; see below.
Nobody needs to charge you to deal with your creditors or apply for help.
Ask companies about hardship plans before you fall behind.

In the United States

Free money tools from the CFPB. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau publishes Your Money, Your Goals, a free set of tools for organizations that help people with money. The materials can be downloaded and printed as handouts.
Building an emergency fund. The CFPB’s guide to building an emergency fund covers how much to aim for, how to build it and where to keep it. It suggests setting up automatic recurring transfers from checking to savings.
Insured savings. Deposits are automatically insured to at least $250,000 at each FDIC-insured bank. Members of a federally insured credit union have at least $250,000 in coverage through the NCUA. You can check a bank with the FDIC’s BankFind tool.
Money left in a payment app. The CFPB says FDIC insurance generally does not apply to money that sits in a payment app unless you have signed up for additional services. It suggests moving money you receive into an insured bank or credit union account promptly.

Official places to check:

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/educator-tool/your-money-your-goals
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: www.consumerfinance.gov/an-essential-guide-to-building-an-emergency-fund
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation: www.fdic.gov/resources/deposit-insurance
National Credit Union Administration: mycreditunion.gov/protect-your-money/share-insurance
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/is-the-money-i-keep-in-my-payment-app-safe-en-2135

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 19 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/fluent/everyday-money