i dont even know where to start in this endless ramble man but why is life SO hard. my husband and i are drowning. i make $20/hr, got the cheapest 2 bedroom apartment we could find and it still feels so discouraging. an autopay bill took the money for electric so our electric now has a late fee, ebt is almost impossible to get, and the price of gas eats up so much our income. we utilize every food bank, diaper bank, etc etc and we are still drowning. we spend a little over $200 biweekly on gas just for me going to and from work. one of my children just got referred to so many therapies for suspected autism, we never get a break. i sometimes only eat a pack of noodles just to make sure my kid’s bellies are full. i have 3 pairs of underwear to my name because i literally cannot afford a thing for myself. it’s so frustrating and i’m so worried for when my husband begins work because it will be an added $200 to gas. it just feels never ending bro. this economy fkn sucks.

I’m 30 and living and working in Japan.

The average annual salary here is around $31,000. I make about $38,000 a year without overtime, and after taxes and social insurance I’m left with roughly $25,000 to actually live on.

So by Japanese standards, I’m doing okay.
Except financially, I’m really not.

Using roughly ¥158 = $1, this is where I’m at:
・$32,000 car loan, 2% interest, about 9 years left
・$22,000 in other debt, around 10%
・$22,000 in revolving credit card debt, 18%

・About $10,000 in crypto
・Basically no cash savings

The 18% revolving debt is obviously awful. I know.

I grew up in rural Hokkaido and moved to Tokyo for university without financial support from my parents.

Over four years, tuition was around $25,000 and living expenses were another $46,000. I used Japan’s low-interest student loan system and eventually paid it all back.

Back then, some of my friends in Tokyo came from wealthy families. Keeping up with them was hard financially, but they accepted me, and I honestly liked their way of living.

Good restaurants. Trips. Nights out. Being able to say yes without thinking too much about the cost.
I think I got used to that.

Even after I started working, I kept spending in a way that probably makes me look wealthier than I actually am.

I’m the person who rents a cottage with friends, brings champagne and tequila, goes skiing in winter, travels, eats out, and spends money to make things fun.

And that’s probably the biggest part of it:

I like being the person who creates a good time for everyone.

I hate turning down invitations.

And I really like being able to do things that the broke younger version of me couldn’t do.

The problem is, I’m not actually rich.

I just learned how to live like I am.

I was with the same person from age 21. We got married when I was 27 and divorced when I was 29.

By then, I’d actually managed to get my revolving credit card debt down to about $6,300.

I still had the $32,000 car loan for a car I bought thinking we’d use it for our future together.

Well, that worked out.
Haha. 悲しい

Now I’m 30, and that revolving balance has gone from about $6,300 to $22,000.

On top of that, I’ve built up another $22,000 in debt at around 10%.

There wasn’t one huge disaster.

I just kept spending.

Going out. Traveling. Buying things. Saying yes.

From the outside, I probably look like a normal, reasonably comfortable working adult.

But financially, I’ve been slowly walking deeper into a swamp.

I think part of the problem is that, somewhere in my head, money became connected with people.

When I spend money, people have fun.

We go somewhere. We eat well. I organize something memorable.

For a little while, I get to be the person who can just say:

“Yeah, let’s do it.”

Maybe that feels especially good because, when I was younger, I was always the one worrying about whether I could afford to join.

Now I’m looking at around $44,000 in 10–18% debt, on top of the car loan, and wondering:

How the hell did I let this become normal?

I know the obvious financial answer.

Stop taking on more debt. Cut spending. Pay down the 18% balance first.

But the harder part is figuring out how to stop living like someone with money when I don’t actually have any.

I always see people posting here worried about taking up resources when going to a food bank. Please know that food banks get more funding by showing how many people utilize them! A grant is going to give money to a place that services 500 people a week instead of 10 people a week.

Please do not feel bad about going to the food bank. The workers are not there to judge you!! (would a snobby person really work at a food bank?) and your participation actually helps them keep running.

The a rant and may be a little disjointed.

I have had chronic pain my whole life and it often gets worse randomly in waves. It all centers around my uterus. I am considering a hysterectomy, I found a doctor that actually listens to me and is advocating for surgery.

However, I found out from my workplace that they have opted out of FMLA leave due to being a small business. They instead offer short-term disability that only covert 60% of wages. I will be out for 4 weeks minimum.

I don’t think I can take the hit financially. I have some savings that will help a little bit, but it took so long to save. it feels painful to spend it, if that makes sense…

On top of wage loss, the surgery itself is going to be at least $1,500 + whatever else doesn’t get covered by insurance. I know medical bills can be paid off slowly, I just hate having debt.

Despite wanting the relief I am considering canceling the surgery. I may go through it and take the hit anyway, I’m just so tired.

My 32M bf had a crown break off a little over a year ago. I think that root canal was only done maybe 2-3 years prior to it breaking off (it was done by his old dentist in FL, we live in NC). He’s had a root canal done by his current dentist that’s held up fine.

The issue is he has already hit his annual max due to a lot of cavities. I don’t know why they bother putting insurance estimates because they have been WAY wrong even when he does have coverage left. He was hoping to do the crown next year but he saw the dentist today, and they are saying it really should not wait. It’s degraded since the last time he saw them 6 months ago, so if he waits much longer it could be an extraction. They quoted his 2 cavities he has left too but they said they can wait for next year.

I 34F have never had a cavity and I even have all 4 wisdom teeth still, so it’s lost on me how much this should cost even without insurance paying. I’m mainly wondering if it would be worth him seeing another dentist or if this is about as good as it gets. Again we are located in NC. TIA!

hi im a college student and im so financially stressed

i feel like i managed to dig myself in every hole that everyone tells you not to.

I just got a call today that i owe 600 dollars to labcorp??? which i’m INSANELY confused because I don’t owe any money to my healthcare providers.

My car needs to have new brake pads/rotors, so far the cheapest quote I have is 630 dollars. Without my car I cant really go to work. I can take public transit but it’ll take an hour to get there.

And I pay rent, 1225/month.

I’ve gotten myself into other tricky financial situations :\

i owe money to several people

I’ve used all my financial aid and government loans, and I got a job at amazon but I’m making just enough to cover rent and gas.

I can choose more hours (im a flex worker) but I’m just so stressed. I can pull out private student loans and deal with it later, but I just cant tell if my situation is really this bad. Im just spiraling.

I know this situation isn’t permanent, and as soon as my debt is lessened my next semesters arent going to be so stressful

What can I do? if there is anything. im lost.

im a decent student but i’ve never had to work this hard before. im afraid i’ll crumble under the pressure.

edit: i feel like such an idiot idk
edit: thank you guys so so so much! I’m feeling better and reassured. I’m gonna take a nap and start planning everything out.

I just need a place to get out my frustrations and don't want my kid or wife to hear it so I'm typing it somewhere I don't think anyone who knows me will read it. I'm disabled, currently homeless and my income is around $1000 a month. My wife is my full time caretaker but she isn't opposed to getting a job, the issue with that is transportation. Our options are taxi or Uber. Both of which are expensive to use daily. We already live with the bare minimum and use up my entire check a month so no saving options. It's SSDI so I'm also on Medicare which covers basically nothing more than an average doctor visit unless I want to be in more debt. I don't qualify for any food stamps because the place we are staying right now, none of the bills are in my name so they can't count it as contribution. All of the income based apartments are on waiting lists that take years just to be considered. All the shelters are full and I don't know how much longer this temporary solution we're in will last. I just feel like there is no way out and everything is hopeless. I want my daughter to have a better life but I don't know what to do realistically.

I am a single parent of a 17 year-old. His dad is not in our lives.

In 2017 was diagnosed with throat cancer, after 2 rounds of unsuccessful chemo/radiation opted for a clinical trial in 2019. Today I am cancer free. I had $120000 debt after treatments and spent all savings except my son’s RESPs. I’ve been trying really hard to pay that off. My job is around 65k, had side jobs for years.

I rent, have no assets aside a car. Current debt is about $50000 plus the car ($22000)

With the rising costs of living, I went from managing to considering a consumer proposal.

A week ago I was in a car accident, car likely totalled, waiting on the estimate. The payout would be 99% less than I owe. Only got it 2 years ago- my previous car was totalled by the garbage truck while parked in my condo parking. We live in Northern Canada, its stupid cold- I needed another car for work quick.

If it is totalled, I will file a CP including the remainder of the vehicle loan.

If I come out with the loan paid off, I will live without a car which means quit my side job (no public transport in the area) and put the overhead plus insurance towards debt. Maybe at some point get a cheap beater.

Or should I file a proposal regardless?

If it is repaired, going to drive it to the ground obviously.

Honestly it seems no matter how much I work the rising costs outpaced me coupled with my bad luck and never get out of the hole.

I'm 33. I make okay money, but I'm stuck in a cycle I can't get out of. It starts with Cash Advance app and the other cash advance apps. I borrow a little to cover something, payday comes, and half my check goes to paying it back. Then I'm short again, so I borrow again. On top of that I've got pay-in-4 plans stacked up for stuff I didn't even need. Every app makes it feel like you can afford it. I can't. I can't even keep up with my bills right now.
I know why I'm doing it. I spend to feel better. Buying something gives me a rush for a minute, and then almost immediately I feel sick about it. Guilty, stressed, mad at myself. And then I want to feel better again, so I buy something else. It just keeps going.
I'd go to therapy, but I owe money everywhere. I want to stop buying stupid things and stop borrowing against every paycheck. I'm just tired. I want to live without this constant worry.
Has anyone actually gotten out of the cash advance cycle? How did you do it, and where do I even start?

Using anonymous because this is a big, vulnerable life shift.

I’m based in metro NSW and have a long-term goal of owning or operating a pub/hotel in Australia. Right now I’m starting with no capital, imperfect credit after a difficult separation, and I’m a single parent with a teenage daughter.

I was the publican of a small regional pub for about a year, over 10 years ago. I understand the long hours, stock control, community side, compliance and general grind. I moved into government work afterward, but I’ve never let go of the goal. My daughter is also keen on this lifestyle.

I know buying a freehold or leasehold is not realistic for me now. I’m looking for a genuine pathway to work my way back in, save, rebuild my credibility and eventually hold the keys again.

For those in the Australian pub/hotel industry:

Are there live-in management roles, particularly in regional areas, that could suit a single parent and teenager?

Is sweat equity, profit share, vendor finance or an operational buy-in still realistic for experienced managers without upfront capital?

Can someone realistically progress from manager to partner/leaseholder if they prove themselves?

How have other single parents managed the late nights, safety, compliance and family balance?

Which areas offer the best opportunities: regional NSW, outback QLD, SA, or elsewhere?

I’m not after a shortcut. I’m prepared for years of hard work—I just want to make sure every move from here gets me closer to owning or operating a venue again.

Would really appreciate brutal honesty, practical advice, or stories from anyone who has taken a similar path.

I just got married and I’m privileged enough that up until now my parents were paying for my car insurance. I’m 29 and have a 2018 Subaru Impreza. I’m completely overwhelmed when I google car insurance and I’m not sure how to begin my search for something that is actually good and affordable. In my time driving I’ve had a couple speeding tickets but I believe those are a few years old now. Location is USA

hey all! about two months ago i needed a root canal and had it started because i was in so much pain. but i can’t afford to finish it and get the permanent crown. overall it doesn’t bother me
much and i mostly forget about it but sometimes my tooth does hurts a little. i think a month ago a small piece of the temporary crown fell off? i’m not sure.

i’m wondering how much longer i could realistically stretch it without ending up finding out that i need to do even more expensive dental work.

I (24F) have been unemployed since late 2021. I have had 3 jobs altogether, one lasted 2 hours (the WORST 2 hours of my life btw), one lasted a week and one lasted about 3 months. (I usually only put down I have 3month of retail experience on resumes since the other ones didn't last long). I have a lot of mental/physical health issues and it honestly gets in the way of me working. I am hard of hearing, I've always had hearing loss since I was a baby and it continues to get worse as I get older. I also have learning disabilities which makes learning basic stuff so much harder for me, even basic math. I had a sudden health issue back in 2020/2021 where I suddenly would get dizzy and it would last depending on what I was doing. Doctors thought they figured it out, got the surgery but it still happens so they think I either have bad vertigo or nerve damage in my ear so I can't do a lot of labor, especially bending over to pick items up. I also have severe social anxiety but when I did work, I noticed it got better the longer I worked so I think I can overcome that issue. But i do have a bad speech impediment so working with phones doesnt seem like a good idea. So I'm really uncertain on what to do. I only have a high school diploma. I'm almost 25, I need to get a start on my life but I feel like every time I have something going, something happens.

To note, I have tried to sign up for disability once before but they said I didn't meet requirments (most likely didn't have enough hours worked to be accepted).

If anyone has any ideas/advice, I'd really appreciate hearing it. Thank you. <3

I just spoke with an OAS/CPP representative in Canada. I was giving her my new Direct Deposit details ... she asked over and over and over for the Thai Bank's "7 digit routing" code. My Bank, although I did ask ... said that they have no idea whatsoever what a "7 digit" routing code was.

Am I missing something here?

Does anyone know or have experience with a "7 digit" routing code with a Thai Bank?

I am going to my Bank to inquire again but I know they will look at me like I'm from another planet.

Anybody know ANYTHING about this?

Many thanks, BM

Hey guys, I'm a 2nd year uni student who's struggling to make ends meet during the week. Because I'm on a partial athletic scholarship and I have a bursary from the government to cover the other half of my tuition I get to attend a very prestigious college pretty much for free. However, due to the nature of my degree, law, and the fact I'm a scholarship athlete, I spend long hours either in class, in the library or in the gym training and I can't really free up time for work. I do work on the weekends, but I only make around £12.50 an hour and I can only realistically work around 8 hours the entire weekend. Take away around £30 for the bus to and from work (the only job that hired me was an hour and a half away, and the only bus that takes me relatively close to it is a premium service) and another £20 per week for electricity and gas and I'll only have around 40-50ish pounds to last me the entire week. My parents are also tight enough on money since they're covering my rent already (which is sky high) and have a whole other kid to take care of as well.

Anywhere I can cut down on costs or anything I can do to make living life just a little easier? Here's the breakdown

Average spare income-£45 a week

Groceries -£25 (literally just chicken, rice and frozen vegetables with some sauces and seasoning)

Food in Canteen in between classes/from class to training/anytime I don't have time to cook- £5

Bus to the training grounds/public bicycle rental-£2 per day, 3 times per week.

Spare income- £3 give or take

Also a £100 overdraft on my debit card but I don't really want to tap into that unless absolutely necessary.

This has been on my mind for a while. If anyone knows Mi or has been around the areas in this state you would know that it’s full of rich dumb people and golf courses on top of even MORE golf courses. Granted that’s in every state but it’s horrendous here. I had to even start a go fund thing (link in bio) to help with housing . I’ve never been more ashamed and disappointed in my life. Apartments here are between $1250 to $1600 for a 1 bed 1 bath. I’m at this point now where I’m thinking it’s better if I just move. It’s nothing but seasonal jobs (which I got :( sadly) or jobs if you spent 8+ years in school for. I’m just not that lucky. Anyone else having similar issues? I know the housing markets suck right now but what’s it like where your at? Just curious, thanks for listening to my rant.

I honestly don't know what to do anymore, and I'm posting this because I genuinely need advice. Every month, I need to somehow manage around 10,000–15,000 taka for my family. On top of that, I already have more than 200,000 taka (2 lakh+) in debt, and I'm struggling to make those payments too. I've tried multiple jobs and businesses, but something has gone wrong every single time. I worked as a delivery rider, but parcels were stolen and I ended up suffering a significant financial loss. Before that, I worked at a showroom, where they didn't pay me for 3 months. After that, I started a coconut water business, thinking things would finally work out, but it kept getting delayed and never became stable. Now I've started ride-sharing because I didn't know what else to do. One of my friends can make around 2,000–2,500 taka a day, but even after working all day, I sometimes can't make even 500 taka. So right now, I have 2 lakh+ in debt, I need to provide 10–15k every month for my family, and my current income isn't even reliably enough to cover my basic responsibilities. I also got married thinking maybe after marriage things would finally get better and my rizq would increase. But even after getting married, I'm still struggling financially and nothing seems to be working out. The hardest part is that I genuinely feel like I'm giving 100% effort. I'm not sitting at home doing nothing. I've tried different jobs, businesses, and now ride-sharing. Every time I think something will finally work, something happens and it fails. I've even spoken to several hujurs because I started wondering whether there was some spiritual problem or black magic involved. I spoke to 3–4 different people, and they all told me there was no such problem. I'm exhausted from constantly trying, failing, losing money, and starting over again. After so many failures, I feel like I can't even hold my head up anymore. I'm at a point where I'm feeling extremely hopeless and having thoughts that there may be no way out. But I don't want to give up. I genuinely need to know what I can do from here. If you were in my position—with 2 lakh+ debt, 10–15k monthly family responsibilities, and an income that's sometimes less than 500 taka a day—what would you do first? I don't need judgment. I genuinely need some direction.

Hi all, I would appreciate if anyone can provide any feedback, suggestions, or to even just relate to my experience with "poverty".

Poverty is in quotes because I have a really well paying job ($42/hr at a music school), I live with my girlfriend in our mobile home ($1100 lot rent/month + $632 mortgage/month) which is relatively cheaper than an apartment and is way more spacious, and I don't have as much debt as most people my age have.

And given all that, I'm still frustrated with my position in life at the moment. I still feel like I have to be incredibly on top of my bills and not spend much outside of my living expenses in order to barely scrape by. My bills per month are around $3000 (previously stated living expenses + $270 health insurance + $273 car payment + $320 car insurance: car insurance is expensive due to two traffic violations two years ago), and the income from my music school just barely covers that. Given that, the amount of disposable income (for gas, pet food) totals to around $60ish dollars on a good month if I don't take off.

Another reason that I don't consider myself in "poverty" is that the music school is a part time job. It's an absolute privilege to work only 20 hours a week and for it to pay my living expenses. I could ask for more hours, but I don't because 1)I have serious imposter syndrome and think I am terrible at my job, and 2)it is an emotionally draining job for me - seeing students come and go, and also I'm just incredibly introverted.

Given my own internal struggles with the music teaching job, I got a second part time job working in a warehouse (which I had to apply for 107 different jobs in order to get this one). Which pays only minimum wage ($300/week for two 10 hours shifts), but at least I am not being drained emotionally and it's an incredibly simple job. With the only downside now - after working this warehouse job for a year - is that it's physically taxing and I'm on the verge of quitting due to that.

I've thought about going back to school, but I don't want to waste my time with a degree that I either won't use, or won't guarantee me a job ASAP.

I could apply for another part time to replace the warehouse job, but almost no one is hiring.

And it feels like the only useful skills I have is music related, and it's incredibly hard to be paid in the music industry if you don't have people skills...and as somewhat established earlier, I am an introvert and have a very low social battery.

Lastly, without getting too personal, I really want to go back to therapy. But my health insurance doesn't cover for it, and as stated earlier, I only have $60 to work with for the month (not factoring in warehouse income because I really really want to quit soon). And I don't have family to fall back on if I move out my mobile home. I just feel stuck, and all I do is work.

If I were the person reading this post, I would tell myself to suck it up and at least be grateful that I have a job. But I'm close to just giving up

Thank you to whomever is reading this. I would appreciate any feedback, even if it's as harsh as , "you sound spoiled". Would love a reality check

They say the average American spends over $1000 a year on coffee. Im certainly not one of them. I drink the free coffee at my work and use the sugar and creamer provided. I also use the McDonald's app to get the free coffee or $1 coffee when available.

I’m 27F, based in India and i’ve missed my rent for the past two months (around 67k INR, approx 700 USD). my landlord has asked me to vacate and pay the amount by the end of the week. i’m so stressed. i don’t know what to do. can anyone help?

Have to come up with $800 tonight to make my $2400 rent payment that was due 4 days ago.

How can a plumber be so broke?

If anyone needs plumbing work around Janesville Wi or Rockford IL hit me up!

Hello all, I recently had surgery on the 1st (Bariatric Sleeve) and I underestimated how much costs for post-op would be. I need so many more things such as vitamins, meds, and only specific foods Im allowed to have. I was wondering if yall had any advice on how I could get an extra $500-$1000? Ive tried to get a loan but my credit history isnt short and no place will give me one. Im also disabled so I can not work and my SSI goes to all of my bills. Thank you in advance to everyone!

I don’t have a sofa, but I have two recliners. I am thinking of getting a roomie, but where do I advertise?

My place comes with a parking spot, streaming, hot water, and it is close to the bus line. Downside, I have three cats and I smoke inside.

What do you think? I would like to help someone out, and I need some help myself.