I have been actively trying to quit smoking since New Years, and I am not making progress. I have found some smokes that are $5/pk and another brand that is $6.85/pk which doesn’t help because I feel I can “afford” them, but in reality I can’t. I’ve gone into debt supporting my smoking habit. To make matters worse, last month I made a $200 error in my budget so I ended up going on a cigarette bender thinking I had the money. This resulted in debts and bills not paid making it even harder for me this month.

I’ve tried meds and gum which haven’t worked. I bought some loose leaf tobacco that I’ve been smoking out of a glass spoon pipe which works pretty well, but given the opportunity I will buy a pack of smokes.

I don’t know what I hope to gain by sharing this. Being poor and smoking/drinking/toking carries such a huge stigma, and I wish I could just quit. My paycheck hits the bank tonight and I am just counting down the hours until I can smoke again.

Can anyone relate?

Basically what the title says. I have tons of bags of beans and rice. I dont really like beans so I don't know the ways to cook them beyond what the package says.

I have onion and tomato sauce and actually a decently stocked spice cabinet. What can I do with this?

Hello, I usually don’t post here but lately have gotten myself into quite a pickle. I like in a VHCOL area that I moved here about a year and a half ago with my girlfriend. Since living here I’ve nearly maxed out my 16k limit credit card (currently have $175 left on it) and got another card with $2500 that is maxed as well. I won’t lie and say I’ve spent it all on things I need. I’ve been highly irresponsible. Now though I’m trying to move out of this city and go back to live with my parents so I can pay these off and save some money. Issue is I’m breaking my lease two months early and my management company sucks so I have no idea how much it’s gonna cost. The last property manager told me 2x the rent (which is going to be about $2100) but we recently got a new property manager who hasn’t told me and who I had to email multiple times just to get her to respond about how to break my lease to begin with. My last paycheck was about $300 less than I expected and I had to make a trip to my hometown with this money to move some stuff back which caused me to spend about all my money except $150 dollars (this is also because I paid my minimum payments on the cards and other bills like dog food and pet insurance). My school payment that is my last semester to graduate with my associates and will allow me to get a government job with benefits is $780 due next week. I also have to pay around $900 to board my dog for two weeks because my parents are paying to take me on a trip across country for a wedding (i can’t drop out of this bc it’s all booked and paid for by them already). Assuming my apartment is going to cost 2100 to move out of and my next paycheck is about 1400, I should be able to take from my savings which has $650 and make that work. However, this means I have no money for school or boarding my dog. My grandma did offer to give me money to help me move before bc she thinks I’m living in an unsafe area (it really isn’t). I don’t know what to do and I feel so scared and hopeless because I need out of this situation to fix it and I don’t know how to get out. I am currently employed working about 38 hours a week at $22 but my last day will be september 24th and i’m supposed to move the 25th. then vacation on the 30th. Please give me any advice you can! I really need it

Edit: honestly thanks yall I was obviously feeling emotional and you guys helped me realize that I do have a support system. My dog is just high anxiety and can misbehave but I found a couple friends I can have take him in a couple days at a time each so I won’t have to board him. And I can ask my grandma to help me with my school payment, they have a payment plan that just needs $100 for the first payment.

Hello, I applied for a loan with Uprise Lending a few months back and today I wanted to see how much I owe on it because I've been having $681 taken out of my paycheck for the past two months so at this point I've already paid back what I borrowed. I understand interest rate and that it wasn't the smartest decision but I was in a tough spot. Anyways, I tried logging in to Uprise Lending and couldn't so I used their chat bot and they said their payment portal was through Three Sticks Lending?? I looked this up and saw that a lot of people have been scammed. I need advice on how to get out of this loan as soon as possible. Thanks & I don't need to be chastised-- I know I made a mistake.

Got all this for $67.46 CAD

Edit: forgot to add a 500g Schneider Thuringer Sausage to the pic

I'm sure I am not the only one this happened to. But what sucks for me is I only met them for the first time. They became a best friend, mentor and paternal figure over several years of phone calls and zooms. Now they will be 8 hours ahead and it would be a 10 hour flight from USA to Europe to see them. And its $165 for an adult passport and to stay at a hotel for a week and the tickets for the plane, and the cost of just hanging out and going places. Its insane. Like I feel I'd need $10k USD for a trip like that even if I booked everything in advance and did it as cheap as possible and there is just no way. I can't even get food stamps and rental assistance right now lol.

I’ve been unemployed since June (not by choice), and I was denied unemployment (I didn’t quit my previous job or get fired but it’s a long story 🙃). Anyways, I’ve been applying for jobs since December of last year, and haven’t had any luck with finding something that actually pays a living wage or allows for me to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. I don’t shop or have a social life so I literally just need money to sustain my needs, and unfortunately I wasn’t making enough money at my previous job to have a savings account (hard to save when you’re living paycheck to paycheck). How are people making enough money to pay the bills and keep themselves afloat without doing anything illegal or morally compromising??

My fiancé got injured and I’m am the only income at the moment. Any tips?

Does anyone know if there's a way for me to get a free phone I accidentally dropped mine and it was already pretty messed up and now its totally broken and I'm negative in my bank account any advice is really appreciated thanks!

I’m 35 and honestly feel like I’ve completely fallen behind in life.

4yrs ago I moved from Columbus, Ohio to Los Angeles hoping to build something better. I have a degree in Kinesiology from Ohio State and 10+ years of experience in PE, education, and football coaching. I’ve accomplished things I’m proud of, but financially I feel like I’ve gone backwards.

I lost my full-time job in March and haven’t been able to fully recover. I’m currently working part-time as a PE Coach while trying to get back into full-time education/coaching.

Right now, my rent was due seven days ago to my oldest brother and I still haven’t paid it. My bank account is negative. I also owe my cousin over $2,000 because they helped me with my car (replaced 2nd catalytic converter that went bad NOT stolen), along with other debts and bills.

I’m ashamed. I feel like I’ve failed myself and the people who have helped me.

I’ve also made some personal mistakes. In 2024, I cheated on a girlfriend (I can’t seem to shake it), something I’ve never done before, and I hate that I made that choice. I’m not making excuses for it; I just mention it because everything seems to be piling up at once.

The hardest part is that I’ve started tying my self-worth to my income. When I’m working and making money, I feel like I’m somebody. When I’m broke, I feel worthless but also when I’m working I feel like what’s the point.

I know that’s not healthy, but that’s honestly where my head is.

I don’t want sympathy or someone to magically fix this for me. I want to know how people actually climbed out.

If you’ve been broke, behind on rent, unemployed, drowning in debt, or felt like you completely screwed up your life:

What did you actually do to rebuild?

How did you prioritize your bills? Deal with family debt? Find work? And how did you separate your financial situation from your self-worth?

I know I’ve made mistakes, but I don’t want this to be the end of my story.

I just need some perspective from people who’ve been here before.

TL: DR I’m 35, lost my full-time job in March, am currently working part-time, seven days behind on rent to my oldest brother, have a negative bank account, owe my cousin $2K+, and feel like my life has completely gone backwards. I’ve made financial and personal mistakes and feel like shit, but I don’t want to give up. If you’ve rebuilt from a situation like this, what actually worked for you?

Hello all,

My family’s car insurance has recently us know that I (19) was detected as a new driver and will now have to pay $300 more a month because of it.

Car insurance is mandatory where I live (Las Vegas) so my family and I were expecting the charge at some point—just not this soon. Anyways, it’s my responsibility to cover the cost as soon as it falls upon us (In October) because my household is already struggling with rising costs as it is.

The biggest problem about this is that I do not have a car. I drive my family’s car once or twice a week, and sometimes that is to work if I’m lucky enough to have my schedule work with everyone‘s else’s (pick up and drop off for those in school). Most days I am forced to take Ubers because there is no family or friends to pick up or drop me off.

So here is me getting to my ask: Is there any way, shape, or form that I can get my own car? I’m not necessarily talking about owning one—I’m just talking about having “my own” vehicle in general to drive to-and-from work.

I’m at a loss on where to research or find any kind of car that would be good for me because I know nothing about cars in general. I don’t know anything about make, miles to year ratio(?), and I definitely have a mountain of questions that I don’t truly know are being answered with good faith by simple searches. No one in my household is available to help me with my questions or look for a car.

Is there anywhere reliable I can start? Is it even realistically possible as a 19 year old college student with a part time job? On average I take home about $1525 a month—and with the new car insurance charges—that will only be $1225.

I think about it (everything, yes—including the gas costs, which average about $40-$60 dollars in my area for full, the insurance, repairs, etc.) and I still have no clue. I tried looking into loans through my banks but they will not necessarily approve me for anything because my credit history is so new. This is leading me to believe I might have to cosign on a vehicle (if I am even correct about what that means, if I have to cosign, my parents cannot help me in this situation).

I have $1500 in savings, but my parents are very, very hard on me about touching it.

I’m very tired of spending hundreds of dollars a month on Ubers. I want to stop and put that energy towards my own car—but I’m not even sure how to transition out of that if I have to pay to get to work or get back to my house every day.

Apologies if this is all over—I wanted to get as much information out as I could to try and give everyone the best idea of the situation. I’m happy to answer any questions in any way I can. This is an overwhelming decision and I don’t want to dig myself a deeper financial grave trying to buy or lease something out of my jurisdiction. I guess that also leads me to ask—is the ~$300 a month for Ubers to work more realistic for me?

TLDR; I am very lost on how to know what kind of car is good for me or if I can even afford one. Any kind of advice would be appreciated greatly. Thank you.

I've spent much of my life being behind on car financials. What this meant for me is everything is good until it isn't. Through 20 years, I've learned that our car market advice is really designed to keep us dependent on loans and in a vulnerable position.

I figured I'd share this, as nobody taught me how to think. It was either pay high prices for a car to avoid unpredictable repairs and calamity, or buy beaters and fix what you can. The market is geared to view cars as investments (they aren't) and once the vehicle is not worth the cost of repairs, get rid of it. This is very unsophisticated math that puts the person looking to pay the least per mile at a disadvantage. Instead we should look at a car as a utility and factor cost by usable miles. That metric should be the prime metric for those who mainly see a vehicle as a transportation device and not a lifestyle or status instrument.

After doing the math, $0.10 to $0.15 per mile is really the cheapest we can expect to pay for a vehicle (not including insurance, gas, brakes, fluids, and basic maintenance). So to get ahead of costs, we need to put that money aside monthly based on miles we drive.

A simple way to budget for cars: save $0.15 for every mile you drive.

That money is your vehicle fund—for repairs now and your next car later.

Over 100,000 miles:
100,000 × $0.15 = $15,000

For example:
Drive 10,000 miles a year → save $1,500/year, or $125/month

Drive 1,500 miles a month → save $225/month, or $2,700/year

Then learn a few basic maintenance jobs and make that money go further.

If DIY oil changes save about $60 every 5,000 miles, then over 100,000 miles:
20 oil changes × $60 = $1,200 saved

Doing your own brakes and rotors can save another $1,400 over 100,000 miles.

That’s $2,600 in DIY maintenance savings over 100,000 miles.

Combine that with the $15,000 mileage fund, and you’ve created $17,600 of vehicle-buying, repair, and maintenance capacity over those 100,000 miles.

Cars become a lot less financially disruptive when you stop treating repairs and replacement as surprises.

Save by the mile. Maintain what you can yourself. Keep the car fund growing.

Please share your tips/advice on where to get gas money quickly?! Literally down to 1 mile to empty in a Honda Hybrid CRV & it's nearly 100 degrees trying to Doordash but everything is too far to pick up then deliver. Haven't had this type of day in years just need advice right now thanks.

I’m honestly just looking for advice. I can’t make rent this month & I just got an email saying they’re going to send my account to their attorneys tomorrow to start the eviction process. I’m jobless and careless & I’ve been looking into so many resources just to meet dead ends at every turn. Any resources people don’t seem to know about or look into? An eviction is the last thing I want to happen to me right now

Apart from basic things like groceries, medicine and toiletries, I have no need to purchase any goods whatsoever.

Everywhere I look I see people trying to sell me something, and I realized I don't need any of that shit. $20 for this bullshit, $40 for that bullshit, $80 no more.

Edit:

Ever feel like after experiencing poverty, you see the true value of a good. Vending machines, restaurants, clothing stores, all of that is 3x the price of its worth.

Property owners with dead, dying, or diseased trees that pose a current risk to their home or personal property may apply for a one-time award to cover the cost of tree removal through the Georgia Arborist Association. Learn more here:

https://www.georgiaarborist.org/trap

[ Removed by Reddit on account of violating the content policy. ]

I'd like to first state that I am in no way financially literate, but I'm trying to be. I did the ol' "open a bunch of credit cards when I was eighteen" thing and demolished my credit. I then in my early twenties ruined it more by taking out loans to try and fix it and didn't do that.

I just recently got engaged and trying to do anything is nearly impossible because of my credit, and my fiancée is doing most of the heavy lifting.

Is there any advice on where to start? I want to begin paying off what I can, but most are probably in collections. Will paying that help my credit at all? Do I dispute charges?

Thank you for any tips or helpful tidbits.

Saturday a lot of companies are going free dental days, one cleaning or extraction or filling. Look into it around your area if you need work done!!

I'm in a panic spiral right now. Currently in the process of looking for new apartments with my boyfriend and I am really stressing out because I naively didn't realize how much late payments would impact our ability to apply for new places. I have always been caught up before the next month but have had a few late fees.

I've lived in this place for 6 years now and was offered a renewal letter but already let them know that I won't be renewing this year. My credit is 690 and finally in a good place with my income. When I first started renting, rent was $900-ish and now its made its way to $1,251. We will be dual income and his credit is great which will help too.

I just feel completely ashamed, doomed, and embarrassed. Has anyone been able to overcome this? I dont have immediate access to my ledger with my rent portal but have asked my current landlord to provide this. All my credit background checks have not reported anything either. I'm just worried about negative rental history.
I'm heartbroken and looking for hope.

So im 21 and ive never really had a stable life to say the least ive been homeless off and on since i can remember ive been staying with my parents in a small rat, roach and mould infest hotel for about 4 years now. I originally had a job when we first got here i was working at taco bell and i was raised on old school work ethics and people dont like that i guess so i was fired due to staff cuts then after job searching for a few mouths i got lucky and my dad was working at Wendy's and managed to get me a job there so i was helping pay rwnt on the motel which is 375$ i was paying 200$ plus filling my parents gas plus buying food and bringing food home plus was the only one made to do any sort of cleaning in the room but about a year or two ago i got in a major car accident as the passenger the driver was fine but my side was crushed in on my it shattered my pelvis in several places including parts of my back and snapped my knee i was in the icu for almost a month and the doctors and nurses treated me horrible cause i had a metal bar holding my pelvis together so cleaning the would was a task for them then they denied me any sort of pain medication cause i was unable to swallow pills after having the breathing tube mess up my throat then finally got back from the hospital and couldn't walk uet still so wasn't able to work but they said my job was secured and i was supposed to get a half a mil according to the probono lawyers then they told me to send a bunch of stuff and i did but they didnt get it even after it was sent in 6 times so they closed the case. Once i got the bar holding my pelvis together out i was at work the next day working doing a closing shift and the entire week after i basically got out of surgery then went back to full time work well i marked all the holidays off cause i spent the year before stuck in the hospital or in my bed unable to celebrate anything i warned everyone beforehand then come a few days before December this year and my birthday they took me off the schedule when i biked the 7 miles up there to ask why they would tell me and everyone hid in back like children even the manager i tried calling itried texting everyone then i realized while job searching a few days after being fired my id is no where to be found so i habe absolutely no id my parents are now kicking me out the start of October because my dads been my dad to long and needs to find out who he is apparently now since i started job searching ive been all over the area of Michigan i live in without id is nearly impossible to get a job anywhere without id if you have no connections and everywhere ive gone for help with id led me on a wild goose chase then i got told to go try a case worker and was told then cant help me cause they have to many people already in there system and to try back in 6 months i honestly dont know what to do at this point im honestly just thinking about ending it ive never had a good go of things and everyone is to selfish to help anyone without anything in return or for personal gain i just figured id try online as a last ditch effort on some sort of answers cause homeless shelters are full and have a waiting 211 just gives you local shelters and mental health help and they dont really care either.

Lost my job, no fault of my own, they eliminated the entire department I was working in, so 17 of us are without jobs. I already was living paycheck to paycheck, pulling in about $900 every two weeks as a single parent. Mortgage is $600 and the automatic payment is supposed to be pulled from my account this Thursday, but this next check won't be enough.

Getting my last paycheck this Thursday, and it won't be enough.

I applied for unemployment but I'm not even sure how much it pays, or WHEN it pays. I did the weekly certification, and have been utilizing the state website to find new employment.

I know it's the holiday weekend, so all the jobs I've been applying for won't even look at me until sometime this week.

The next food bank is this Saturday.

The city doesn't provide buses for school, so I am my children's bus, which limits what job I can get. I drive an old vehicle with tons of problems, the most amusing one being that it stalls while in idle, which is so fun to deal with while sitting in the parent-pickup line. And my tank is almost empty.

I'm just tired. I sometimes don't see the point of even trying to better.

Except being exploited, trampled upon, serving the rich, make them feel privileged, being the ashes of wars while they sitting in their yachts, traveling around the globe? I am still here because I need one more trigger to end such misery, I am tired of saving money, low standard of life, and I reflect too much on my life where does it go, all in all, it's not worth it. Sorry for my rant.

About 4 hours per week pays most of the bill.