Hey lindsayk, I feel you ... this shit is hard!
At the early stages, you can pick some low-hanging fruit for some small wins, but then it only takes one big problem to push you two steps back. Yup, I'm mixing my metaphors big time - because that's how complicated this all feels, at this stage. I think it's normal. As a Christian, when I encounter the "one thing after another" scenario, I tend to assume that the evil one is at work. He doesn't like it when we have our shit together and are living the life we're meant to live, or taking the steps we need to take to get there. People from other perspectives might talk about bad luck, or fate, or "the universe conspiring against me." However you view it, the response is the same. Don't get mad (or sad, frustrated, or defeated!) Get even!
Remember that you're already in a better place than you were a couple of months ago, even if the numbers aren't showing it yet. That's 'cause you've got a plan, and you're working it. And look at how you've already coped. You didn't dump the car and buy back another more expensive one. You didn't rush out and get a new camera. And you've prioritized what's important to you - keeping your baby healthy.
Ok, so what to do now? First, remember that it could have been worse. You could have been continuing to make the same car payment and have had all your other bills piling up, and still have had all this stuff happen. Second, think through all the ways that you could still make some forward momentum right now, or at least lessen the damage. Can you continue to borrow your friend's camera, or find a new-to-you-but-used one, or repair yours cheaply? Maybe trade in some less used gear to help cover the cost? Can you drive way less for a couple of weeks to put off filling up the gas tank, and learn about hypermiling for when you absolutely have to go somewhere? I know you're already working on the food thing - this is a great time to see if you can live out of your kitchen cupboards and fridge. If you have to, give yourself a small amount ($10-20) to pick up a few things to round out your meals. Take a load of CD's, DVD's or books to used book/media store. Sell some stuff on Craigslist. Cash in Air Miles or other reward points for gift cards for gas and groceries. Have a garage sale (my brother and his ex once fundraised a fair amount of stuff to pay for medical care for a stray dog they adopted off the street - cute pictures and a heartwarming write-up really reduced the haggling you usually see at a garage sale!) Have an art sale, with some of your photos printed on nice paper and in inexpensive frames (but only if this is stuff you already have around!) Sell some unwanted jewellery to one of those gold-buyers. In other words, do whatever you can for a wee bit of extra cash right now, to help cover those extra expenses you've had.
Longer term, I've seen you post about working on your side hustle, just trying to get some more gigs. I'm wondering (maybe you've posted about this too, and I just haven't seen it) whether you've looking into monetizing your skills online. Starting a blog (or more than one?) featuring your photos and generating ad revenue. You could have a dog related one, a photography related one, etc. Might even eventually get yourself new gear to review that way! Stock photos? Etsy? And so on ...
