Break Glass in Case of Shutdown: A Personal Finance Plan for Military
Families

If the thought of a government shutdown and the loss of your military pay and allowances is sparking some concern, take a deep breath and exhale. In this article, your trusted Military Qualified Financial Planner is going to share some insights and actionable steps to help you prepare and get ahead of
navigating a season without your recurring pay and allowances.   Although we cannot predict if the government shutdown will occur and how it may impact the pay and allowances of our military community, we can take this information to make a plan – one that helps ease the angst and frustration that may overwhelm the average military family that doesn’t have financial reserves.

STOP THE PERSONAL FINANCE LEAKS

Hear your military financial coach clearly as I encourage you to act upon some – or all – of these actionable steps now. These tips will help you prepare for the potential upcoming financial drought if your military pay and allowances are stopped.

1. DO NOT SPEND THIS PAYCHECK.
Treat this paycheck scheduled to arrive (or already received) for the end of September 2025 like a valued treasure. Do not disburse, spend, or use any of this money until you’ve gone through this article and used the tips to develop a plan for all of your resources and expenses.

2. FACE YOUR FEARS.
You MUST intentionally and immediately face where you are financially. This means, logging into all of your bank accounts and downloading bank statements to determine exactly how much money you have to work with. You should also log into all of your credit accounts (think: Military Star Card, Visa, MasterCard, AMEX, Old Navy, etc) and review the most recent statements to determine the minimum payments due, due dates, and the grace period rules. It’s important that you complete this step – you’ll need this information later.

3. CANCEL ALL UNNECESSARY AUTO-DRAFT SUBSCRIPTIONS.
Use your bank and credit card This is where you need to reference your bank and credit card statements to take inventory of those charges that post automatically. Here are examples of unnecessary subscriptions that are on the chopping block in this scenario:
1. Netflix, Hulu, etc
2. Amazon Prime Subscription
3. Apple Music, Spotify etc
4. Cable TV subscriptions
5. Adobe
6. Gym Memberships

4. (MAYBE) CANCEL Bank/Credit CARDS.
This is an extreme step, but it may be necessary for anyone that can’t seem to figure out which accounts have subscriptions being charged/drafted. If needed, cancel your credit cards and request new ones to stop unwanted auto-drafts. This will stop any auto drafts/charges from processing. Keep in mind that if you are using these cards for daily living expenses, you’ll need to consider the amount of time you may be without these cards until the replacements are received.

5. STOP AUTO – DRAFTS.
Check your bank statements to identify accounts payable that were on auto draft. Think savings, investing, cell phone, utilities, wifi, etc. Log in now and turn off those auto drafts. You can always restart these later.

6. CANCEL ELECTIVE APPOINTMENTS.
This is an area that could easily be overlooked but should definitely be considered Some appointments have a fee associated with their cancellation policy so you want to be certain that you are canceling appointments within the cancellation policy. For these actions, think: hair salon, spas, house cleaning, lawn care, elective dental appointments with copays, etc.

7. CANCEL LEISURE TRAVEL.
Yes the holidays are on the horizon and maybe you’ve already booked a hotel for the Thanksgiving season but the reality is you may not be able to afford that trip. Cancel those reservations now before it’s too late and you incur fees for last-minute cancellations.

8. CHANGE PAYMENT DUE DATES.
If there are some payments that you believe you’ll be able to make if you have a couple of weeks buffer, consider changing your payment due dates. Check your mortgage statements to determine your “due by date”. Many mortgage lenders have a due by date between the 10th-13th of the month. If shifting your due date to a date later than the 1st of the month would be helpful, get this changed ASAP to give yourself some time to prepare for these payments. If you’re a renter with a private landlord, reach out now to discuss payment arrangements if necessary.

MANAGE YOUR REMAINING RESOURCES.

Now that you’ve taken action to “stop the personal finance leaks”, the following action steps will help you manage your remaining resources – and offer ideas on how to stretch or supplement your military money.

9. CREATE A DETAILED BUDGET/SPENDING PLAN.
Take an account of your necessities and how much they will cost. This is where you make a budget/spending plan. If you haven’t been operating your personal finances with a budget, we encourage you to embrace the concept and prepare to take control of your finances. These are the areas we recommend are at the top of your budget/spending plan.
-Rent/Mortgage
-Utilities
-Food (including baby food and supplies)
-Transportation (auto insurance, gas, etc)
-Medical/Health insurance premiums

10. FOOD BANKS.
Start researching local food banks. Make a list of food banks you qualify for and note their registration requirements and food distribution schedule. Check your closest military installation as some military installations offer food banks – check your base for details. Use this information to supplement your food expenses for the month.

11. DIAPER BANKS.
If your family has little ones in diapers, this may be an expense that with a little help from a diaper bank, becomes less burdensome. Locate diaper banks in your area and plan to meet the requirements to receive their supplies.

12. SELL EXCESS ITEMS.
Look around your home and find things that are resell worthy and prepare to sell those items. You may have valuable items within your home that you can sell to begin making some extra income. Great places to sell items are: eBay, Facebook Marketplace, local community buy/sell/trade groups.

13. REPURPOSE FREE ITEMS.
If you’re in a community where many items are given away for free – and you’re allowed – grab some of these items and resell them. This may also help generate some extra income.

14 TAKE ACTION.
You can control the personal finances within your control. Use the steps in this article to help you take charge of your personal finances. If you still need help, consider reaching out to a Military Qualified Financial Planner to help you manage your military money.

I’m Shari Evans — U.S. Army veteran, active duty military spouse, Accredited Financial Counselor®, Military Qualified Financial Planner™, founder of Budget Based Lifestyle, and mom to two energetic girls. I know firsthand the challenges military families face, and I’m passionate about helping them take control of their finances.