my dog does this all the time... i think she is just fat .....
Has she recently been somewhere with other dogs? Possibly because of boarding or doggie day care?
If so, she could have kennel cough... my dog has had it, and it's really loud snoring or coughing. If it is kennel cough, you will have to take her to the vet to get medications to get rid of it, because it doesn't go away on it's own.
When the only sensible answer I can give you is "take her to be checked out at the vet".....then I don't know what more to say. Otherwise it is just guesswork.
I don't mean to sound mean or harsh, but I sure do know what it's like to be REALLY short of money (I mean really) That's the position I'm in now. Three weeks ago my dog needed a needle aspiration. It cost £100. That was my whole week's money for everything I need. No contest. I got the dog's needle aspiration done THEN worried about what I was going to eat that next week. In the end I ate nettle and lentil broth, toast, eggs and apples, and didn't use my car because I couldn't afford to fill the tank. The electricity bill will have to wait 2 more weeks. But dog is fixed up. She comes first.
I am sorry if I sound tough about this. It is hard to be short of cash. Maybe your vet will help you, especially if they know you well, with a payment plan of some kind? And another thought is -is there any charitable support or assistance you could apply for?