This paper discusses adults who are dealing with limited financial means under the premises of disability and over-indebtedness. To this end, the authors examined the concepts of vulnerability, financial literacy and the numerate environment for systematising and presenting findings from a qualitative secondary analysis of qualitative data sets derived from two research projects, having explored the numeracy practices of adults with learning difficulties and of adults facing overindebtedness. By this, the learner's micro level of acting out numeracy is brought to the fore, revealing the multidimensional features of a numerate environment and of adults' numeracy strategies in order to handle financial matters in daily life. The analysis identified the common ground of the most significant competency domains of financial literacy according to both data sets (revenues, expenses and consumption, and budget management) and identified the numeracy strategies developed and used. In conclusion, the authors suggest further discussion of vulnerability as a relative and relational category that supports a pedagogical understanding of adult basic education and adult numeracy with a resource-oriented perspective.