I have no money for groceries — where do I start?

If there’s little or no food and no money coming in for a few days, there are two tracks to run at the same time: get food now, and stretch what you can.

Get food now. Food banks and pantries exist for exactly this week, and using them is smart, not shameful — they’re stocked by people who want them used. The Feeding America locator finds one near you, and a call to 211 points you to pantries, hot-meal sites, and, if you have kids, school and summer meal programs. If you’re on a low income, applying for SNAP is worth it even though the benefits take a little while to arrive — it’s help you’re entitled to.

Stretch what you have. Once there’s food in the house, a few cheap, filling staples — rice, beans, eggs, oats, frozen veg — go further than they look, especially with one flavor you actually like so meals don’t feel like a punishment.

The thing worth remembering: reaching for help early tends to free up money you need for other bills this week. That’s not falling behind — that’s using the safety net the way it’s meant to work.