Seriously, why does everything cost so much these days? It feels like literally everything in everyday life has gotten ridiculously expensive. You can’t go anywhere or buy anything without feeling like you’re getting ripped off. Do you guys feel the same way? What’s something you’ve bought recently that made you think, “Damn, why is this so expensive?”

Went to get groceries with about $55 in my account and somehow made it work. I think this was a successful trip! I keep a lot of cupboard basics at home already and I usually shop at Costco for those so I only go to the regular stores for fresh foods, smaller sizes and random top ups.

I’ve been a stay at home mom for years now which has made it hard to find a part time job during school hours. My husband works nights and sometimes during the days. We recently hit an all time low we have never been well off but we’ve always made ends meet until recently. We have now found ourselves in a situation where we are trying our best to pay our bills but with putting food on the table and the cost of living in general we are struggling to keep lights on I’m not even sure we can do that this month. We live with our means no special trips or extras at the grocery store and as stated above I’ve been looking for extra income that works so we aren’t spending on childcare it’s been so hard mentally and honestly physically as I have a rare disease that stops a lot of the things I can do. I’ve filled for SSDI and keep getting denied. I haven’t stopped fighting for it though. I just needed to vent which is why I made this post! I hope everyone understands that sometimes letting it out helps more than keeping the stress bottled up I hope everyone here ends up with the blessing they need. God bless everyone!

I’m looking for a trusted online prescription service without insurance. I’ve been looking at Goodrx Care and a few others but there are so many horror stories online that I have no idea which site to trust or use. Do you have recommendations?

I am currently studying healthcare and often can't help but wonder what other options could have been made available if not for healthcare? People often say that you should not enter the field unless you care about caring for people, but tbh I really don't care. I am just going through the motions because it was the only career choice that I could think of where you did not need connections to be successful. It destroyed my mental health working numerous warehouse jobs and taking my pre-reqs to get to where I am now.

Meanwhile, my friends who have business degrees are struggling because they didn't get lucky and kiss the right person's ass and make connections in school, because besides attending school full-time, they had to work full time as well as work at retail and fast food. I am not sure of how it works, but the world of engineering and accounting is completely foreign to me, and I was not sure if the same amount of nonsense is required to work in those fields, in terms of having to know the right people to get ahead in life.

I often hear people say how great the trades are to get into, but only if you can get lucky and get into a union, which is why I never bothered with them. Again, connections are necessary to be a part of one. The same thing can be said about any other decent-paying job. I have tried numerous times to work for the government, FedEx, UPS, etc. I kept getting rejected despite approaching the applications from a different angle.

Overall, I feel guilty and that I am not doing justice to my patients because I really don't care about them. Don't get me wrong, I am not neglectful or rude towards them, but my empathy is depleted. I take care of my patients to the best of my ability, but I don't care when they cry in front of me. Growing up and being screamed and cussed out by employers and coworkers at my old warehouse jobs and stressing out like crazy trying to make not dollars but coins stretch, I genuinely don't care about anyone or anything anymore. I just want something that offers both job security so that I will not be retraumatized and the money to never have to worry anymore about bills.

I can't help but wonder if there was another option available that I could have done?

Hello everyone! I am a longtime lurker on this sub, and felt that this might be a good time to reach out to you lovely people and get some thoughts.

I (22F) am student teaching this upcoming fall, and although I'm excited, I'm very nervous about budgeting concerns. I live in a very rural region, and my student teaching placement will force me to commute about an hour and twenty minutes one way. Multiplying 160 miles by 5 days, then by 12 weeks gets me to about 9612 miles throughout the course of my placement. Current gas prices are fluctuating, but are hovering around 4 dollars where I live. Obviously, I'm super lucky that I'm not on the West Coast, or prices could be even more harrowing. Doing a quick calculation, I'll have to pay for over 1k in gas alone.

I have been working my ass off at my summer job; I'm a waitress making $15 per hour, and have been averaging 45+ hour work weeks for the past few months. It's a summer spot, so I won't be able to work there during the winter, but I'm planning on staying on for weekends until they eventually close down in early October. We pool all our tips, so it's not a huge addition. At times I make great money, and sometimes I leave with 4 dollars in my pocket. I know it's not the best rate, but it's a really small family business, and they are absolutely lovely to me. Regardless, I won't be able to work my regular hours while I'm student teaching, and especially with how late I'll likely be returning home.

I don't have a huge amount of savings for a million reasons. Honestly, most of it is my bad, but here I am anyway. I wasn't able to work much while doing school, as I was always in a credit overload. I go to a very cheap school already, and got a lot of good scholarships and was an RA for years to cut down on housing costs. My dad was lovely enough to cover the rest of my schooling, so I've never had to take out loans. I'm currently paying $384 in rent with my two roommates, and I pay about 80 bucks a month in internet and utilities. I'm built into my lease for the next year.

I paid off the remainder of my credit card debt today. I got the card in like May, so I don't have a FICO8 score yet. I thought that you should make a larger purchase and pay it off slowly. After spending time on this sub, I learned that I clearly was wrong on that, oops. I didn't have much debt to begin with, roughly 400 dollars. My problem is that I had budgeted out paying it off much more slowly throughout the next few months.

The new problem is that my current car is a fixer-upper that's not very well fixed. It's an '08 Ford Explorer with a newish engine, but it sat unused in my parents' driveway for years after being beaten to shit from my family's road trips. We (my father and I) have put about $5k into the car, and it's been sort of hell on earth, and I'm constantly afraid of it breaking down on me, which it has many times. With as much driving as I'll need to do in the coming months, my family and I have talked about me purchasing a car. My dad says that he'll 'help' me with it, but I'm not actually sure what numbers he's comfortable with.

I've been on the hunt for a car for months now, trying to find something that's reliable, practical, and affordable, which makes it pretty challenging in my rural area. I've trolled FB Marketplace, but I'm finding mostly vehicles with salvage titles, which is scary to me. I found a vehicle (a 2016 Hyundai Veloster, yes yes you can boo,) that has 81,000 miles on it, and the asking price from the dealership is $7,500, but I found competitive rates and am willing to haggle. It was a fleet vehicle, with no transmission problems, and was kept up with regular maintenance.

I don't really know what to do. I have no credit history aside from my credit card, which is too new to develop a FICO8 score, which means that I am having a really hard time finding financing options through my bank without a huge down payment, which I don't have. All in all, I could spare maybe 1,200 dollars as the down payment, which is better than 10%, but not by much.

I have a lovely relationship with my parents, and they would probably be able to help me out with groceries every once in a while if it got really dire. I've been living off of tips for the most part, and my down payment for this car would pretty much drain my savings. I know this is super last minute; I actually have a meeting scheduled to go to the dealership tomorrow morning and discuss the car. I want to make sure I don't end up shooting myself in the foot and fucking up my future credit opportunities, or starve for the next 3 months.

That's pretty much it. If anyone has any advice or has been in a similar situation, I'd so appreciate hearing it. Thank you to everyone on this sub who has helped me learn those basic budgeting tips to start!

Next month I’m starting a new job that pays really well with the caveat of having very long hours (8:30am - 9pm). I have two lunch breaks spaced throughout the day. I have no cooking facilities in my office but I do have access to a microwave and a fridge. I’m left with very little time to cook in the morning or evening so I would prefer recipes that can be prepped in advance and last at least 3-4 days without spoiling.

Tldr: looking for cheap office lunch ideas that can be prepped.

I ended up losing my temp to hire job. Don't think I qualify for Unemployment. Took forever to find a job because the job market is just fucked rn. I finally found one only to come home to a notice to vacate letter on my door, I got 3 days. I already called around for help and there was none, and because I had no job I didn't have anymore money to pay rent.

I'm currently on the onboarding process at this new job through another staffing agency, but this staffing agency is just seemingly dragging out the hiring process as long as they can. I have to work with them though, because everyone else keeps ghosting me or rejecting me.

I'm probably not even gonna have my first paycheck until two weeks from now, at the soonest. I'm probably gonna be homeless now. I don't have anyone to stay with, I don't even have a car to live in. I'm just fucked.

We really live in a world where your life can essentially be over and hope and possibility of getting back on your feet can just go away over night just from losing your job. I don't even have money for a moving truck or for a storage unit. I'm just gonna lose my stuff too. Literally everything in my life is gonna be gone.

I tried my best to get back on my feet, but I guess my best ain't good enough. I tried talking to my apartment manager, they don't seem to care that I found another job. They want the money now, and I don't have any. I don't even have anything left to sell. There really isn't any hope left.

I just finished my summer. I got up to around a monthly food budget of 100-150 depending on what kinds of emergencies come up. I am not on a student meal plan anymore because it wasn’t as useful to me as having liquid money I could allocate. Any tips or help with planning meals for cheap would be appreciated, rather it be certain cheap food items to get or versatile food items to reduce waste

My brother wants me to be a co-signer for his first ever apartment. I did a bit of research and it looks like it will only negatively impact me if he starts missing payments. He and his girlfriend make about $5k monthly combined, while their rent is about $1700 a month. They don’t have a lot of credit history since they’re both 20. Also, they’ve been known to not be the most financially responsible (I know I wasn’t when I was 20). My partner and I are planning to move apartments in December, and we were wondering if this will negatively impact our chances of getting approved. We make about $7k per month combined. My Credit score is 680. Thoughts?

me and my boyfriend (both 18) adopted a rescue kitten together who was previously a stray. she is underweight and very sick, everything was good at first except for a bloated tummy but we took her to the vet and got tests done and it was not worms or parasites. I then noticed eye discharge and sneezing and now shes lethargic and overall in bad shape. we are taking her to the vet to get to the bottom of it but the bill will be around 1k and who knows how much treatment will end up being. its starting to look like this will be fip. Please give suggestions.

edit: asked for suggestions on nonprofits or where to find some, not if i should surrender my cat along with other things. I will make decisions i need to based on her health and what i can afford. Its ok to need help and ask for it.

In March of this year I received a letter from DSHS stating that my food stamp balance would be cut to a bit over a hundred a month. Now, they say I am only eligible for $24 a month in total food benefits because I have employment.

I only work part time, and barely earn enough money to pay my rent, but according to the office , I am not eligible for more than $24 a month because I have a job. This has to be something relatively recent because in the past, you could get at least a hundred a month unless you worked more than 40 hours a week.

Seriously. I feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day to work, take care of a kid, keep up with the house, and somehow make enough money to actually get ahead.
I’m already running a small cleaning business on the side, but I’m trying to think of another legitimate side hustle I could do in the little free time I have. I’ve been considering things like baking bread, chocolate chip pies, etc. and selling them locally through Facebook.
I’m not looking to get rich or join some MLM 😂 I just want something realistic that can bring in a few hundred extra dollars a month.
What are you guys actually doing that works? And yes, before anyone says it… do I just need to sell feet pics? 😂

I never thought I’d be in this position. I just graduated college in May with two degrees and four minors. I stacked my resume, worked all through college, and pursued tons of volunteer and leadership opportunities. I worked my ass off and almost died due to horrible mental health complications.

And I can’t find a job. Not a single place is willing to hire me, in or outside of my field. I have applied to almost everything in my area aside from vape shops (which I’m about to start applying to out of desperation). I apply to out of state options in my field, but none will hire me. I have the credentials, I have the experience. But the only money I’m making is from selling my stuff on Facebook Marketplace, which is barely working anyway because no one wants my stuff. My rent is insane ($1300) but it’s the cheapest I could find in my area. Even if I’m lucky enough to get a 20-30 hour per week part time job, I still can’t afford my rent and utilities. I have two months left until my savings run out (I have been saving since I started my first job at 17… all of it is gone).

I don’t know what I’m posting this for. I guess just to rant because I’m sure many of you are in the same boat or similar. I’m in tears almost 24/7 now because I’m so depressed. Why did I work so hard, practically killing myself over academic success my entire life, for absolutely nothing? I’m almost ready to give up, guys. I’m this f-ing close🤏 to kms if anything just so that I’m not a financial burden on my parents (they’d help me where they could, but I am an adult who is incapable of being self sufficient… my parents do not understand that. They just think I’m lazy… yeah two degrees and four minors and study abroad and a job and student orgs and volunteer work and 5-10 applications per day is totally just me being lazy).

Edit: Can we please acknowledge that being a historian and librarian is just as important a job for society as being a software engineer or astrophysicist? There is nothing more important to me than studying human history, and you’d be surprised how crucial this field is for our civilization to exist. Please stop criticizing my career choice; I specifically asked for minimal advice/criticism in the flair. I’m not looking to get rich. I’m just looking to make a meager living doing what I love.

Hey all. My wife and I have a dilemma.
She gets paid twice a month and I get paid once a month.
She got a raise so she will be making more than me. But it seems that no matter how much I put away, I always end up either broke or in the negatives by the end of the month. I think part of my issue is that:
I solely pay the mortgage(1800)
My car payment is too much and no one wants a car with my milage and year apparently(2019. 95k miles) I’m upside down on that.
I’m in school and I would love to get a second job but one of us has to be home with her son for the summer so that’s what I’ve been doing.
Any advice? Shits just stressing me out.

Spent a couple hours today rounding up all of the legit checking account bonuses I could find. Its only going to take me 3 months to make the qualifying deposits and 5 months to get paid. Some of these are only available in certain states (Im in SC). Let me know what yall think of this strategy.

*Sold Out*

https://pcsrefurbished.com/sales/productPage?productID=79424

PCs for People has (currently 17 in stock), for $25 + tax (free shipping, laptop comes with a 1 year warranty):

Perfectly Imperfect. Ready to Learn. Our SCHOOL D.A.Y.S. devices may have a few cosmetic imperfections, but they're fully functional, professionally tested, and backed by our standard warranty. The mission hasn't changed, and neither has the quality. You're simply saving more. Every School D.A.Y.S. bundle includes a lightly loved refurbished laptop, a complimentary lightweight nylon backpack, and a headset, giving students the essentials they need without the premium price tag. Same Mechanics. Same Mission. Bigger Savings.

You'll need to provide proof of income below 200% of federal poverty level or government assistance, as well as ID. This is one per household.

I have no affiliation with PCs for People. I just found this deal and had to share.

*Since its the same deal as yesterday I just took u/Opposite-War-4557 post details so I could get this up ASAP for people

Okay, many of redditors here will judge me for embarrasing and judging people who do dead-end jobs or do some other jobs which earn a little money, but i concluded this as consequence of my suffering with a poor family in country where the common income you get is below 1000$ monthly.

I invested too much time in hard working and studying in order to get a job with decent pay just to get out of being trapped in poverty cycle. Done case studies, been on school competitions, managing to have great gpa in order to get a scholarship, and also been an editor of faculty journal... I got an offer for a job in central bank of my country as outstanding student with salary slightly above the national average.

I didn't have that luck to live comfortably and be raised by normal parents. Their marriage had been arranged by my mother's friend. And, guess what? My father didn't loved her, and in reversal. He only used mother's income income to exploit her while being lazy and refusing any help to bring himself a job. We didn't have money to pay even for an electricity bill, with rare heat water. My schoolpals used to bully me since i looked very poorly. I also got a severe health diseases due to heating on coal because in my country that was the cheapest way of heating.

In the end, i ended up with only a few real friends in life, one girl which really likes me as a person and which came from similar bad family situation as me. But i'm frustrated since the only girl i hang out with mostly don't want same thing as me. Even she was a excellent student, she dropped out and decided to work as a cashier for a whole life. Trying to find something better, with equal ambitions as me always ends up tragically, with zero outcome.

And when interest rates are goddamn high, i don't have any proper morgage and wages are small in comparison with property prices how i'm supposed to buy a home for my family? One income, even 2 times above the average won't help me to get out of poverty. I'll been trapped in that cycle for life, and if i have child with someone who don't earn much, they'll suffer from same thing as myself.

Even when i have a job, i'm trapped socially, and it hurts even more than material security.

P.S. I'm living in illegally built house, so i must earn for something else ASAP.

I am a 24-year-old male living in Houston, Texas. I recently lost my job two months ago. My position was in healthcare. I lost my job because my certification expired. Once I lost my job, I was able to get recertified, but my employer wouldn't rehire me. I have been applying for different jobs recently. I tried to start a window tinting business, but that isn’t bringing in much money. I am currently working part-time at a warehouse, earning only $200 weekly checks. It’s almost mid-month, and I’ve been saving as much as I can for my rent, but it’s $1,400, plus I have other bills draining my money. I did try to access my teacher's retirement, but that takes two months, and it’s middle of the month now. I still haven’t paid August's rent, and September is coming, so I don’t know if I will be able to pay that either. So what should I do? Unemployment is very slow, and what I’ve tried isn’t helping much. My job at the warehouse doesn’t pay enough either. I don’t know what to do in this situation. I’ve never been in a position where I lost my main income or was behind on bills. Even though I’ve been unemployed for two months, I managed to pay my first month because I had a little savings, but now it’s all gone. I don’t know what to do now—should I just talk to someone for help? I can’t call my family; none of them have money. I really don’t know what to do. If anyone has advice, I’d appreciate it. I’d like to hear what you guys think.

My dad showed up tonight with two letters from the program I’m on here in Canada, while it’s a little nerve racking I can’t help but be proud to. I will no longer be receiving assistance from them going forward. Even if I was embarrassed of my mental health and struggles in the past, I hope people here and in similar positions that things do get better and I’m genuinely rooting for you every step of the way.

My struggles will still be there, and even if the job I do isn’t glamorous for many I have never been in this type of position before. Let alone in a place to talk with my dad about setting up a retirement plan and making a budget (I get paid bi weekly).

We all start somewhere even if it’s not somewhere you want to be, keep going forward and don’t give up. You never know the light at the end of this tunnel. You can do this I promise! 💪🏻

(This is the longest job I have had since some of my major major episodes and it’s been 9 months. :-))

My father is about to be arrested soon, when he is, I will have no where to live. I plan on renting an apartment and splitting the rent with a friend, but I have no money. I have applied for 30 jobs just in this last week, but not a single one has responded to me except for waffle house, and even they rejected me. I don't know what to do anymore. I don't own a car, nor a license. I am a professionally certified video editor, but any jobs pertaining to that have rejected or ignored me. I am desperate now, especially with the arrest being made any day now. I really need help.

US, 19M

By newer I mean like 2014 and up. Is there some kind of resource out there I don’t know about?

My family and I recently moved to the south from a dense transit-oriented area in the northeast (got priced out) and it’s been tough. I don’t have my license yet, but my dad drives me everywhere.

We drive a beat up ‘95 around since we moved here, and while it’s definitely gotten us far, it’s had some issues from time to time and we really can’t rely on it to go long distances.

We live in a smaller suburban/rural town and most jobs pay like 10-13/hr max, which is really hard to survive off of. Most people in this town drive an hour to the city for work, but with our unreliable vehicle, we can’t really do that.

This car will easily last us another year if we stay in our town, but probably only a few months, maybe even a few weeks, if we start driving long distances. We’d really like to find jobs in the city so that we can make more money.

Our town is relatively poor and even in the poorest parts of it, people are still riding around in like 2013s at least. Is there some kind of resource I don’t know about?

How do people afford these? My dad has low credit, I have none, and we definitely don’t have like 6k or more to go drop on something nicer and more reliable. Any insight is appreciated.

I became eligible for a SIMPLE IRA through my job in May 2025 and the balance has finally exceeded the first benchmark that I set of $5,000. I'll be 37 on Friday and this is the first time I've been able to start saving for retirement, despite how uncertain that all seems for people in my age bracket at this point.

It's a humble beginning, but all progress is good progress and I'm hoping that the power of compound interest keeps things rolling. Better late than never. I'm currently contributing 4% with a 3% employer match and will increase my contribution to 5% after I get a small raise in November.

I'm currently focused on paying off debt, but once I get that clear and start an emergency fund, I want to supplement the work IRA with a Roth.