Just turned 30 today. I feel like a loser. I served 8 years in the Air Force. This is not really how I pictured my life at 30. I have an associates in Mathematics(I know worthless) and I want to go back to college but I don’t know what for. Giving how awful the economy is I may go back into the Air Force.

I make 18 an hour. I work between 35-40 hours a week. I just paid off my car so I’m debt free. I’m kinda lost. My friend is getting married in May and he’s buying a home in July. We’re around the same age.

Look I say this very much so as someone who was hopeless, penniless, uneducated etc. when I reflect on my past, I acknowledge I grew up poor and dumb. And by dumb, I really mean dumb. I didn’t know shit about shit. I honestly didn’t even know regular people could know shit. So After realizing that I didn’t know shit, I decided I wanted to know shit. So I started trying to learn shit. I set my sight on a career field that isn’t in anyway glamorous but you had to know shit to do. I basically realized if I want to secure my future and change my situation, I pretty had to Know some shit other people don’t. And be good at that shit. So I worked hard. I get super duper into this boring ass shit of a job I have and you know what it’s awesome. I make good money, know shit and changed my entire future.

Go out there and learn some shit. Fuck everything else.

I would be happy to answer questions if anyone’s interested.

I was so overwhelmed when I found myself $6000 in credit card debt last year because of car repairs to my 15 year old car. I didn't think I could ever pay it off.

I started hustling little side jobs, cooking, cleaning for people, dog sitting, picking up a kid from school that got kicked off the bus and sit with him until his mom got home, flipping/selling stuff, selling my art work at farmers markets/craft shows. If I could make $5.00, I did it. I found a lot of my little side jobs on the Nextdoor app and through friends and neighbors. People understood that I worked a little slower because of my legs, but I got the jobs done.

I also temporarily cut all the little extras and cut my food budget to $100 a month. I ate, but didn't have a lot of variety. I still owe $1200 and hope to have it paid off by July. I just want to encourage everyone struggling to keep going.

So I haven't worked in, going on two weeks this coming Tuesday. My boss just says there's no hours to give, but, I am the only one who is getting literally nothing right now. For context, I work for CVS as a Pharmacy Technician In Training. I make $16 an hour. I have an offer letter saying

"Expected hours per week: 40"

What can I do? I have rent and stuff to pay.

im sorry if i make any grammar mistakes im not a native speaker i always suffered in poverty in my life because of a fucking lawsuit that drained my family's savings my dad works in a shop which barely leaves any profit my mom can't work because of my 2 and 7 years old siblings im living in a 3rd world country and getting a scholarship from government which worths like 70 dolars once a month i tried buying my some stuff in dark web to card with my last scholarship and ended up getting scammed my family desperately needs that money now and i can't explain this to them i feel like a damn disappointment my morale has been really bad for the past days and my boyfriend just left me for "ignoring him" i don't know what to do i never considered suicide before so it hits way worse and i can't think of a way to survive till my next scholarship without selling my pictures isn't there any way?

Tried to put gas in the car this morning. My husband needs to drive a couple hours today, he is working at another site this week.

Card I had been using was a $50 hold on gas pumps. Had to borrow money from my mom so he could get down there this week. It's garunteed overtime with per diem so it is worth it. But he doesn't get any of that till like next week.

The card with the money held all $103 dollars, didn't let me get any gas, and it won't come back till at least tomorrow.

I have a little cash that I can send him with but I am so frustrated. At least give me some gas if you're going to hold the entire amount.

I've always found a way to make money since i was 8 selling shiny rocks to my first job at 16. It's been a year since my last stable place of employment and I haven't gotten even a small call back in months. What am i doing wrong?

Hello, everyone. I just need to share financial problems in which I would get because of student "uprising" in my country (which I support, but reasons will be explained further in the text) But that problems wouldn't exist if I live in more wealth and stable family.

I'm tired of being poor in corrupt low-income such as mine, and I'm dissatisfied with conditions for college educated people after graduation. I don't want to work for salary which 70% of it will be spent only for food for my family when flat outside of capital city (where I live) centre costs 3 times more than median wage here.

Background: (if you don't have time to read, just skip that part)

My parents are barely working and earning since they are sick and they are almost 60 years old. My mother is the only breadmaker working as nurse for 800€ + additional income around 200-300 euros monthly.

My father refuses to help her because he is spending bunches of money on rebuilding our family house which has been renovated since 1960s only a little until 2023, and also for buying new car because one we have last 15 years stopped working forever last autumn. He had been unemployed since start of 2008/9 economic crisis (when he worked for 120€ wage) until 2019.

Also, fresh graduates in CS, Software Engineering, Medicine, Finance (I'm studying this one), Business and other STEM branches are barely finding a job. You have to work for minimal wage as fresh graduate if you are lucky to find a job.

Our political scene is so trashy. We don't have free elections - these are held every two years since 2012 only in order to let ruling party stay in power as long as time comes, and also they got 50% of votes every time because of state-owned media propaganda and "dead voters" with fake ID cards. Government presents our country as "economic tiger" but their huge intervention in economy are contained by bringing foreign investors that brings short-term benefits only for wagecucks.

Also, huge corruption is core part of their ruling, and it led to a tragedy that railway station in second largest city canopy killed 15 people, only because of cheaper materials used for it and overpricing in order to bring extra money in politicians pockets.

Main part of story:

Because of that incident, people demanded responsibility for canopy tragedy. As part of that students have been blocking their faculties since December. It means that classes is not held, exams can't be held, semester can't be ended so we aren't able to enter into second one.

Government and some professors warns that academic year will be annulled if protests continues, so it means that university-funded scholarship will be abolished for repeated year (fee costs 1000€). University-funded scholarship means that if you have determined number of exams passed, you don't have to pay fee. But because we can't do exams, we don't have any basis to get that benefits.

Worst problem is how to tell my parents that they would have to pay tuition fee for repeated year. They have concerns about state-owned universities which im studying on be privatized. Their salaries can't cover that in this situation. I have only 1400€ in my savings, but my mom wouldn't be happy if I spend my savings. I don't know how to cover that from her. Also, I will be under pressure to study more and more, even when I'm studying enough.

Post scriptum:

I support that protests, and if it's only up to me, I will be more ready to sacrifice one year of my life for more years of better life. And now I'm ready, and I have money, but I will be in war with my parents for one more year. I just feel tired to write further and I would like someone to write me in dm...

replacement for this to save money?

I'm a sophomore in college. I'm at a tough spot in my life. But I need to find a way to budget $48 until early May when I get start working at my internship. Is there anyway of budgeting the $48 for the next 4 weeks for food? Anything I should buy in bulk? I don't mind skipping a meal every other day if that works since my body can use some fat instead. It's also exam season.

I've also looked at the food banks near me and I got 500 grams of pasta and small snacks. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I don't have vision insurance and my glasses are more than 10 years old so I stupidly went to America's Best to get an eye exam. Well they fucked it up. The second visit there to try on my new glasses involved them arguing me for half an hour that I could see through them. My vision was worse with them than they are without glasses, my vision was doubled, they kept telling me I just needed to adjust. They finally redid the exam (visit 3) and said yup, they fucked up, sent them out to have them redone. They come back in on the 4th visit and one pair is right and I was just so damn relieved that it worked that I didn't notice the second pair is fucked (also I can't wear these because the lenses are so thick they won't stay up because I didn't pay for the $400 lenses). The whole time I just wanted the damn prescription to order a pair of glasses and damn if they didn't fight me tooth and nail on it. Now I ordered some glasses (from zenni) with the prescription they gave me and I'll be damned if they aren't fucked. Can't see out of the right lense at all which is frustrating because the left one is fine. So now I've got a pair of glasses I can't see out of, a prescription that doesn't work, and I'm out about $300 so far. This is why my glasses are so old.

Hey everyone,

I’m a first-year computer science student from Algeria, and I’m planning to study in France next year. I’ve saved up a bit of money in Algerian currency to handle my paperwork here, but I still need to make around $1,000 online before September next year to help me survive my first month in France (rent, food, transport—just the basics) until I find a job there.

I can’t work real-life jobs here in Algeria, because the currency (DZD) is very weak, and even after working hard, the amount barely converts into anything useful in euros or USD. That’s why I’m focused on earning online in USD or euros—it’s way more realistic and efficient.

About me:

I’m really good with computers—I know my way around and I understand what I’m doing when I’m on it. I’m not just clicking around randomly.

I can be very productive using AI tools like ChatGPT and other chatbots to boost my work or get things done faster.

I’ve already tried freelancing and applied for several small gigs and jobs (like data entry, virtual assistant stuff, etc.), but I haven’t been able to land a client yet.

I’m learning programming too, and I’m willing to keep improving and learn whatever I need to make this work.

So I’ve got 16 months to earn $1,000 online, and I’m serious about it. If you’ve been in a similar situation—or if you know real, beginner-friendly ways to make money online (freelance platforms, small jobs, websites, even long-term projects)—please share your advice.

Thanks a lot for reading. Any help or tips are super appreciated!

You can then use them on your own and pay for any amount over that GC with cash or debit. This gets you past the membership checkers at the door without a lot of hassle especially if you wanted to but their cheap $1.50 hot dog + drink special or use their pharmacy.

EDIT: Some of these kinds of comments remind me of why /r/povertyfinance broke away from /r/personalfinance to begin with.

We have encouragement in a world of haves/have nots, resources for getting assistance and most importantly, actionable ways to save money.

My favorite of these anti-povertyfinance comments so far (you're a winner!):

"ProTip: If you can't afford $60 per year to shop at Costco, you shouldn't be shopping at Costco."

Guess what? I'd encourage someone on SNAP to shop at Whole Foods too if they can get some better per unit costs on fresh fruits or proteins over their usual stores. We're not assigned to Aldi's and Dollar Tree bc we don't use our autopilot EVs for grocery runs.

A law firm sent me this. Would they really go this far for $127? $127 is a lot for me but I know it’s nothing for them.

This is part success story / part miscellaneous advice.

Success story: I was born poor AF in generational poverty. I clawed my way out later in life, and now I am doing OK financially, but still living well below my means / being frugal AF.

Miscellaneous advice: nobody cares about you, everyone wants something from you.

• Politicians will make you feel good with all their promises, but they only want your vote. My family was poor AF and we never received any help whatsoever.
• The entire banking/financing industry is a well oiled machine, they have figured out a way to figure out how much of one's future earnings that can extract today, so if you borrow money today you are effectively selling them your future (earnings). Borrowing is never the answer, it just exacerbates tomorrow's problem.
• You have been indoctrinated to buy things you don't need, with money you don't have, to impress people you don't like (and they don't like you either).
• 99.99% of the financial advice out there is either BS, or made to make you lose.
• Most of your belief systems are flawed, the cause -> effect that you believe do not work. Most of what you believe is true, it's actually untrue. No need to believe me, observe your life and reality.
• I could go on, but you get the picture.

So, what are the solutions?

1. Understand that money is the measure of power. When you give money to someone, you're giving your power away. Same when you "pledge" money as in charging something on a credit card or getting a loan of any kind, or entering into any kind of agreement where you promise future payment (e.g.: rent/lease).
2. Live within your means. No matter how little you make, someone is making do with less.
3. Decrease your expenses. Look at where your money went/goes. Label each one as "want" or "need", and do not fool yourself into what is a want and what is a need.
4. Eliminate any and all wants.
5. Scale back all of your needs; and even then substitute them with the cheapest option.
6. Sign up for Empower (it's free). enter any and all of your accounts. Now you have your Net Worth.
7. Create a spreadsheet, put any and all of your cash inflows; and then all of your cash outflows no matter when they happen: weekly, monthly, quarterly, biannually, yearly. If you have a car, depending on the age, mileage, type and your lifestyle, you can estimate maintenance, repairs, and when you'll need to replace it. If you have pets, put pet insurance and you can estimate other medical expenses. The surplus cash will increase your net worth (see #1 above); if you are running a deficit, go back to pint #2 to #5 above.
8. You must increase your income with time. This is the hardest part, the steps above will enable you to maybe survive, you want to thrive. These are the possible ways:
   • Entrepreneurship: this is not for everyone, you either are born with it, or you're not. If you're here my guess is that you are not. If you still want to learn about it, read this book "The Lean Startup" and do this free program startupschool.org
   • You must develop a career, meaning that as time goes by your income will increase exponentially, and with time it might also lead to entrepreneurship and/or easy side husstles above an beyond your salary.
   • Education whether formal or informal is key. There are some free/cheap ways to get education in certain fields, and you are the only one who can decide if it's worth it paying for anythingas long as it fits in your cash projections (see the talk about the spreadsheet above). Check out your local library, your local city/state training programs, EdX, Amazon, or just google it. Education was my way out of poverty.
9. Make a 5-year plan, better if it's a 10-year.
10. Outline what needs to happen what you need to do to achieve your outcome/s.
11. Outline daily tasks, as well ad weekly/monthly/quarterly/semiannual/yearly milestones to track your progress.
12. Start working on it right away and never stop.

Good luck. YMMV.

Guys i need a job, my situation sucks.

I know ambition is the key to achieving success in life but i don’t have it. How do i go about this?

I don’t even know how to go about applying, i dont have a bank account, i have nothing, no transportation either. I know absolutely nothing.

How do gain ambition?! Im lowkey scared cuz my dad has no ambition and he’s amounted to nothing his entire life.

My interest is real estate, i want own an apartment complex one day.

My goal with the money is to make sure me and my family(if i have one) are well, and then the rest is to be given back to the community through donations to charites, community events and that sort of thing.

ive been homeless or staying with relatives on and off for years as a minor. at 18, i got my first job making $12/hr full time while finishing high school. i escaped unsafe hotel living the year after because a private landlord took a chance on me and i had saved just enough for rent plus a deposit. since then i’ve started college through financial aid and worked a second job in the food industry. a few days ago i received a job offer for nearly 60k salary at 20 while still attending college. i did not receive any referrals, consider myself to be lucky that i even scored an interview with my short experience. i’m really hoping i dont mess this up. this is the most money my parents or i would have ever touched. i dont even know what to do with my ‘savings’ i know i have the opportunity to save more now, but im too paranoid to place money anywhere outside my checking account.. further investing feels too dangerous

Going to stay with my parents for safety and monitor but I can’t afford my home if I am struggling to find a job. Firstly I live in a vacation town in Southern New England. It’s 8 minutes to the beach but absolutely doesn’t stop our 20,000 residents from going to go to 50,000 and housing is limited to say the least. I can’t afford to live there and can’t work a job I have been coming up as I will be recovering from serious medical treatment. I cannot afford to or have the energy of the kind of help I need to use a storage vicinity and cannot sell.

Here’s my discussion with all of you because I’m on the fence. Normally I would hustle and take a waitress, job, Instacart (done that), build websites, graphic design, walk dogs, house sit, elder care, fencing referee. Short this of side hustles. I might be about to answer phones for a company 🤷‍♀️

I cannot not stand for long, I have medium brain fog from medications and absolutely no driving.

If I properly secure my house (will not do Airbnb or VRbO) what do you think with locks that I can do to keep an income until I get better? I’m thinking my bedroom, closet, garage, office and basement. Since it is a house share I would let them know 2 days in advance I was coming. It is not a full house rental which I would state clearly but I would almost never be there. They would have 2 bathrooms, 2 furnished bedrooms one with a full bed other with trundle twins and crib all linens and towels. Additionally full kitchen all appliances and utensils, leather sectional couch, large tv, wifi and full dining room. 1200sqf of just them. Large backyard, 2 driveways, walk to downtown including vintage theater and restaurants, library, gothic library, huge park and a beautiful drive to the many beaches (including secret ones only locals know)

Trust me I am not a big spender anyways. Any comment in either direction will help but mostly concerned about my idea of renting and any money I can make while disabled because I don’t believe I can pay the full mortgage while I’m removing 3 rooms even though it’s everything they need.

I would rent it as a house share so I can grab important things with a 2 days notice. Mostly basement because it has its own entrance.

Be kind I’m going through a lot and I’m very scared. I genially want your opinions!

This isn’t a fear mongering post! It’s honestly about my own ineptitude.

I am in tons of debt and am living beyond paycheck to paycheck and regularly am - 3 digits just days after payday and limp to the next week until the process repeats. I don’t eat out because I’m always in the negative. I live in the cheapest “safe” area I can. The only places I drive are to work and back. I maybe eat two small meals a day. I haven’t ran my heat/AC since December. I also started wearing more of my clothes and only doing laundry maybe every couple of weeks. Yet I’m still struggling.

I need to get back on track.

My rent is already high and it’s only probably going to get higher. My electric and water bills are insane (my complex lied to me so I went 6 months without paying water and owe them over $500.) and will probably only get higher. Food is expensive. Gas is expensive. Everything is expensive and getting worse. I clearly don’t have a safety net and I don’t know how to even start building one. I get a small amount saved and next thing you know it’s gone. I think I finally get credit cards paid down but nope here comes something else and I use that limit back up (and interest is super high because I killed my credit the few months I was unemployed which is where most of the sinkhole began forming).

I try to figure out how to save and all I hear is an echo chamber of “budget budget” or scoffs calling me irresponsible and lazy but when I ask how to budget or other advice they just stare blankly at me and change the subject.

I’m not looking for pity I am just overwhelmed and close to my breaking point. With each day it becomes clearer I need to get my life together sooner rather than later. I currently work in the gaming (gambling) industry too so I know that isn’t a safety net if things go south.

I really don’t know where to start. I opened a separate savings account that doesn’t automatically draw overdrafts and try to force myself not to touch that money but I still only have like $60 in it. I generally try to put $20 minimum each check but it usually gets transferred back the same day. I work nights and am in school full time so a second job isn’t an option for me as I already run on too little sleep.

I’m sorry this is so long but I appreciate any advice anyone has! I genuinely want to climb my way out of this.

My parents are separated , and I currently live with my aunt. I'm trying my best to be independent because i really dont want to be a burden to them. Any advice would help

I don’t even know where to begin but I’m a 17 year old South African girl, I’m currently in matric and I’d say I’m doing okay, I managed to get a 77% average in term one with subjects including business studies, maths, physics and life science. However this post isn’t about my marks it’s about my current living situation at home. I always got what I wanted growing up, never did I hear the words “we can’t afford it” I do acknowledge that I grew up much more fortunate compared to other kids in my area. My parents owned a taxi business which they decided to close a couple years ago. Obviously as a teen that makes you wonder “where will money come in now?” However that wasn’t the case, we continued to live the lifestyle we knew untill last year. My dad decided to renovate our house, this costed him roughly R700k and obviously we had to make some lifestyle changes as R700k isn’t a small amount of money. Everything was okay until august of last year, it was noticeable that money is running low as now things we could afford before we couldn’t anymore, like ordering take out every weekend and so on…. I don’t remember much but September was okay, it was late October where things started to get tense again. The fridge would look emptier than usual and it was obvious that money was tight again. However my dad would reassure us that his “clearance” was coming and we shouldn’t worry; till this day I don’t know what that means but all I knew is that it did come. Around November things started to go back to normal and I thought our days of struggling where over, December was great we were out every weekend and had money to spend, however when January came things started getting bad again, it was the beginning of the year so I expected it you know? Then February came, I questioned if we will be throwing a party for my sibling and my mom said that they simply can’t afford anything right now and we should wait a week because my dads “clearance” is coming, still not knowing what that means we waited, February went by and so did march. We struggled the most in march, I still was able to carry school lunch money but instead I saved it because I knew things were going bad again, when I asked my mom about our current situation she said everything will be okay at the end of mid march, it’s now April and this is the worst it has gotten, I don’t have money because I spent it all on my sister as I promised her if our parents don’t get her anything for her birthday I would. As of today there is nothing in the fridge at home, not a single fruit or even vegetable. My parents are always at home I mean from what they tell me they have never had actual jobs. School starts soon so I’m glad I’ll have a distraction, but I also don’t want to sit around and let poverty consume me, I simply won’t let that happen. But again I feel so stuck, I want to get a job yes but where do I even begin? Will I able to balance it with my matric work? I started looking at free courses online and I found one I’m interested in which is about cyber security, never in my life have I been so scared. University applications opened and I’m yet to apply, I wanted to apply for law but now the situation at home makes me think if my parents can even afford taking me to uni. I definitely want a remote part time job part as im pretty good with computers but I’m so discouraged as people with degrees don’t even have jobs in our country, what do I do I’m so scared.

So a little backstory, I (49 M) lost my job in Jan of 2024 and have been looking for work ever since. I use a cane due to an arthritic left knee, arthritic ankles and edema in both lower legs. I have applied for disability but it is currently in appeals. Job interviews are few and far between and they are not impressed when I come in using a cane. I have been evicted from my apartment due to non payment of rent now going on 6 months. Have tried to get housing assistance but since I am under age 52 and have no kids, they don't even really want to talk to me. Technically I am suppose to be out by this weekend with no place to store what stuff I do have. It seems like my own family has completely abandoned me, hell can't even seem to get them to help me move out. I am at my wits end

I am a third year biology student and ever since I enter college, I funded all the things I needed including food and bills.

I work as a virtual assistant, and it has been really hard, but I persevered. But now, I got fired from work due to time constraints as I am getting to work for my thesis. Finding new job has been really difficult for me. Especially now that I am going to have the OJT sooner or later and think about how can I afford the expenses.

Now I'm at my lowest point in life. I am financially, physically, and emotionally drained. I wish I have the privilege as other people. I wish I didn't have to go to school thinking about how to get through a week.

But no. I don't have everything in a single platter. I don't have parents to support me with my expenses. And I now I don't have the means to support myself.

Maybe I should drop in college..

I will try to be concise. A year and a half ago my sibling and their partner were living separately from my mother. My sibling became disabled and the two of them fell extremely behind on rent (11k) and somehow by the grace of something we’re not evicted and only asked to leave. A few months ago the partner dumped my sibling which has sent them into an incredibly suicidal spiral. On top of that my sibling and their service animal are now currently living with my emotionally abusive and clinically depressed mother. She’s been unable to hold work her selves and is constantly on the verge of being evicted herself.

My sibling has been doing their best to seek medical treatment (virtually impossible on the state Medicare) to get themselves into a position to work again and improve their situation but it’s been extremely slow going. They spend most of their time in their car trying to escape our mother.

Two days ago the car was repo-ed and they’re on the hook for 12k to get it back. Not a single person in our family has that kind of money and now they have nowhere to be, no way to get to doctors appointments, get around in general. Their disability prevents them from being able to do much. (Severe nerve damage)

We’ve come to the conclusion that they need to get away from our mother and extended family wont help until they can get away from our mother due to her past history of abusing their financial help.

What are their next steps? They can’t drive anywhere because the car is gone. They can’t go to shelters because of the service animal.

I don’t have any resources or space. I live in a tiny apartment with credit too bad to get another one and with my own pets. I also live paycheck to paycheck with a huge backlog of issues just waiting to ruin me.

What plan can I make with them to help them get their life back on track. I’ve already been helping them a tiny bit with money for food. Letting them figure it out themselves will result in them dead as they already have absolutely no will to live and things keep getting very tangibly worse.

TLDR: mother is abusive irresponsible and uncooperative. Suicidal Sibling had their last resource (car) repo-ed and we have no other familial resources to draw on.

Editing to add that I live a few states away. Please help we are at a total loss.

Edit: adding that they’re on the spectrum and have bipolar on top of all of this which adds extra levels of difficulty.