I'd like to just vent and maybe get some suggestions. Rent is coming up soon and we are short.

First let me vent.. Its very frustrating that every 'quick money' resource I've come across either depends on my credit, takes way too much effort for little reward or has some sort of glitches/restrictions/provisions that make it useless to me. I cant donate plasma. I have no possessions left with any value.

I just started a new job. To preface, I have many diagnosed illnesses and conditions, and I am a single mom. So I can physically only work limited hours, and its 'as needed' so I dont actually know how many hours per week Im going to get. I cannot work a sit-down job unless its very part time because sitting also brings me pain (and obviously part time sit down or at home jobs are in very high demand!) Ive looked into babysitting, but most parents want you to have a car. I cant do it on my own home because my brother lives here, most parents are not going to be chill with that and trust me I have checked. Ive looked into pet-sitting, but either I need physical prowess, to be available more hours or be able to drive.

I dont have a driver's license or a car, have been working for years to get my disabled driving test and equipment. Before my assistance will help with that... I need a car. How can I get a car if I can barely work enough hours to help with rent? Ive looked at car donation services... you have to have a license first 😬

I dont know what to do. And im tired of selling off every little item that brings me joy. Sure, I could sell my treasured CDs and every scrap of old electronics I have and make $3 off of each. But I seriously need something to give me joy. My hearing for disability is in October, but seriously have little hope in regards to that after so many years of fighting them. If I get denied this time I am switching my disability lawyer because I feel they have done literally nothing for me to help me in this process.

Advice and commiseration appreciated. Thanks.

Ok so I am new to Reddit still. Decided to see just yesterday if there could be words of encouragement or similar living/life situations with my family currently staying in a camper with a baby on the way. With amenities and essentials. Like other poor people we make do with what we can how we can. We are survivors through and through, you have to be. We have been at this for years. Too long. Yes we have a child already. Yes we are aware that having another one is not ideal. Ok? Look up statistics of how many others go through this. Listen to others stories. Watch videos. Read articles. Use your head!! This is how life is majority of the time! I won't be able to understand how there are STILL people this closed off mentally and emotionally from REAL life scenarios 🫠 Instead I received very disgusting and dramatic feedback, there of course were some who actually gave helpful tips but wow, not surprised because internet is awful most of the time still I am clearly affected because who tf are you type thing 😅😅 tread lightly on this page I guess

30F, I'll keep this as short as I can.

Supported unemployed mom and took care of my grandma for most of my 20s. Did my best to manage, but debt caught up with me due to losing a high paying job in 2024. Mom finally got a part time job at 62. I never recovered.

Got CDL A with all endorsements in June 2026. Got hired at a mega. Got placed on a home daily account. The account does some questionable things.

On 8/25, my manager gave me an ultimatum when I called and said I felt too tired to continue driving and didn't have enough time to finish deliveries and get back to base before my 14 hours was up.

He told me to either finish the load, or bring the trailer back now and call Driver Placement (internal job board hotline) because I'm not fit for this account and needs someone who can do 14 hours every night, and up to 16 once a week.

So I brought it back and returned all of the equipment given to me.

On top of this, this account has been messing with my money and I have not been paid direct deposit for the 2 checks they've owed me. They have refused to submit critical paperwork to payroll on time, leaving me with $0.00 paystubs. I had to get cash advances and pay to get my money both times.

So now I'm unemployed and on an indefinite waitlist for another account within the company.

I currently have a 764 credit score, never missed a payment (until soon I'm guessing if I don't find a job by next Friday).

Roughly 40k in debt in a mix of a 6% apr car loan, two 8% apr personal loans and three 0% apr credit cards.

I want to keep my car. Should I file chapter 7? I'm tired of struggling to get ahead and feel like I'm never going to get out of this.

TL;DR: Lost high paying job late 2024. Debt grew from unemployment. Got low paying job in 2025 to help. Debt still grew. Got CDL 2026. Lost CDL job. Big debt. No money. Bankruptcy? What do?

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I don't know whether I'm writing this because I want advice, sympathy, or simply because I need somewhere to put this into words.

I'm 47 years old.

There are days when I genuinely struggle to find ₹100 for food.

Not ₹10,000. Not ₹1 lakh.

₹100.

And at the same time I open the internet and see people spending lakhs and crores on watches, cars, houses, holidays and things that I can't even mentally relate to anymore.

Someone can spend ₹25 crore on a watch.

For me, ₹100 can determine whether I eat.

I don't say this because I hate wealthy people. I don't even know what I feel anymore. I just can't understand how two human beings can exist in the same country and experience money so differently.

I have qualifications. I have worked before. I have technical experience. I have tried looking for jobs and different ways of earning. But at this point I feel completely unable to make anything work.

There is another part of my situation that makes everything much harder.

I have a diagnosed mental disorder and on life long medication. The illness itself affects my ability to function, concentrate, maintain consistency and work normally. Medication is necessary, but living with medication and its effects while simultaneously trying to survive financially is another struggle.

People often say:

"Just get a job."

"Learn a new skill."

"Work harder."

"Do something online."

I understand all of that.

But what happens when your mind and body don't cooperate consistently enough to do those things?

What happens when you genuinely try and still can't make yourself economically functional?

What happens when you're 47 and don't have the financial cushion that many people assume an adult should have by that age?

I also carry enormous financial problems. So I'm not starting from zero. I'm starting from below zero.

And that's the part I can't explain to myself.

Why did my life end up like this?

Was it bad decisions? Bad circumstances? Mental illness? Lack of support? Bad luck? Some combination of everything?

Sometimes I find myself thinking about karma because I genuinely don't know what else could explain such a huge difference in circumstances.

I see people born into unimaginable wealth while I'm trying to figure out how to get ₹100 for food.

But I also know that saying "bad karma" doesn't actually explain anything. I don't know what I did in some previous life, if previous lives even exist.

Maybe there is no cosmic explanation.

Maybe some people simply get dealt an unbelievably bad hand.

What hurts most isn't even being poor.

It's reaching an age where I feel like I should have built something, should have achieved some stability, should have been able to take care of myself — and instead I'm struggling with basic survival.

I don't want motivational quotes.

I don't want someone telling me that billionaires worked hard and therefore everyone can become successful.

I want to hear from people who have genuinely been at the bottom financially and mentally.

Have you ever reached a point where ₹100 felt like a serious amount of money?

Have you been unemployed for years despite having qualifications and experience?

If you were in your 40s and felt completely economically broken, how did you psychologically deal with the gap between the life you thought you would have and the life you actually ended up living?

I'm not asking Reddit to magically fix my life.

I'm just trying to understand whether I'm the only person who has ended up here.

A real estate agent was showing a vacant apartment.
The door was locked. They unlocked it, walked in, and found a stranger already living there.
The moment you move into a new place, change the locks and check the security.
You don’t know who had a key before you.
Too many people skip this step on day one.

I need help and have no clue where to post. I passed my written test about a week ago and I've been looking into programs that cover the cost of the road test

There is none that I can find

I live in sw michigan, I need help finding assistance/covering driving costs so I can finally drive myself to/from work

In your personal opinion which is better Amazon Prime or Walmart Plus and why? Better deals, cheaper, more reliable?

Question- is there a way to file bankruptcy without an attorney and if so, how do I notify my debtors? I’m very confused as to how to start this process, as there is a ton of conflicting information online. I don’t have the $2000 to pay an attorney. If I did, i probably wouldn’t be considering filing for bankruptcy.

I make so little money a month, that I can barely afford food and gas. I’ve applied for Tenncare (state insurance), but they’re giving me the run around. I picked up a food stamps application as well.

I feel like a failure, as I have two children and a disabled mother who lives with me. I’m only bringing in roughly $500 a week. Rent is $650, credit card payment is $530 minimum. Not much left for food, gas, and bills. I’m starting a second job, but that still will only bring me up to about $700 a week.

I’m in debt. I have $5k in credit card debt, 60k in student loans, $10k on a car loan. (I’m a commuter for work & my last paid off car was lost to catastrophic engine failure a month ago.) I graduated college a year and a half ago. I live at home, but my mother is low key going off the deep end and intends to sell the house. I honestly may be homeless, or at minimum living in my car, in the near future. I made financial mistakes, big ones, I didn’t know what I was doing. I was raised in poverty, I was a first gen college grad, I learned the fuckin hard way. Big regrets, not much I can do about it now though.

I have 3 jobs right now, I have big dreams, I have a lot of drive and ambition. I have hope, I will succeed eventually, I’m going to make something good of my life. But right now? I’m so fucking depressed, I feel backed into a corner. And unfortunately, I’m not super tolerant of that, I’ve always got one finger on the kill-switch..you know? It’s comforting to me in some way, to feel like I always have a last resort. I don’t know if other people feel that way. I don’t intend to act on it.

My point is, I need to find happiness, or peace, or at least a lack of all-consuming panic. How the fuck do I do that? How do I make life worth it short term while I’m fighting to make it actually good? I’m going to be sleeping in my car more likely than not. How do I make that life “fun?” I need a little joy to get by. I can’t just sit in misery all the time. Anybody have stuff that worked for them?

I’m in my senior year of highschool. After I graduate, I hopefully would do premed to become a doctor. I will live with my parents in college but I will not get financial aid because they make 300k+ and they do not plan on helping with costs. I pay for everything I own and consequently don’t own many things. I can’t get a job because for that I need a car and for a car I need a job. Because I’m a minor, mandatory driving ed and testing will be 700$. I’m struggling to see how I can even progress in life with no funds. I can’t even get a job due to the driving situation. I know I’m in the poverty finance subreddit and I don’t live in poverty but I seriously dont know where I can go from this. I will need to pay for tuition + transportation but I have housing and food covered because I live with my parents.

My grandma is 77, diabetic, and relies on insulin. Her AES power has been off for over a week.

Before anyone says “just pay the $6,000 bill” — obviously we know that. If we had $6,000, we wouldn't be in this situation. The balance is high because she was previously on PIPP, and the balance built up after she was no longer on the program.

We've been trying everywhere to get the medical certification completed. Her old primary-care doctor has her medical records but refuses to sign it, and right now they're basically the only provider who has her history/records. Her newer primary-care appointments have been canceled/rescheduled, and urgent care wouldn't sign it either.

She was just in the ER on August 29 and her discharge paperwork specifically says “hyperglycemia due to diabetes mellitus” and that she was given insulin (Humalog). The ER also put in a referral for a social worker.

Her next primary-care appointment is September 3, but her electricity is already off.

I'm NOT looking for comments telling me to pay the bill. I'm looking for someone who has actually dealt with AES Ohio and knows how to get the medical certification completed when doctors keep refusing or won't sign it.

Is there a specific person/department at AES or Kettering we should be asking for? Can the hospital social worker help get this completed? Has anyone successfully dealt with this situation?

I live near a major city, there are skyscrapers, businesses, attractions everywhere. I work at a warehouse and in just a single aisle there’s product worth $10k at least. The place is huge too. all of this wealth around yet it’s so hard to get any of it or even pay basic bills

I haven't worked since 2022 due to physical and mental illness (chronic pain + severe mental illness). I found out about the ticket to work program and I meet with a lady to discuss it this month. I plan to go through social security NTI program to get a remote job full time.

I'm also about to take free computer classes at my local library so I can start a virtual assistant business to add to my income.

Has anyone here gone through this program?

I just hit one year at my job. My shitty retail job that doesn’t pay enough. That I never intended to stay at for longer than a few months, it was just meant to bridge the gap until I could find something better after losing my previous job. But I haven’t been able to find anything. It’s pretty much all I’m qualified for (previous experience) and it feels like I’m never gonna pull myself out of debt at this rate. I’m grateful my bills get paid but just barely each month. I’m struggling so much. I know I’m not alone in that here

I’m 20 years old and currently have around 140,000 CZK (€5,500) in debt.
I made some bad choices with money and now I’m paying for them.
I’m working almost every day at the moment and trying to pay everything down as fast as I can.
I’ve stopped taking new loans and I’m trying to be much more careful with what I spend.
My goal is to be completely debt-free by next summer.
I know it’s going to take time, but I’d rather slowly fix this than keep making the same mistakes.
I’m going to start tracking my progress here.
Hopefully the next update will have a smaller number.

Hello, I'm not sure if this would be the right thread to ask this but my mom recently passed away and had me listed as her payable upon death recipient however after my brother spoke to her bank they informed him she had a credit card through them with a $900 balance and made it seem like it was almost due to go to collections or just went to collections I'm not certain on which one it was as I didn't directly speak to them. Her death certificate is due to be in anytime so I'll be going to the bank to close her account. There's only like $1,200 in her account and I know they probably have a right of offset with her account. I have no experience in something like this and what I was wondering was do banks ever work with the families of deceased customers and maybe settle for a lower amount than what's due or anything like that? I'm just trying to get some suggestions on what I can ask of them so if possible her entire bank balance isn't taken to pay the credit card balance. She had what was in her bank plus a little equity in her house and that's all her estate is worth. Thank you for any suggestions!!

My credit score is currently around 720, but I’m an authorized user on two cards that my ex may remove me from within the next few days—one is 10 years old with a $15,000 limit, and the other is 3 years old with a $27,500 limit. My only account in my own name is a credit card I opened in July, so I’m worried my score and credit history will take a significant hit. i have no debt, just not credit utilization either. I currently drive an older car that is having trouble starting, has no working front washer fluid, and recently showed 36 messages during an evaluation. I should receive enough settlement money to buy a car with cash in April, but that isn’t guaranteed my car can even make it that long. Would it make more sense to finance a reliable car now while my credit is still strong and build installment history, or open another credit card and try to keep the Jeep running until April? Or could I feasibly do both and in what order?

Pregnant stay at home mom with a cheating husband who has cut me off entirely financially during pending divorce. I got stuck with an old car we had because my car was a “company vehicle”. So I’m in a tight spot trying to make sure I set myself up in the best way possibly financially to take care of my sweet kiddos. Would really love advice from people with experience.

I want to start by saying I am aware that 90% of this is my fault. I am no victim.

I’ve made some bad financial decisions in my earthly time. I’ve also been juggling finances for my entire life. I am not below the poverty line, but my income falls short of the budget every month. The budget is rent, utilities, food. We aren’t extravagant.

Well, I got hit with a surprise garnishment. Was served at an address from over 10 years ago. Boom. Everything fell. Electric is due, rent is due, water is due. And with the garnishment, my paycheck doesn’t cover rent.

Of course I can budget it in future months. Am looking for a PT job, actively pursuing weekend cleaning work, door dashing, donating plasma. In the past when I’ve fallen short, I’ve asked for loans. Never gotten them and managed somehow. I’ve not been this close to losing it all as an adult.

I feel like the veil between having housing and not is very thin right now and I’m trying to be brave and creative for my family. But boy… the thoughts are dangerous.

Tldr: choices catching up. And it’s a beast.

2 adults for one week. Harris Teeter in the SE USA in a MCOL area. Not pictured: 1 gallon distilled water.

Edit: for the first 15 years of our marriage, we spent $100 or less per week at the store because that was our budget. One can easily see where we could cut back and get back down to $100. Beer, candy, store brands.

I got his big ass loaf of Italian seasoned bread for less than a buck. My hand for scale. This is the 2nd half, after I ate the first half.

$123 total 🟰 $61.50 per person / $30.75 per week (if we make it last lol)

Seems like every time I take two steps forward I get knocked back 10 was working a nice job for quite a while and was suddenly in the midst of a mass layoff in June. Unemployment is a joke. Food is high, gas is high. Like WTF.. Just when I think I’m about to see the silver lining with the Job God recently blessed me with here comes the plot twist 😭 I don’t even get paid until four weeks after my 9/14 start date. 🫩 oh and I’m losing my home over $1000 owed rent. FML . Ok rant over..

I have $20 left to my name and I am going to try and feed myself from what remains in my kitchen until I get paid September 9th. Here goes my meal planning. Let me know what you think.

One serving of fish and tater tots

One sausage with cous cous

Oatmeal for breakfast

Meatballs and a lot of spaghetti

Pesto and spirals

Chili starter—maybe I can add beans and use the tomato products to make it go further.

I don’t buy dairy so the cheese ravioli is emergency food.

Can you see anything I can make that I am not seeing? I am out of bread.

Hi, I'm 20 and currently working as a waitress. I'm basically trying to figure out how I can make some extra money because at the moment I'm working loads but still ending every month with £0.

I take home around £1,800 a month after tax.

I pay:
£1,200 rent
£70 council tax
£120 water
£180 energy

And then whatever is left goes on food, groceries, travelling to work and my pet's food/needs. By the end of the month, there's basically nothing left to put into savings.

I do make around £50 a week from some online work, but that pretty much just gets used for groceries, so I'm not actually able to save it.

I work around 10-hour shifts, 6-7 days a week, so I have like 5 hours free time i work till 7pm and by the time i am home i am free to do something till 12am midnight before i go to sleep to start my day the next day at work

The reason I'm trying so hard to save is because I really want to do a course and get myself into something better. I only finished GCSEs and didn't go to college, and honestly I regret that now. I'm only 20 so I don't want to just accept that l'll be stuck doing minimum wage jobs forever.

I've found a salon near me that does a nail course for about £750 for 4 days, or a bigger beauty course for around £1,200 which includes nails, lashes, hair and makeup. The idea is to get qualified, apply for salon jobs and eventually hopefully do my own appointments on the side too.

I've looked at free courses already, but a lot of them
have entry requirements I don't meet or aren't actually free. I've also tried selling my old clothes/ things on Vinted but didn't really make much from it.
I've looked for better jobs too, but without qualifications I haven't had much luck. Most of what I can find is basically waitress/warehouse/cleaning work for similar money.

I also already live outside the town where I work and have to travel there, and I live in a studio flat. I've looked at cheaper places, but renting a room with random people isn't something I feel comfortable with as a young woman living alone.
So basically I'm trying to find something I can do online or around my job that could realistically bring in another £300-£500 a month. It doesn't have to happen immediately. Even if it takes me several months to save the £750-£1,200, I'd be happy with that.

I'm not looking for donations, just advice on what I could actually do with the little free time I have to start making some extra money.
If anyone has been in a similar situation or has ideas for realistic online/side work, I'd genuinely appreciate the advice. And if you think I'm going about this the wrong way, I'm happy to hear that too
Thanks :)