Financial stress has received meager attention in organizational science research. So far, financial stress research uses inconsistent or nonexistent definitions, and an array of terms, to describe what appears to be the same overarching construct. I address this definitional ambiguity by reviewing existing work and using qualitative interview data to inductively study workers’ financial stress experiences. Findings lead to my development of a comprehensive definition of financial stress, to shed light on how unstable expenses and income lead individuals to experience financial stress, and to identify ways in which financial stress can be mitigated by behaviors and circumstances. Finally, I explore individuals’ comparisons to others, including how motivations affect these comparisons. Findings include several applied and theoretical contributions, which drive propositions about financial stress processes and indicate several possible directions for future research.