The 3-Bucket System: My Simple Plan for Financial Recovery After Hitting Rock Bottom

The air on the farm is thick and quiet. It’s not the peaceful kind of quiet. It’s the loud kind of quiet that lets you hear all your own bad thoughts. I’m here because my wife, who is much smarter than me, said we should go to her family’s home. Why? ‘At least we’ll get food over there,’ she said.

She was right. I have five pesos in my pocket. Not five dollars. Five pesos. It’s for ice.

That’s my reality right now. I feel like a schmuck. A failure. It’s a heavy feeling that sits in your chest. Maybe you’ve felt it too. It’s the feeling of knowing you messed up, and you don’t have a quick way out.

For days, I just felt angry and ashamed. But sitting on this porch, with nothing but the sound of chickens and my own thoughts, something shifted. You can only feel sorry for yourself for so long. Then, you have to decide what’s next. For me, what’s next is going back to something I let slide. A simple plan that worked before. It’s time to bring it back.

**My Comeback Plan: The Three-Bucket System**

Every single dollar I make from this moment on is going to be put to work. I’m starting my three-bucket system again. It’s simple. So simple you might think it won’t work, but it does. It gives you control when you feel like you have none.

Think of it like three jars on your kitchen counter. Every time you get paid, you split the money into these three jars, or ‘buckets.’

**Bucket #1: Your Needs**

This is the most important bucket. It’s for the stuff you absolutely MUST pay for to live. This includes:
– Rent or mortgage
– Food
– Utility bills (water, electricity)
– Transportation to work

This bucket gets filled first. No exceptions. This is your survival money. It keeps a roof over your head and food on the table. It’s not exciting, but it’s the foundation of everything. Right now, my foundation is cracked, and this is how I’m going to fix it.

**Bucket #2: Your Wants**

This is the bucket for fun. It’s for movies, eating out, hobbies, or that new pair of shoes you want. It’s easy to think that when you’re broke, this bucket should be empty. But that’s not true. You need to give yourself a little bit of breathing room. Even if it’s just a few dollars for a coffee. It keeps you from feeling like you’re in a financial prison, which helps you stick to the plan.

When I first started making money, I forgot this rule. I let my ‘wants’ bucket get too big and mix with my ‘needs’ bucket. That’s how I ended up here.

**Bucket #3: Your Future**

This bucket is for the future you. It’s for paying off debt, saving for an emergency, and investing. This is the bucket that builds you a way out. It’s your safety net so you never end up on a farm with only five pesos again.

Paying off debt is like getting a weight off your back. Savings are for when the car breaks down. Investing is for when you want to stop working one day. This bucket is about freedom.

**Why I’m Starting Today**

I’m not waiting until I get a big check. The next dollar I make, I’m splitting it. A part for my needs, a tiny part for my wants, and a part for my future. It doesn’t matter how small the amount is. What matters is the habit. The discipline.

This is my promise to myself and my family. This is how I’m taking back control. It’s not a magic trick. It will be slow. It will be hard work. But it’s a path forward.

If you’re reading this and you feel stuck, please know you are not alone. You don’t need a fancy program or a lot of money to start. You just need a plan. You can start with three buckets. If you’re ready to take that first step and build your own plan, we have resources that can help. Let’s start building our future together. You can begin right here at https://thurmanmedia.com/start.