Life 🧘🏽‍♀️ Doesn’t Wait for Your Credit Score


Hi! 👋🏽 👋🏽

Welcome to the UNSTUCK[MONEY] newsletter!

Let’s be real—a low credit score sucks. Doors slam. Opportunities vanish. And everyone keeps whispering (or yelling) that you can’t move forward until your score “gets better.”

Here’s the truth: you don’t need perfect credit to live well. Your score is just a number. It doesn’t measure your grit, your hustle, or the life you’re building.

Living well with poor credit is about hacks, workarounds, and taking control. From renting an apartment, traveling, or even getting utilities, there are ways to make life happen without begging banks or lenders for permission.

In fact, learning to live without a reliance on credit is an exceptionally freeing experience.

In this issue, we’re spilling the real-life hacks to:

  • Rent or secure housing when your credit score is low
  • Travel, book hotels, and hit the road with prepaid or debit options
  • Get a reliable car without falling prey to scams and high-mileage vehicles
  • Build stability and security—no credit required

Your score is temporary. Your power to live fully? That’s permanent.

Cheers,
Kathy A. Gambrell
Founder, Urban Money Budgets


Book Travel Without a Credit Card

Think you can’t travel without a credit card? Wrong.
From hotels to rental cars, there are workarounds that keep you moving without plastic
—or the debt hangover.


Take with Wheel: Buying a Car with a Low Credit Score​
You don’t need a perfect credit score to get behind the wheel—just the right playbook.


Your Credit Score Sucks -
And You Need a Place to Live

Poor credit score locking you out? Here's how to get the keys.


Urban Money Budgets Blog

Straight talk on credit, debt, and budgets—so you can get unstuck and level up.

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Your path to building long-term wealth that aligns with your goals.


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​A Little Bit About Me

I’m Kathy - a financial coach, journalist, information architect—and a mom who’s done playing nice when it comes to money. I built Urban Money Budgets with clear info and street-smart strategies to help you take your power back—because broke isn’t who you are. It's what you're breaking free from.

You can always reach me at financesbydesign@urbanmoneybudgets.com.

Would love to hear from you!

UNSTUCK [MONEY]

Sick of boring 🥱 advice and broken systems? So are we. UNSTUCK [MONEY] is the no-apologies newsletter for people ready to break rules, smash debt, and take control of their cash—on their own terms. Subscribe if you're done playing small.

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