For the vast majority of my adult life, I have existed on a tight budget. I have run credit card debt up, worked two jobs at a time, and struggled under the pressure of life, just like you. However, I have always found ways to buy a little silver. I did not use my credit cards to buy that silver.
Instead, I found some great ways to keep silver within a bit of a budget or to get silver in hand with very little money buy using it as a multipurpose investment.