Maybe you are one of the hundreds of thousands of people not getting your paycheck, thanks to the government shutdown. Maybe you feel squeezed after a holiday spending frenzy, or you've been watching the stock market the past few weeks and are worried about your 401(k). Right about now, a lot of us are feeling anxious about money.

I know I am. As a freelancer in the gig economy, I try to be prepared for money hiccups. When I lost my biggest client late last year, I told myself not to panic. This is what my emergency fund is for. Then a surprise five-figure tax bill slipped through my mail slot and swallowed that money, six months of living expenses, whole. Like most Americans, when I look at my expenses, most of them are fixed. I can't cut back my monthly mortgage, health insurance or student loan costs. I don't have cable TV or other low-hanging fruit in my budget, so the need to save money leaves me staring down one big adjustable line item: food.