Emily sat on the old couch, counting the coins in her small jar. She hoped these pennies and dimes would be enough to pay the rent this month.

Her roommate, Jake, looked up from his book. "Do you think it’s enough?" he asked. Emily nodded, but her voice was soft. "Just barely. We need to save more next time."

Jake smiled gently. "Maybe we can make a plan. Like cooking instead of eating out, and saving even a little every week."

Emily felt a little better. She knew paying rent was hard, but with Jake's help, they could try to manage their money better next month.