By Kate Ashford, NerdWallet

Although government shutdowns are a semi-recurring feature of American government, the most recent closure was the longest on record at 43 days — and left many feeling anxious.

In just the second week of the closure, 41% of American adults reported reducing spending, 29% said they were delaying major purchases and 21% were dipping into savings to cover expenses due to the shutdown, according to a poll from GoDaddy and HarrisX.

“This is certainly nothing new, but I think what happened with this one was, in a very strange way, kind of a good reminder that sometimes they can go on for longer,” says Melissa Caro, a certified financial planner based in New York City and founder of the digital platform My Retirement Network.

If you were directly affected by the sh

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