I have a line on my toenail that is slightly brown. it's been there for a while and hurts at times. like it throbs. i don't have enough money to go to the doctor rn but is it serious enough to get checked?

I would Google toenail lines as look at images to see if you can find one that looks like yours. Then decide if it needs to be checked by asking around.

Lines on nails in themselves do not hurt. If experiencing pain and discoloration could be coming from the nail bed. Without a history of trauma , This is one instance it might be worth seeing a Podiatrist for proper diagnosis and care.