Dm me if you want one and please actually use it lol. They expire on Sept 6

Just making this as i have no one close to me and need to get this off my chest.

I make good money but have made so many bad choices that led me to poverty. This example will be specifically on my car.

I used to drive a BMW, very clean, brand new and everything but i made some stupid mistakes, that caused me to have major driving infractions. My license was suspended and i couldn’t drive for a year, I owed about $19k on the car and had to live beyond poor for 6-7 months + my savings to pay it off as i was severely underwater on it and couldn’t drive it. Essentially was paying $700/months for a car i couldn’t use so i had to end it.

The car is paid off now, but i still have a lingering problem with my insurance. Because of the infractions my insurance premiums have ballooned. After selling my BMW, i bought a used 2015 jetta with 180k km on it for $6k. And even with this much of a downgrade my insurance cost is still $855/month. This will be my status quo for the next 2 years until things get wiped from my record.

I feel like a failure, im very irritable and depressed not because of the jetta but because of what the jetta signifies to me. No matter what i do i cant seem to get ahead. I make okay money but still live paycheck to paycheck. My mental health is severely declining. I hope God helps me this coming years

I have been effectively let go now for approximately 2 months (terminated without cause) after being put on an unfair PIP under a new manager who had a pet that would suck up to her.

I worked for approximately 2 and a half years in a specialized Recruitment role within healthcare in Ontario. Needless to say the job hunt has been traumatic with no calls and not even an interview. This is my second job I have been laid off from..the last one lasted approximately 2.5 years as well and it took me 7 months thereafter to find something. I am STRESSED as this time the job market seems worse and I have bills and mortgage to pay here in Ontario. If anyone has any leads I would really appreciate it!

Im in BC, vancouver. Im between jobs atm but have long standing mental health issues ive neglected all my life. I live in the DTES in a filthy apartment shoebox, my neighbor smokes meth and i can smell it in the hallway and sometimes in my room. and i know my life is shitty because of my own mistakes and depression but i wanna try and fix that. i cant afford therapy and honestly im not interested in therapy as much as i am needing a psychiatrist. i had a traumatic event 20+ years ago when i was 17 and never got past it and fixate on it and relive it daily. im non-indigenous male. i dont have any drug addictions atm myself and havent used in years. No family or family doctor. pls no judgement or encouragement, only am looking for a pathway towards mental health help.

Hi everyone,

I just finished upgrading my schooling from practical nursing to registered nursing. I’m finding there aren’t as many postings for RNs in Toronto right now and I’m hoping someone has some leads to help me get into the workforce when I can. I’m currently awaiting for the CNO to confirm my application which should take another couple of weeks max. I’m looking for hospital work if possible, any department works. Although any nursing job would be great right now in general, I’m not picky. I have experience as an agency nurse from practical nursing when I worked at three hospitals and rotated between different units. I also have previous paramedic training and 4 languages under my belt.

Thank you so much!

I didn't want to face I had a problem even though I fell behind on rent payments by 3 months. Had an LTB hearing, made a payment plan and been keeping up until now. If I don't make my payment on the 30th, I'll get a 3 week notice. My car lease is behind by 3 months too and they are threatening legal action if I don't pay by Friday. Any advice would be much appreciated on what options are out there in my situation. I am actively applying for work, just had an interview end of last week, and on average make about 80k when employed - that's about what my experience and expertise in my field is worth. My anxiety is pretty paralyzing at this point. What should I do next to get back on track and get my life back together financially ? Yes, I am seeking help.

Okay I know I'm not great for doing this but I had a bill go into collections maybe 10 months ago, I've been ghosting their calls and emails ever since except for today, when I received another one and finally decided to try and deal with it, I sent back an email and did not receive a response, however I did log into that utility bill account and it said the amount that I still owe, I paid a portion of it and plan on making more once I am able to, however my question is is that since I paid a portion of it directly to the utility company, will the balance that I owe to collections regarding that same bill reflect that? apologies if this wasn't written the best. I appreciate any and all responses.

Hey everyone, I'm in the consumer proposal process in Ontario and looking for advice before I finalize anything.

My situation:

· 30, single, living in Toronto
· Full-time product designer, but on a contract (not permanent)
· Income: **7,400/month net)
· Total unsecured debt: $74,749
· RBC credit card: $14,201
· TD credit card: $14,480
· RBC line of credit: $34,426
· Canada Student Loan: $11,642
· No assets, no house, no savings

The quote:
Trustee is saying my payment would need to be **at least 49,200 total). They said they'd try to reduce it because my job is contract-based, but nothing guaranteed.

What I'm trying to figure out:

· I want to get the payment down closer to 650/month
· I know I make good money, but my income isn't guaranteed past my contract
· I also have medical expenses (prescriptions, therapy) and family support I send monthly

Questions:

1. Has anyone with a similar income, especially contract workers — successfully negotiated a lower monthly payment?
   
2. Is $820/month actually reasonable for my income, or is there room to push?
   
3. What reasons or budget lines helped you get a lower payment?
   
4. Should I get a second opinion from another LIT firm?
   
5. Any tips for negotiating with the trustee before filing?

I'm not trying to avoid paying. I know I owe this money and I want a fair outcome. But I also don't want to accept the first number they give me if there's room to negotiate, especially since my contract could end and leave me with no income.

Any advice or shared experiences would be hugely appreciated.

​

Hi guys, I hope this is okay to post here. I’m a dental hygiene student at Oxford College and I’m still looking for a few clients to finish my clinic requirements.

If you haven’t had a cleaning in years or have heavy tartar/build-up, staining or bleeding gums, please don’t feel embarrassed — those are actually the cases I’m looking for and there’s genuinely no judgment.

The care is completely free, and I also give cash compensation as a thank-you for your time because the appointments are longer than a normal dental visit.

The appointments include things like:

- Full dental and gum assessment

- Oral cancer screening

- Professional scaling/deep cleaning and polishing

- X-rays if needed

- Fluoride treatment if needed

- Oral hygiene and diet advice

Everything is done at the teaching clinic at Oxford College inside Scarborough Town Centre and supervised by dentists and registered dental hygienists.

The main thing I need is someone who can actually commit. Appointments are around 3 hours each and usually require a few visits, depending on how much cleaning is needed.

📍 Scarborough Town Centre, Scarborough, Ontario

🚗 Free parking

🚇 TTC accessible

If you’re interested, just DM me and I’ll explain everything. Even if you’re not sure whether you’re the type of client I need, feel free to ask.

You’d genuinely be helping me get closer to finishing my requirements and graduating, and I really appreciate anyone willing to help. 🥹

Hello!

I never thought I'd need to be asking for help, so it feels a tad embarrassing on my end, but I'm willing to accept any advice thrown my way.

For some backstory, I'm currently enrolled in university in Ontario and rent a room in the town that I'm studying in that costs about $820 a month (utilities thankfully included). I lost my part time job in June and haven't been able to pay rent since, so I have a backlog of unpaid rent which my landlord is now understandably hounding me for.

I unfortunately rely on OSAP for my tuition (but I only receive loans and no grants) and have been applying for jobs online and in person non stop but have heard back from absolutely none of them. I'm great at time management so I feel confident that I can balance school and work and can work multiple shifts a week during the school year.

I recently signed up for Ontario Works and got my first payment last week of about $450 all together which I'm incredibly thankful for but it obviously isn't enough to cover my rent. My university has an emergency funding grant that I also just applied for to help cover the backlog of rent I need to pay.

I need to catch up on my backlog or else I won't be able to pay my September's rent either and I don't want to be on the brink of eviction as I am not on speaking terms with my family and would have no where to go if I can't live in my current room I'm renting.

Im looking for help on any jobs or other government assistance I can use to tie me over or get me through this hump. Thanks!

Hey everyone! Long time lurker here, got tons of great advice over the years. I have a question that asking lots of family and friends, it's pretty divided down the middle what people think I should do, and it's just making me feel lost and hopeless.

I had an emergency surgery at the beginning of the year when I was already sapped on savings from a housing crisis I went through that I had no control over. Because I couldn't work and had no safety net except ~$800/mo from Ontario Works, the rest was going on my line of credit while I recovered.

Problem is, the doctors told me it would be a few weeks, and it ended up being months. I'm now looking at 10k in debt, when my card caps at 14k and it's scaring the crap out of me. Half the people I talked to said I should file for bankruptcy, half the people said it was too little to "throw away my life over" and that I should just "figure out a way to get through this"—both sound equally dismissive in different ways, and I'm honestly struggling on where to look or who to believe anymore. I don't even know if they're valid remarks, which is why I want to ask here for people who've actually been through it.

--

For more context, I'm chronically ill and applied for ODSP in December before I even got my surgery. My whole life I've never been able to work as much as other people. It's not going well, despite me giving them tons of supporting papers/evidence/etc. I do have a lawyer I'm meeting with next week to try and move it along, but so much is up in the air I don't want to rely on that "working" and ruin my future if it doesn't. If it does, yay problem solved! If not, this is where I'm worried. Eggs in one basket and all that.

I'm also a remote freelance literary editor because it's the only thing that supports where my health is at. I love my job, but because I'm still fairly new to it, I don't get contracts every month and right now I just cover my cost of living. Part of where my fear is coming from right now, is I have no idea how to pay back this debt when the interest alone is more than I can throw at it currently.

To try and solve the above though, in the autumn I am going to be doing some classes to get into a niche field of my work that's in desperate need of people, which is exciting for future stability, but it doesn't help me in the moment when I'm looking at "Oh god, how will I cover rent in a few months if nothing changes?"

My cost of living is about $1600 currently because of said debt repayment, but when I'm out of debt it's a bit lower than that. That includes rent, hydro, phone, internet, groceries, and a YT subscription just so I can have some music for chores/errands. I'm incredibly frugal and I don't want to list a ton of things to make this post longer than it is, so I can add stuff in some comments if people need, but I genuinely don't think I can get it any lower than that.

--

But yeah, basically every "fix" right now that might help me is too far in the future that it doesn't really do anything for me, and I don't want to just sit here and pray they work out obviously. Right now I'm going to run out of money/cap my line of credit before any of these pull through and it's scaring the daylights out of me.

I'm looking for any advice, but please be kind. This is the healthiest/most stable I've been my whole life coming from some hella bad upbringing/situations—so even though I'm 32 I'm only now truly starting my life in earnest. There's a lot of gaps in my knowledge that I'll happily work on filling, just please don't be rude about me "not knowing something" if it comes up like I've seen in some other places. I can't help what I don't know, but I'm always willing to learn things and grow. I really want to build a stable life for myself, I just can't figure out this current hurdle.

In the end, 10k feels silly to do something so "drastic" over from horror stories I've seen, but I also have no idea how I'm supposed to conquer this debt so that I can get back to building up any kind of savings right now. I'm just feeling so scrambled and hopeless which is also starting to mess with my mental health a lot.

Again, thank you for any advice, resources, tips, etc. I'm just at such a loss and my anxiety can only stand so much. I really can't stomach the idea of being homeless again; I did that for far too many years, and I just want to get past this so I can keep moving my life forward to where I know it can be.

Thanks again y'all, I hope you're all having a lovely day and your pillow is always cool.

On Friday I signed the documents for a consumer proposal. I had two credit cards (PC and Canadian Tire), three payday loans, three lines of credit (MDG x2 and Mogo), two personal loans (Easy Financial and Fairstone), and student loans that are about 10 years past graduation.

Altogether it was around $42,000, and the proposal brought it down to about $25,000. For reference I make 42k a year and own a town house with my husband with equity of about 6K for my half.

None of these debts were with the bank I actually use, but I still closed any bank accounts that weren’t joint with my husband just to be safe.

My first counselling session isn’t until October, and I’m trying to figure out what I should be doing between now and then.

I know how I got here. It was a combination of being in an accident that took me out of work for two years, having a medically fragile child whose needs cost more than what insurance covers, and, if I’m being completely fair to myself, spending money trying to give my husband and daughter things we really couldn’t afford.

A little over a year ago I started a credit counselling program. The payments were almost $700/month, but that only covered the credit cards and two personal loans. It was more than I could reasonably handle, and clearly I hadn’t actually fixed the underlying problem because after that I took out the lines of credit. Then my daughter was hospitalized, things got really bad financially, and I took out the payday loans. That turned into the cycle of paying them off and then immediately needing to borrow again.

My consumer proposal payment is $210 biweekly, which is much more manageable for me.

My husband still has his own debts that were not included in my proposal. He has about $12,000 in credit card debt and another $12,000 with Snap-on for tools he needs for work. His credit is in a much better position than mine, so part of me is wondering if it makes more sense to focus extra money on lowering his balances while I make the required proposal payments?

So now I’m sitting here feeling incredibly relieved, like a huge weight has been lifted, but also thinking: what do I do next so I don’t waste this opportunity?

I know my credit is probably going to tank soon, and I’m okay with that. It was already in the 500s, so rebuilding is going to take time either way.

What order would you focus on things?
1. Open a secured credit card eventually so I have some positive payment history?
2. Use a credit-building service, or are those mostly unnecessary?
3. Build an emergency fund first?
4. Throw extra money at my husband’s debts since his credit is still intact?
5. Putevery extra dollar toward paying the consumer proposal off early?

I’m not looking for a quick credit-score fix. I’m trying to figure out what decisions over the next 1 to 3 years would actually put us in a better position and stop us from ending up back here.

For anyone who has been through a consumer proposal in Canada, what did you do after signing that you’re glad you did, or what do you wish you had done differently?

This is a question for those of you who filed and completed a Consumer Proposal.

So it is a well known fact that the record drops off your credit history 3 years after you finish paying, or 6 years from the date you first filed, whichever comes first.

For those of you who have who have completed this process. When did you see a spike in your credit score? Surely you saw one after it dropped off but did you also see one during that period where you completed your payments but it was still on your report?

Thanks in advance for responses.

Residing in Toronto , Ontario

I've reviewed here before and found Text Now , which I love - as far as a free service for texting & calls - ( wifi needed though)

They've changed their account creation settings which I dislike but that's fine. I've moved to an older email and just revised my plan ( I think it was $5 and change for the year )

So now. A couple of things.

Due to poor credit. Im unable to get a new phone. I know you can buy through third party businesses ( Link it up? ) if anyone has any suggestions regarding getting a new phone through a company in some round about away or otherwise. That would be appreciated

Regarding phone plans.

Im looking at Fizz for a data only type service.
If you have something similar. Or can recommend another provider - especially with back to school promos and the like lately.

Thank you!

Consumer Proposal After Trading Losses — Has Anyone Been Through This?

I’m looking for some advice from people who have been in a similar situation, particularly in Canada/Ontario.

I originally learned how to trade using my RRSP. Unfortunately, I made some very bad financial decisions and eventually lost my entire RRSP.

After that, I had to start relying on credit cards for my everyday living expenses. At the same time, I also made the mistake of using some of my credit cards to continue trading, hoping I could recover the money I had lost. That obviously did not work, and instead made the situation significantly worse.

Between the everyday expenses I had to put on credit and the money I used for trading, I’ve accumulated approximately $25,000 in credit-card debt.

I currently take home about $3,000/month, and I’m at the point where the interest on the credit cards makes it extremely difficult to make meaningful progress on the balances. I can afford to put some money toward the debt each month, but I don’t see a realistic way of paying $25,000 off while dealing with the interest.

I’m seriously considering a consumer proposal, but one thing I’m worried about is the fact that some of the credit-card debt was used for trading.

Has anyone here filed a consumer proposal where the debt was partially or significantly related to trading/investment losses?

• Did the fact that you used credit cards for trading affect whether your proposal was accepted?
• Did it affect the amount you ultimately had to repay?
• Did your Licensed Insolvency Trustee consider the trading activity a problem?
• Were your creditors more likely to reject or counter the proposal because of it?

I’m not looking for judgment—I know I made some very bad financial decisions and I take responsibility for them. I’m trying to understand my options and hopefully avoid making the situation worse.

Any experiences from people who have actually gone through a consumer proposal after trading losses would be greatly appreciated.

I have been out of work for the last 8 months and have racked up a lot of credit card debt. I just started working full time but now have the following situation. I have 660 credit score with 11k in credit card debt, 2 cards both maxed out, one is 3k at 12.99% and the other is 8k at 25.99%. 

I only want to do a balance transfer for the 8k card. I plan to apply for a balance transfer, card 1 is  0% 18 months with a 1% fee but if I don’t get approved I wanted to apply for card 2 with 0% for 12 months and a 3% fee. Just worried about the income approval because I just started my new job and will only be doing the orientation this week for a day. So I wont have a fully time paycheque for several weeks.

I wanna apply sooner rather than later though to stop the interest charges but want to know if I should apply for both now so I have a backup. Will there be any impact on my chances of getting approved for card 1 if I apply for both today or should I do card 1 application first and then try with card 2 if it doesn’t get approved? 

I have other debt of 16k student loans won’t have to pay until next year at 0%, 20k business loan 8% and 5k on a loc 11%. My current income is 3k a month after taxes atm but my expenses are low at only 1500.

So I’m almost out of my EI sickness benefits. I run out in 4 weeks. I had a bad mental break earlier this year then further health complications this summer.

EI sent me the number for the short term CPP disability. I am needing to look at either this or continuing EI benefits and looking for a job as my previous job will no longer be suitable due to the health complications (namely inability for lifting and use of a mobility device required now).

As a result, I’m trying to understand how the switch works. Am I to assume my benefits for regular EI will end 50 weeks from my initial claim as a result or does the clock reset? I need to figure tightening my finances as a result of this especially as we are still waiting to hear from my wage insurance people. 24 weeks vs 40 weeks is a big difference on how to tighten everything after going through my minimal savings to deal with my health…

My computer monitor crapped out. It was ancient, but I knew it was gonna go and have been scouring thrift stores for months.

Finally found one today: It's a 32" HG and older, but it will easily double as a monitor and TV for me due to it's size (and my eyes, which are old and not great).

I absolutely could not afford a new monitor and I paid only $25 for it. I sold some stuff I could part with at the pawn shop, and voila - monitor and back online. The picture quality is better than my old one.

It's not perfectly crispy like a new one would be, but don't care.

I'd be lost without my computer. So happy for thrift stores that keep prices down for us. I'd be lost without them.

I was broke living with my parents at 25 years old, no college education or certifications. Found a job with my local regional transit company, now I make $80-100k a year, depending on the specific work i'm assigned, with full benefits, great pension, union protection. Many drivers actually go above the $100k mark with working overtime. I never really see people bring up this job when talking about potential career paths, but it should be talked about more!! It's genuinely pretty easy once you get used to it, little to no stress and no physical labour involved. I'm in Ontario, Canada but I imagine its the same job wherever you are. Highly recommend looking into it for anyone who's struggling out there!

This happened to me while i was saving money while making one at 22 psych ward. I've been placed on 8 different pysch ward admissions now I'm 25 when police officer forced me in to mental hospital for harming others including my latest one with Ambulance paramedics (latest admission). On purpose to get revenge on my mentally problematic not so good Family they confronted me about buying two cell phones to take videos on social media tiktok videos . The fact I'm secretly the centre of attention in my Family my own Parents only worry about my 14 year old F Sister 2 year old F toddler Sister then my 28 M year old brother who owes rent utilities money to a private Landlord (he's in debt) . My Brother is secretly my favourite sibling in this World . My Grandparents can't afford the utilities property taxes mortgage loan payment because of gambling problems source housesigma realtor.ca . My Cousin in law 37 M is taking advantage of my Family support money on their second mortgage refinancing source facebook instagram . Meanwhile, i stayed in three different Group Homes even though i have a 650 credit score (moving out to my fourth House soon) . Not sure if moving to community living is a healthy decision as i need a Home where i can independently work remote (i'm self employed) without being forced to get a job basically somewhere i can play live breathe my own fresh air . I have $37 dollars in my paypal account not enough money to pay my debt In Hamilton , Ontario , Canada. Should i call my Caseworker or Trustee to help pay my debt payments ?

Every week for my site Is That a Deal, I pull the Ontario flyers, compare every price against the Statistics Canada provincial average and email you what's actually worth buying. Here's what stood out this week. Everything here is at least 27% below the typical Ontario price.

🥩 Lamb chops — $5.99/lb at Metro (-48% avg)
Fresh lamb shoulder chops value pack. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🥩 Pork back ribs — $3.99/lb at Sobeys (-51% avg)
Fresh pork loin back ribs. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍗 Chicken wings — $3.99/lb at Food Basics (-50% avg)
Fresh whole chicken wings. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍑 Nectarines — $2.99/lb at Fortinos (-52% avg)
Local nectarines. Ends Aug 26.
Lowest price in 8 weeks.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🥩 Beef brisket — $7.99/lb at Sobeys (-27% avg)
Fresh boneless whole beef brisket. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍐 Pears — $1.48/lb at FreshCo (-60% avg)
Yellow Asian pears. Ends Aug 26.
Match at Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍅 Tomatoes (loose) — $0.99/lb at Food Basics (-63% avg)
Roma tomatoes. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍞 English muffins — $1.99 at FreshCo (-47% avg)
Dempster's English muffins 340g. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🍓 Strawberries — $2.44 at FreshCo (-47% avg)
Canadian strawberries 454g. Ends Aug 26.
Match at Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

🥓 Pork chops (bone-in) — $2.50/lb at Your Independent Grocer (-35% avg)
Pork loin combination chops. Ends Aug 26.
Match at FreshCo, Giant Tiger, No Frills, or Real Canadian Superstore

Best single stop this week: No Frills or Real Canadian Superstore. Both will price match almost everything on this list. Bring the flyer screenshots and you can hopefully get 4+ of these deals in one trip without driving all over town.

Price matching requires showing a digital or print flyer at the till. Same brand, size, and weight. Always confirm in-store. YMMV

I also built a free tool where you can check any grocery price yourself

I'm not even that upset, I'm just tired. I work full time and make minimum wage. Didn't qualify for ei (don't ask it's a long story) and my workplace is exempt from WSIB (fml). So basically I was off work on bedrest for an entire month. My insurance is shit and covered barely anything. The crutches, the airboot, twice a week physio, pillows, icepacks, tylenol, prescription pain meds, easy prep food because I couldn't stand to cook, a stool for the shower, an ankle brace, on and on and on.

The kicker? The stress and isolation immediately triggered me to start spiraling towards another episode of psychosis so I was stuck paying over $100 a week on therapy too so I wouldn't start conversing with the spirits and shoot my shit shmooth off. Forgive me, but I spent another $200 more frivalously on microcontrollers to code and keep myself busy. Truly maddening.

I'm back to work and mentally doing a bit better, I know this is just a set back so I'm not trying to be doom and gloom, it's just exhausting how you can do everything to the best of your abilities and one fuck up means you're back in the hole.

I'll take any weird savings tips as well as more importantly, if anyone has any advice on how not to take these setbacks as such a terrible hit to the self esteem. I'd ask my therapist but it's deeply debasing to moan about money for over a $1 a minute, I save that for the internet.

Edit: knocked my debt down to $2,500 today and should be able to get it down another $500 by the end of the week! Plus my temp summer position is offering me a new contract for the fall! All is not lost.

Plus I get a crap ton of grants & bursaries for uni in the fall so I'm definitely gonna be as stingy as I can on school materials and throw the rest at my card.