Made it through the month with $411 left, a root canal to pay for and apparently I owe a collection agency money for a car. Wasn't terribly impressed with the

Made it through the month with $411 left, a root canal to pay for and apparently I owe a collection agency money for a car. Wasn't terribly impressed with the choices I was given though, because I've been in similar situations in the past and, while it may be very different in the US, I have never had any significant problems. Also, why do bills like car registration cost more if I choose to pay them later? In real life I once had to pay my electricity bill a month late because I didn't have the money - I called them up and they deferred the payment by a month. They didn't suddenly charge me extra. EDIT: Just played it again and made it through the month with $274, with no outstanding bills.