Budgeting & Emergency Planning for Real Life

Welcome to the second installment of Everyday Money Skills: A Community Series, led by Michele Montas. This series is designed to reduce financial stress, build confidence, and provide realistic tools that reflect how people actually live and work in Downeast Maine. Financial health is a critical, often-overlooked part of overall well-being. This program approaches money without judgment or assumptions, recognizing that people’s financial difficulties are shaped by more than personal decisions. Participants are welcome to attend the entire series or hop in just for the programs that appeal to them! For more information, reach out to Lizzie at lizzie@whrl.org or by phone at 413-717-7827.

Interested in attending more programs in this series? Here is the full list of upcoming programs, all of which take place on Mondays from 6-7:30 pm:

• April 20: Debt – Avoiding Traps & Making a Plan
• April 27: Credit & Savings – Making Money Work for You
• May 4: Local, State & Federal Financial Resources
• May 11: Taxes, Retirement & Investing – The Basics

This program’s focus will be on practical budgeting and planning for low, variable, and seasonal incomes, including what to do when things go wrong.

Why This Matters
In Downeast Maine, financial stress often comes not from everyday expenses, but from unexpected events: car repairs, heating emergencies, medical bills, or sudden changes in work. Emergency planning is about preparation and options, not perfection.

Topics Covered

• Budgeting Fundamentals
  • Budgeting with different income levels
  • Needs vs. wants (without judgment)
  • Micro-goals: small changes that actually stick
  • Prioritizing bills when money is tight
• Local Lens
  • Seasonal fishing, agriculture, tourism, caregiving, and service work in Downeast Maine
  • Transportation and heating as critical budget categories
• Cash Flow & Seasonal Income
  • Creating a cash-flow calendar
  • Managing uneven paychecks and seasonal work
  • Planning ahead for lower-income or off-season months
  • Smoothing income and expenses over time
• Emergency Planning (When There’s No Extra Money)
  • Emergency planning vs. emergency savings
  • Common financial shocks in rural Maine
  • First-line defenses when something unexpected happens:
  • Expense triage: what must be paid first
  • Which bills can be paused, negotiated, or be deferred
  • Using savings, community resources, or credit carefully
  • Avoiding high-cost, high-risk debt in emergencies
  • Building a starter buffer over time, even small amounts

Activities

• Budgeting templates
• Cash-flow and seasonal planning worksheets
• Emergency planning checklist (what to do when something breaks)

Takeaway
Budgeting is not about restriction or perfection: it’s about clarity, preparation, and having options when life happens.

Michele studied economics at Princeton University and now works for Ernst & Young in their financial services organization. She believes financial education should be accessible, non-judgmental, and grounded in the realities of people’s lives, especially in rural and seasonal economies like Downeast Maine. This program is offered as a way to share tools that can help people feel more confident and supported when it comes to money.