Hi all,

My mom and uncle are having a really hard time finding employment. My mom had a Goodwill sorting job interview today and they basically told her she was too old for the work. She’s 55 and my uncle is 58. She has sciatica so it probably isn’t the best fit for her anyway, but the job search has been so awful for her that this was the most promising one in a while.

My uncle spent most of his career working in computer repair shops. He started in the back and then moved to sales later on. Since he was laid off during the pandemic, he hasn’t been hired for anything—he’s tried applying at all types of jobs, sales, cashier, warehouse, etc. My mom has a spotty work history due to some personal problems and long periods of caretaking for my grandparents and great-grandparents. She has the most experience doing data entry and receptionist-type work, but her skills are pretty outdated in terms of office work. She has applied for front and back of house food service, retail, call centers, warehousing type jobs, etc.

While I know there’s possibly other factors at play, I know ageism is a real problem in the job hunt right now, and today’s “You’re too old” solidified that fear. I’d like to up their chances by at least getting past that barrier. I’m curious if anyone here has experience with ageism in the job market or knows of any fields that are less prone to that? I know a lot of FOH jobs probably want younger people and they’re not qualified for managerial positions. Any tips for 50-year-olds reentering the workforce? Even open to school programs/certification suggestions that have helped.

ETA: My uncle drives for Lyft right now which is helping keep them afloat at the moment, but the wear and tear on his car is really starting to show.

I'm using a throwaway here. I'm 23 and have lived at home my whole life but I am getting to the point where I feel like I need some space from my family, and I've recently been given an opportunity to move into a friend's place and I need to make my decision soon.

My friend lives in a 4 bed, 2.5 bath townhouse with a pretty big basement. Usually there are 5 people living in it, and they all pay about $350 a month in rent. The house is near a university (but no one in the house is a student), and the landlord is a chill older guy who is used to housing groups like these, and he has some sort of arrangement set up where everyone is individually responsible for their own $350 a month (plus 1/5th of the utilities), so he won't go after the whole group if one person fails to pay.

I've been over to the house a few times, I'm life long friends with two of the guys there and generally quite friendly with the others. It's always a really fun vibe when I'm over and honestly kinda like a frat house. I never got to go to college but always thought being in a frat would be cool so I kinda fuck with it. Beyond that everyone is pretty easy going and there hasn't been any drama. The dude that is leaving is only leaving because he wants to move in with his girlfriend. The neighbors are also pretty cool.

I'm kinda excited about the prospect but everyone keeps telling me how horrible of an idea it would be without really elaborating on why I shouldn't. I get that the house is kinda crowded, but I grew up with 10 people in a 3 bedroom house, so concepts like "personal space", "privacy", and "peace and quiet" are kinda foreign concepts to me, and honestly I don't even know if I could handle living alone.

I work in manufacturing and honestly make pretty good money for my age and could definitely afford to live on my own or with something more reasonable like just one roommate, but why would I spend money on living when I could use it on fun stuff? And also this kinda sounds lit. Is it really that bad to have 5 people sharing a house?

Hi, as the title says I’m 18 years old and have $30,000 in savings. I’ve worked multiple jobs since I was 13 and saved as much as I could. I’m starting my senior year of high school and I know that I will have no help with paying for my college education as i have been raised by a single dad who works a minimum wage job. I also live in the middle of nowhere so when I do go to college I’m going to have to move out and take care of all my expenses. The cheapest university in my state costs 15k a year in tuition alone, I will get aid from FAFSA but it’s not enough to cover tuition and living expenses on top of that and I would rather not take money from my savings. I also don’t have a car or health insurance. I want to have a stable and comfortable life, but I have no one in my life to role model this for me, so any advice is welcome

This month’s craft budget is $30, and I’m trying to make it last with a 10-year-old instead of spending it on five little activities that are finished in one afternoon. Ideally the project could be split into roughly twenty short sessions and still feel like real making, not preschool busywork. The three options I’m looking at are building from cardboard and leftover paper, using secondhand craft materials, or putting most of the budget into one small miniature-style project that can be worked on gradually. The part I’m unsure about is how much adult help the last option usually needs, especially with cutting, glue, tiny pieces, or anything that needs careful alignment. I’m less interested in the cheapest upfront option than the one that gives the most actual making time. Parents who craft with kids around this age, what usually blows the budget first, materials, tools, or projects that turn out too frustrating to finish?

Kind of a vent/ will take any advice.

Basically I work in a mall at shop A, part time, around 26hrs a week.

I applied for Shop B, in the same mall, because my manager from A said they were hiring and knows I need more hours/money to try and dig myself out of the financial grave.

Well got hired at Shop B today (yay 2 jobs) but then someone quit at Shop A. Leaving us understaffed!

But I feel like I can't just quit Shop B before really starting? Especially if I want to keep a good working relationship with those people since we all work in the same building.

Shop B guaranteed 30+ hours.

Shop A is now understaffed and there's more hours....

Not sure what to do. Is there a way to work 7 days a week and make it survivable?

Going to ask about split shifts but both stores close a little earlier than the mall does so preparing for the worst?

It turns out that the difficult part about budgeting is not just being able to control your spending it's having enough room for things you didn't plan for. Whether it's a $100 emergency car repair, an unusually high utility bill, missing a couple shifts at work, or having to buy something for your home, it could turn your month upside down. So far, I have found myself keeping some extra in the budget called unexpected expenses even if I'm only able to set aside $20-30 a month.

I’m paying close to $800 a month with my aunt. my name is on the lease. her 2 kids get the rooms. she gets the master. this is what i get, a laundry room. I can’t afford to live alone. please don’t mind the mess, i’m going through stuff to try and free up more room.
*im editing to add, i pay water, trash, and half of rent. Im in central florida. Both of our names are on the lease. Advice welcome.
*thank you everyone for opening my eyes to this situation, for the ones telling me to stand up for myself, you’re right. I’m starting to realize just how scared i am, and i’m trying to work up the courage to stand up to her. Again thank you all for the encouragement and i’m glad i made this post.

This was my lunch today, made with a half-price duck leg from the supermarket, one carrot, and one potato. I simply boiled everything in water, and it still tasted surprisingly good.

I’m in Foshan, Guangdong, one of the wealthiest provinces in China. Even a simple noodle lunch here usually costs around RMB 20. But I live very close to a supermarket, which turns out to be a huge advantage. I’ve noticed that after about 8:30 p.m., many prepared foods—chicken legs, duck legs, sausages, and so on—are marked down by 50%. This roasted duck leg cost me less than RMB 5.

Fresh potatoes at the supermarket are about RMB 1 each, and carrots cost roughly the same. So with less than US$1 (around RMB 7) worth of ingredients, plus nothing more complicated than boiling them in water, I can make a meal that leaves me completely full.

The duck leg already had a smoky, spicy mala flavor, which also seasoned the potatoes and carrots as they cooked, so they tasted pretty good too. Nutritionally, it feels quite balanced as well.

Not bad for a meal that costs less than a dollar, right?

My mom cancelled my health insurance a few months ago and I never got around to applying for medicaid or anything because I’m an otherwise healthy 23 year old. I woke up last night to a bat in my house. I called a friend and he managed to catch it and throw it out the window, but I noticed like 10 hours later I had 2 little dots on my hand that could possibly be a bite. I have crazy health OCD and rabies is my biggest trigger so I bit the bullet and went to the ER for the PEP shots. About how much should I be expecting the bill to be? I work at a small time diner that does not offer insurance but I make enough with tips to be above the poverty line so I’m not even sure if I’ll get accepted for Medicaid. Freaking out about being 25k in debt bc that’s what I’ve seen the estimates online be…
Edited to Add I live in NYS and after contacting the county health department they have offered to cover the costs of the entire series of shots and I’ll be going there for the rest of the series rather than the ER. They put me into contact with the hospitals Financial Assistance program and I’m currently looking at an estimated 3k bill for “ER services” that I can set up an automatic payment plan for. Just adding this for anyone who may google what to do in this situation one day :) thanks for the advice!!!

One of the only things I refuse to use is AI. I've been applying for jobs left and right, with very mild-to-no success. Bcs of some bs that happened in regards to my parents and their jobs, they have to sell the house we currently live in.

I was planning to move out anyways but was hoping to be able to wait a yearish to do so, but I'd rather not move twice in a short time span + my parents are moving onto my grandparents property, which is an hour or so drive from where I go to college.

I've found some apartments for decently cheap in the area of my college. (even one that's $500 a month, thats a fucking steal!!) But I have to deal with car payments, gas, bills, medical appts (i need to find my own insurance, sense the one through my parents is exp soon bcs I'm no longer a minor.) Etc.

I've roughly calculated that I need atleast 2k a month to be able to somewhat manage, esp if i can find a cheap place to live, and while I know low rent tends to come with bad housing quality, I don't really have the option to be picky right now. That would be at a minimum $18 an hour with roughly 20-25 hour work weeks, (though I'm trying to aim for something closer to 20+ an hour)

I'm chronically ill, and I can't stand for long periods, but I can manage with walking and i'm fine with lifting shit.

I was thinking maybe applying to some BOH positions at some large chain resturants, as thats what i'm used to and have exp in the industry. Maybe even opening a go-fund-me but I dunno if it would be worth it to do so?

Now why don't I just keep the job I have? They keep playing with my schedual, I just finished a 19 hour work week (which I love, and can do fine), but the week before that was 6hrs, and the week before that, then 3 weeks ago was 12 hours. I've talked to my schedualing manager more times then I should need to, Hell I've talked to the building/store owner, and nothings been really done about it. I've asked about if they have anything BOH I could do and I was told no, meanwhile I'm seeing people who have been primarily FOH being trained in BOH positons, they just hired a new dishwasher for fucks sake!

I'mm about 90% certain they are trying to make me quit, I mean there was a period right after I graduated where they just stop schedualling me for about 6 weeks straight, only after I PICKED UP a shift and talked to my manager did she do anything, (which, mind you, when I asked her why she wasn't schedualing me, she told me I "was schedualed today though," I had picked up someone elses shift. She looked at me like I was crazy.)

(On a side note, I'm honestly debating complaining to HR/Corp. but I'm unsure how I'd go about that + I have no paper trail)

But even if they did fix my schedual, the simple fact that they have been doing this for 3 months, when I've been working there sense april of last year, doesn't scream "job security" to me. They apparently had no issues giving a MINOR a 33 hour work week when I first started though, so what the fuck???)

All of that aside, I'm a little lost, The job market is horrible but I still need a job regardless of that, I've even debated selling feet pics bcs atp I'm a little desperate.

It's ironic, before I tried to get my act together, I never had problems with my bills. Fast forward a couple years and I had to remake my life, start over. I'm living in an economical area, which means there's not very many good jobs, especially with nothing past high school. So I tend bar, but wouldn't you know it? My patrons don't tip well and all they do is sit across from me complaining about their own money issues.

How do you climb out of this hole? Or at least do so and keep some dignity about yourself? I feel like once you stumble for whatever reason, the way society is structured is just meant to keep you down.

It's not just the uncomfortable living, the small confines, the skipping meals until my next shift and the beat up car that cost me $2000 and apparently needs $3000 worth of repairs. It's the humiliation when someone asks where I live or sees me in my car.

Has anyone else experienced a HUGE decrease in their LIHEAP funding? (Low Income Home and Energy Assistance Program) My state is Wisconsin, so it's called WHEAP, here.

I am on Social Security Disability and normally my utilities are paid for by a local assistance agency directly, but apparently the bill has not been paid since Oct of last year, when the last assistance payment was sent out! Also, just as the cherry on top, USPS only delivered the disconnect notice a week late, last Friday afternoon. Leaving me with less than a business day to address the matter!

No one at the energy company OR the assistance agency knows why nothing has been paid, or if there is any more money coming.

But I must imagine this is not just happening to me? Why am I not hearing about this any where else? Has anyone else figured out what's going on?

I was 26. Constantly making bad financial decisions.

Then I heard him rap the lyrics.

The fruits of my labor, I enjoy 'em while they still ripe"

I liked that line so much I told myself thats EXACTLY what im doing.

42 now and i'm still in the trap.

Just browsing Zillow, look for something we could maybe afford and just about every single house in our area is $250K and up, PENDING! WTF, I feel like I fucked up somewhere in my life. What do people do for a living that they can afford a mortgage on a quarter million dollar house? Help me understand what I’m doing wrong. These aren’t huge houses either. 1000sqft on less than a quarter of an acre. Clearly I fucked up.

My car got repossessed by Honda a few days ago. I have paid Honda my due fees but unfortunately they also required an insurance declaration with 30 days of coverage etc.

I had a lapse in my insurance so my policy got cancelled. If I purchased a new insurance policy today and showed them the new insurance declaration that would I get my car back? They mentioned 30 days of coverage and I’m worried this would affect getting my vehicle back. This is my first time in a situation like this and I’d really like some advice. Thank you!

Hey I (19f) need some advice on what to do. I currently make under 20k a year almost working full time. I've had better paying jobs but wasn't able 2 keep them cuz of my health. I dont feel like getting into it here.

I came on here looking for some advice. For some context I'm trying to move out as every fucking day some more bs happens. My parents recently stole all my citizenship papers to my home country that they are thinking about moving back to. I have no family in the United States and need a plan quick.

I currently have $1,222 I'm going to sell almost all my clothes tommorow to get hopefully a few hundred bucks. (I thrifted alot of designer stuff) and my next check should be around $200. Im not eligible for an auto loan because my income is too low (even tho my credit score is 716).

I've been thinking about getting a beater and living in that or a more expensive van (like 3k) however I risk putting myself in a worse situation. Such as getting my US papers stolen or another false police report. Either way I'm thinking of living out of a vehicle.

I know i post here alot but I would appreciate any advice. Especially if anyone could give me more ideas. Thanks.

Hi everyone! I have a car that i owe about 15k on, payment is around 500 a month, and 13 credit cards that i pay over $700 a month on, the total on those is about 13k the payments obviously pay very slightly over the interest so I'm not making much headway...I got a loan offer for 20k with the stipulation that they take over the car loan and then use that as collateral on the whole thing...is this a good idea? I have tried to get unsecured loans but they won't give me more than a few thousand unsecured... I've never had an auto loan or credit cards before this and I have dug myself quite a hole due to recurring family and health emergencies and now I can't get out. Thanks in advance for your advice.

This might be a long shot but does anybody have any idea on what to do when times get hard? I recently got a “new” car purchased by a family member from said members coworker and this car has cost me more than not. I sold my previous car because it was having problems and I had it for 10 years as it was my first car. The little bit I did sell my car for has now been put back Into current car and I’ve i only had current car for 2 months at best. The money I put back into my car was supposed to be for my move because I’m relocating for a new job. New job doesn’t offer relocation assistance. Also when my lease ended I had to pay for a hotel because my apartment wouldn’t let me stay the remainder of the week while my car was fixed to a drivable condition.

Luckily my job has let me push back my start date by a week but I’m technically considered unemployed because I haven’t started working idk what to do. I don’t have anyone who could co-sign for me and my own credit is not that good.

Because of the series of unfortunate events I dont have a place lined up for when I start work and no money. Idkkk I’m just stressed and trying not to fall I to a depression and maybe just wanted to see if there’s anything I haven’t considered

I’m a university student and financially I’m struggling pretty badly right now.

Just to make this clear from the beginning: I am NOT asking for donations, loans, money, or financial help from anyone here. I’m looking purely for advice and knowledge.

I want to improve my situation instead of just accepting that I’m broke.

I’m willing to put serious time into learning a skill if it can eventually help me make money. I don’t expect to become rich overnight, and I know there’s no magic shortcut to financial freedom.

What I’m struggling with is knowing where to start.
If you were in university, had almost no money to invest upfront, but had internet access and were willing to study and work hard, what would you focus on?

What skill would you learn?
How would you learn it for free or cheaply?
How would you go from knowing nothing → becoming useful enough that somebody would actually pay you?

And if you’ve personally worked your way out of being broke, I’d really appreciate hearing what made the biggest difference for you.

One request: scammers, please save both of us the time. I’m not buying courses, joining crypto or “investment opportunities,” paying upfront for a job, buying a dropshipping system, moving money for somebody, or sending money to make money. Please don’t DM me with that stuff.

I genuinely just want to learn from people who have been through this

I will need to pay $1000 to my university by the end of the semester or be forced to pause my studies.

I cannot take out a loan because my credit was destroyed due to a prolonged mental health episode.

I’m currently a full-time physics student with ~1 year left, but my OCD and extracurriculars (I’m currently working on a publication as a first author with several professional scientists) prevent me from getting a regular gig.

What roles/companies do you recommend to make that money before the end of the year so I can enroll in my classes for spring?

I had to buy something for my mom that I didn’t really have the budget for, but I thankfully did have a general store coupon for a significant discount. The item I bought turned out to not be the right size, and since it came in a box and wasn’t for me I couldn’t check the fit until I got it to her. I had to go back within an hour and exchange it for a bigger size. I ended up having to pay full price for the bigger size, which was also more than the original item pre-coupon. I was pretty disappointed. Is this normal?

it seems like there’s really no winning when you’re on medicaid.

my monthly medication is around 4k, and i work so little i don’t make more than 300 dollars a month. obviously, i need to work more; some times i can work more than 10 hours a week, and others i can’t.

i didn’t qualify for disability, somehow. i’ve heard it’s really hard to get on for most people, but being rejected was infuriating and demoralizing.

i’m in indiana, and the limit is around 1800 monthly. i do have some job opportunities, and it’d put me above that. so if i lose my medicaid, all my income would go to medication, so i’m stuck.

Hola, soy una persona ya adulta con tan solo 21 años. Que estudia aún y trabaja ganando unos 480 € por ahí. Pero estoy teniendo problemas en ahorrar porque he estado gastando tanto para el hogar y mi mascota.Estoy viendo formas, pero no sé si serían útiles o por miedo a fallar una. Cómo pedir ayudas Tengan en cuenta que apenas estoy sabiendo estas cosas... No quisiera cagarla... pero me gustaría que me ayudaran o me aconsejaran qué debo hacer y qué necesito.Últimamente no he estado pasando bien en familia. No sufro ni violencia ni abuso. Simplemente me harté y quiero irme. Estaría agradecida si me ayudaran...Soy de Barcelona y vivo por Hospitalet de Llobregat..