emergency budgeting 2025-09-14T11:09:49Z
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Rain lashed against the garage roof as the mechanic slid the diagnostic report across the oil-stained counter. My knuckles turned white around my phone when I saw the number - nearly three months' salary to replace the transmission. Stranded 200 miles from home with a maxed-out credit card, panic coiled in my throat like gasoline fumes. That's when my thumb found the fingerprint sensor on the banking app, pressing hard enough to leave a sweat-smudged crescent on the screen.