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📰 Subject: 💸 Feeling Squeezed? 7 Moves to Ease the Financial Crunch This Week

📰 Stuck in the Middle

Issue #231 — Thursday, November 13, 2025

👋 Welcome!

If you’re new here, this newsletter is for people balancing parents, kids, work, and a relationship—often all at once. Twice a week, we share one big insight and a handful of practical, free tools that actually help.

New? Reply SUBSCRIBE to get future issues.
Been here a while? Forward this to a friend who’s overwhelmed (they’ll thank you later).

🧠 Big Thought: “Money Stress Loves Silence—So Don’t Be Quiet”

Financial pressure is the heaviest weight many of us carry in the middle. Childcare, eldercare, medical bills, time off work, higher groceries and utilities—it all stacks up. The fastest path to relief isn’t heroic sacrifice; it’s visibility and leverage:

1. make the costs visible (what’s really bleeding cash),

2. leverage benefits and programs you’re already eligible for, and

3. reduce volatility (predictable payments beat surprises).

Silence keeps the stress vague and unsolved. This week’s checklist helps you flip the lights on and reclaim control.

🧰 Money Moves: 7-Step Crisis-to-Calm Checklist (All Free Resources)

1. Plug the leaks (15 minutes). List the top 5 recurring costs for kids/parents (care hours, meds, copays, transportation, takeout). Circle the two biggest—attack those first with the steps below.

2. Sweep for hidden benefits (fast). Run your household through a benefits screener for food, energy, internet, Rx, and more:
   https://benefitscheckup.org/
   https://www.usa.gov/benefit-finder

3. Find local elder support (talk to a human). Use the Eldercare Locator to reach your Area Agency on Aging for respite grants, caregiver training, transportation, and care planning:
   https://eldercare.acl.gov/home

4. Lower medical-bill risk. Get clear next steps if you can’t pay or need to dispute a bill; know your rights and options:
   https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-should-i-do-if-i-cant-pay-a-medical-bill-en-2125/

5. Cut health premiums/out-of-pocket. Check for ACA Marketplace savings and cost-sharing reductions (Silver plans):
   https://www.healthcare.gov/lower-costs/
   https://www.healthcare.gov/lower-costs/save-on-out-of-pocket-costs/

6. Use tax offsets for care you’re already paying. Review the Child and Dependent Care Credit (can apply to a spouse/parent who can’t self-care):
   https://www.irs.gov/credits-deductions/individuals/child-and-dependent-care-credit-information
   Quick topic overview:
   https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc602

7. Stabilize housing and utilities. If cash flow is tight, contact 211 to locate local assistance for rent, mortgage, or energy:
   https://www.211.org/get-help/housing-expenses

Pro tip: Schedule a 30-minute “money huddle” with your partner this week. Pick 2 items above, assign ownership, and set a quick follow-up date. Small wins compound.

🛠️ Tool of the Week: BenefitsCheckUp® by NCOA

A fast, plain-English screener that finds discounts and programs for prescriptions, food, utilities, transportation, and more—especially helpful for aging parents.
https://benefitscheckup.org/

📰 Reads (All Free + Verified)

• Pew Research: who’s “sandwiched” between kids and aging parents right now (quick stats).
  https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/04/08/more-than-half-of-americans-in-their-40s-are-sandwiched-between-an-aging-parent-and-their-own-children/

• CFPB medical-debt guidance you can act on today.
  https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-should-i-do-if-i-cant-pay-a-medical-bill-en-2125/

• USAGov’s one-stop benefits portal (bookmark this).
  https://www.usa.gov/benefits

🤝 SKOOL COMMUNITY (Free to Join)

Daily support, practical checklists, and real talk from people who get it:
https://www.skool.com/stuck-in-the-middle-community-1730/about?ref=4956bcfb588b4962b89c23002360ff83

💬 Connect With People Who Get It

Caregiving can feel isolating — and so can relationship stress.
Join our private Facebook group to talk to others who truly understand.

👉 https://www.facebook.com/groups/stuckinthemiddlenews

💬 Reply & Engage

What’s the single most confusing money decision you’re facing right now (insurance, benefits, care hours, debt, or something else)? Hit reply with one sentence—I’ll point you to the right free resource.

↗️ Share the Relief

Know someone stuck in the middle and stressed about money? Forward this issue so they can grab the tools above.