When Becky Bloomwood moved to New York to start a new career, she found herself with mounting credit card debts and in deep trouble. While this scene is filled with comic potential when it features in Sophie Kinsella's best-selling Shopaholic series, it's a lot less cute when it happens to you in real life. Dealing with a financial meltdown with no support system to fall back on—or move in with—can be overwhelming. But you can survive by following a few sensible steps.
Where did you lose money? Is your lifestyle more lavish than you can afford? If so, it's time to cut down on some of the frills. Laj Anwar, a financial analyst in Chennai, says, "Sometimes, a bad one-time investment like a car, which is giving you trouble, or stocks that crashed are what bring you to the brink of a financial disaster. Don't let it get you down.