Stranded, Broke, and Over It: When Life Throws You a Curveball

You ever have one of those moments where everything just falls apart at the worst possible time? That’s exactly what happened to us this week. We were supposed to be heading home after our trip, ready to sleep in our own beds and get back to normal life. But instead, we’re stuck in a hotel, broke, and just over it.

How It All Went Wrong

We had it all planned out. We booked a rental car, paid in full, and thought we were set. Then, at the counter, we got hit with a requirement we didn’t expect—they needed a credit card on file. We don’t have one. And just like that, they refused to give us the car.

They started the refund process (which doesn’t help us in the moment), and suddenly, we were stuck. Not just for a few hours—until Wednesday. That meant more hotel nights, more food costs, and no money left to cover it.

At first, I felt pure panic. My brain immediately went into survival mode: How are we supposed to afford this? What do we do now? The frustration, the stress, the feeling of helplessness—it was all hitting at once. And on top of that, we were just tired. Tired of being away from home, tired of things going wrong, tired of struggling.

Surviving When Money is Tight

When you’re stuck like this, you don’t have the luxury of waiting around for solutions—you have to find them. We started looking into any way we could make money fast, and honestly, I wish I had thought of it sooner. If you ever find yourself in a situation like this, here are some things you can do to make quick cash online:

1. Microtasks & Gig Apps (Pays fast, sometimes instantly)

Steady App – Finds side gigs, some with instant pay.

Clickworker & OneForma – Small tasks like surveys, data entry, and image tagging.

Appen – Pays for microtasks like voice recording and categorizing images.

2. Freelance Work (Fast Payouts Possible)

Fiverr & Upwork – Offer quick-turnaround gigs like writing, admin work, or data entry.

Rev & TranscribeMe – Pays quickly for transcription work.

PeoplePerHour – Post a job you can complete today.

3. Instant-Pay Writing Jobs

Textbroker – Write short articles and get paid same-day via Payoneer.

WriterAccess – Some rush jobs may pay sooner.

4. Surveys & Website Testing (Quick but Not Huge Money)

Prolific – Higher-paying surveys with fast payouts.

UserTesting – Earn $10 per test for website feedback (quick payments).

InboxDollars – Pays for surveys, watching videos, and other small tasks.

5. Selling Items for Quick Cash

Facebook Marketplace & OfferUp – Sell anything you don’t absolutely need.

Poshmark & Mercari – If you have clothes or accessories, list them for sale.

The Mental Toll of Being Stuck

The financial stress is bad enough, but the mental toll is just as heavy. When you’re stuck somewhere you don’t want to be, with no control over the situation, it’s exhausting. Every hour feels longer. Every little thing feels bigger. And honestly, it’s easy to spiral into frustration and hopelessness.

For me, BPD makes these situations even harder. The emotions hit at full force—anger, anxiety, panic, sadness, all at once. My brain tells me this is a disaster even though logically, I know we’ll get home eventually. But that’s the thing about BPD—logic and emotions don’t always play nice together.

I won’t pretend we handled this perfectly. There were moments of snapping at people, moments of silence, moments of just wanting to scream. But we’re getting through it, one day at a time.

The Takeaway

Life throws curveballs. Sometimes, they hit you square in the face. This was one of those times. But instead of drowning in it, we found ways to adapt. If you ever find yourself stuck—whether it’s travel problems, unexpected expenses, or just life being life—know that there are ways to push through. It’s not easy, and it’s definitely not fun, but you’re not alone in it.

For now, we’re just counting down the days until we’re home. If you’ve ever been in a similar situation, drop a comment—I’d love to hear how you handled it.