DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - President Donald Trump agreed to reopen the government for three weeks.

All eyes are on Feb. 15. More than 8,000 federal workers in Illinois might have to prepare for another shutdown and no pay. In the meantime, a Decatur financial coach talked to WAND News about how federal workers can prepare themselves if another shutdown is to happen. 

Nikki Garry, founder of Your Money Matters, said more than half of Americans live paycheck to paycheck. Federal workers experienced the longest shutdown in U.S. history. In order to recover from 35 days without pay, Garry suggested reaching out to creditors. 

"Often times creditors will work with you, but you [as the consumer] have to take the initiative to contact them," Garry said. 

That includes paying off rent, electricity and other monthly bills. 

When the government was shutdown, a TSA worker emailed WAND's Tristan Hardy saying they couldn't file for unemployment. It wasn't possible because they were furloughed. Garry said federal workers should stock pile cash for an emergency fund and plan ahead. 

The political standoff about a border wall has Democrats and Republicans blaming each other on who is in the way of federal workers and their paychecks. Garry has advice for being financially stable in an environment that's not. 

"Live below your means, to be wise you should stay at the same level of spending, pull it back some and that gives a cushion when life does happen," Garry said. 

President Trump said the public will find out more during the State of the Union.Â