--- title: "Tough Times Toolkit and Kits for a Tight Month" description: "The Tough Times Toolkit, job loss and work-requirement kits, medical bill and debt collector help, and free bill priority and money emergency tools." url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/toolkits/for/money-tight" --- Toolkits 路 When money is tight # When money is tight: kits for the bills, the calls and the next paycheck When money runs short the hardest part is knowing which bill to pay, which call to make and which letter to send first. The Tough Times Toolkit puts that in order: a paycheck stretch plan, hardship letters, your rights with debt collectors, do-it-yourself credit repair, medical bill help and an honest look at side income. If a job ended, the job loss bundle covers unemployment, health coverage and the budget for the gap; if Medicaid or SNAP work hours apply, the logs keep the proof. Start with the free tools on this page; they cost nothing and ask for no email. 馃寵 The desk is asleep. The store never is. Every kit and ebook downloads the moment you pay, day or night. Questions get answered after we open in the morning. [Browse the store](/toolkits) Start here ## Tough Times Toolkit Six short kits in one: stretch the paycheck, hardship letters, debt collector rights, DIY credit repair, medical bill help and a side income planner. **$29** [See what is inside](/toolkits/tough-times-toolkit) ## Every kit for when money is tight (16) [Bundle ### Job Loss Money Reset Bundle Losing a job starts a lot of clocks at once. Get the deadlines handled, cut the budget to what matters, and make a plan for the debt. $35 路 3 products in one download](/toolkits/job-loss-money-reset-bundle)[Bundle ### Medicaid and SNAP Work Requirements Hours Bundle Two programs, two sets of rules, one set of hours. Log them once and keep the proof each program asks for. $15 路 2 products in one download](/toolkits/work-requirements-hours-bundle)[Document pack ### Stretch the Paycheck Kit Cover the essentials first, call before you fall behind, and get through the next 30 days. $9 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/stretch-the-paycheck-kit)[Document pack ### Hardship Letter Kit: Ask for a Payment Plan in Writing Ask for a payment plan, a deferral or a lower payment the right way: by phone, then in writing, with a record of who said what. $12 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/hardship-letter-kit)[Document pack ### Debt Collector Rights Kit: Validation, Dispute and Cease-Contact Letters Use the federal rules for debt collectors in writing, on time, with a record of every call. $12 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/debt-collector-rights-kit)[Document pack ### Fix-Your-Own-Credit Kit: Free Reports, Disputes and Freezes The steps a credit repair company would charge for, done yourself through the free official channels. $15 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/diy-credit-repair-kit)[Document pack ### Medical Bill Help Kit The letters, checklists and logs for working through a medical bill one step at a time. $12 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/medical-bill-help-kit)[Document pack ### Side Income Starter Planner Know what a side gig costs and what it really pays per hour, before and after you start. $9 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/side-income-starter-planner)[Document pack ### Laid Off in New Jersey Kit The deadlines that matter after a layoff, in order, so you don't lose benefits while you figure out what's next. $15 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/laid-off-nj-checklist-kit)[Document pack ### Medicaid Work and Community Engagement Hours Log A monthly record of your activity hours and the papers behind them, ready for renewal time. $9 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/medicaid-work-hours-log)[Document pack ### SNAP Work Requirement Tracker Keep your SNAP hours and countable months straight, month by month. $9 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/snap-work-requirement-tracker)[Document pack ### Marketplace Premium Change Kit for 2027 The extra marketplace savings ended after 2025 and the 400% income limit is back. Work out your expected share before you pick a plan. $12 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/marketplace-premium-change-kit)[Document pack ### Medicare Part D Cost-Cap Tracker Part D now has a yearly cap on what you pay for covered drugs. Know where you stand each month instead of guessing. $9 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/part-d-cost-cap-tracker)[Excel workbook ### Debt Avalanche & Amortization Matrix Enter your debts and one monthly amount and see the order, the dates and the interest you avoid, in a file that never connects to your bank. $24 路 example and blank copies](/toolkits/debt-avalanche-amortization-matrix)[Document pack ### Job Search and Work Search Log Kit Log each employer contact the way NJDOL's form asks, and see each week's count before you certify. $14 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/job-search-work-search-log-kit)[Document pack ### SSI and SSDI Work and ABLE Organizer A calm monthly record of work, reports to SSA and ABLE savings. $15 路 Word and PDF](/toolkits/ssi-ssdi-work-and-able-organizer) ## Free calculators to try first No email and nothing to download: they run in your browser. - [When money runs short](/tools/money-emergency)What to protect first, who to call, NJ programs - [Which bills come first?](/tools/which-bills-first)Puts your bills in priority order - [Hardship letters](/tools/hardship-letters)Free letter wording for creditors and landlords - [Debt collector rights](/tools/debt-collector-rights)What a collector can and cannot do - [Medical bill help](/tools/medical-bill-help)Check the bill, ask for financial aid, set up a plan - [Medicaid work hours counter](/tools/medicaid-work-hours-counter)Count hours toward the new requirement ## Common questions **I can't pay everything this month. Where do I start?** Start with the free Which Bills Come First tool on this page: it orders your bills the way the CFPB and FTC guidance does. The Stretch the Paycheck Kit then turns that order into a plan for the next 30 days. **Is the Tough Times Toolkit worth it if the free pages exist?** The free pages explain the steps. The toolkit adds the fill-in letters, call scripts, trackers and worksheets so you do not write them from scratch. If money is very tight, use the free pages; they cover the most urgent steps. **Will any of this fix my credit or settle my debt?** No product can promise that. The kits show the steps the CFPB and FTC describe, the letters to send and how to spot a scam that charges up front. **I was laid off in New Jersey. What first?** File for unemployment right away, then sort health coverage. The Laid Off in NJ Checklist Kit lists both in order, and the Job Loss Money Reset Bundle adds a budget and a debt plan for the gap. ## Shop by who you are [Notaries and signing agents](/toolkits/for/notaries)[Landlords and rental hosts](/toolkits/for/landlords)[Gig, delivery and tipped workers](/toolkits/for/gig-and-tipped-workers)[Small business owners](/toolkits/for/small-business-owners)[New parents and families](/toolkits/for/new-parents-and-families)[En espa帽ol](/toolkits/for/en-espanol)[Tax season](/toolkits/for/tax-season)[Year-end close](/toolkits/for/year-end-close)[Back to school](/toolkits/for/back-to-school)[Every product](/toolkits#all) ## Not sure which one fits? [Ask us](/contact)[Call (908) 444-6373](tel:+19084446373)