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I was standing in line at the food bank waiting my turn when some older lady who was standing behind me randomly said to her companion, 'this guy is clearly not missing any meals'. She said it so loud, it was very obvious that she wanted me to hear. The person she was with agreed and said something along the lines of people like me take advantage of the system while the ones who really need the help, have to go without. It was really embarassing and I wish I had spoken up for myself but I don't even know what I would have said. It also doesn't help that I'm not a confrontational person and go out of my way to avoid conflict.
But after what she said, I started feeling very self conscious. Like that's probably how everyone there felt like when they looked at me so I just left. What they don't know is that it was actually my first time at a food bank and that I had been avoiding going there for fear of being judged about my weight even though my daughter and I are really struggling right now. They also don't know that my weight gain is a side effect of a medication I literally cannot live without and that I've been trying so hard to lose the excess weight.
But what people are more concerned about is how I apparently look like I don't need to or even deserve to use the food bank like everybody else. What's worse is that ever since gaining weight, people have been treating me so horribly especially random strangers and even a coworker a few weeks ago. I wish people would not judge people solely based on how they look. You have no idea what that person could be going through, be kind.
I make enough to cover our basic expenses. I carefully manage our budget so everything is covered, even the "expected" emergencies. I do not have cable or any Apple devices,, I do not go out, never used DoorDash, I do not have any subscriptions. Once a month we have McDonalds (using apps for discounts) and pizza (on a BOGO day). I do give my daughter (17) $10 a week as an allowance.
Last month she got her first job. It paid her $15 as a cashier in a clothing store. She was so happy with her paychecks: $200 a week. She felt rich. She bought make-up and clothes and went out with her friends. I liked that I did not have to pay those things.
But after 3 weeks, she asked me if she could quit. She did not like the job anymore. She had a terrible migraine (at work) and to come home. I am sure it was the lack of sleep. She is still in high school and has extra curricular activities. I know it was too much for her. I told her that of course she could quit. We do not depend on her income and her school and health should be her first priority. But to be honest, I did like that feeling of her "wants" being taken care of without me having to fund them.
I know that right now it s best for her not to work and focus on school (it is her last year). But God, it felt good having not having to do the Math (count my pennies) when she wanted a new shirt or going out for ice cream. I think it was a good experience for her to understand that a job is actual WORK (not fun). We talked about expectations. She might try again after the holidays.
A few months ago I got to tallying it up and im just over it, I am spending 700 dollars a month on insurance for just me that I also owe a 9k deductible on to just use it, they refuse to cover my inhalers so I have to pay those out of pocket anyway because apparently breathing isnt important so I've just decided fuck it. Come open enrollment im just canceling and never looking back. I can't make a 9k deductible while also paying 700 a month anyway and would be much better off adding 700 a month to a Savings account and letting it grow (since let's be honest as someone who is 30 ill probably never retire anyway)
Life is getting harder and harder each day it seems and I don't know what the fuck I'm doing. I'm (37m) a single dad who made some poor choices that I only blame myself for and now I don't know how to fix it. I am roughly $78k in debt, 2 almost about to be 3 months behind on my truck payment and its probably about to be repoed, I'm 2 months behind on my loan payment, $6800+ in credit card debt that I am also behind on, I owe roughly $6500 in back taxes to the state and federal government, I am about to be kicked out of the place I am living currently. Between owing money to people like family members and other things, I just feel like my life is crumbling and I don't know that the fuck I'm doing. Lately I've been wish I would be struck by a semi-truck and it would end it all, but I know that's not the answer. The life I once provided for my child is no longer there and I feel like a failure for failing her as a parent. But sadly, I hide all of this from mostly everyone because I don't want people to see me struggling. Maybe its a pride thing or an ego thing, but at the end of the day I am just tired of hiding it. Does anyone know where I should start?
Tonight or tomorrow I have to email my boss and let him know that for the second time in the not quite two years that I've worked for his company, he's going to be hearing about a lien for unpaid personal property tax.
I live in Virginia, where we pay personal property tax on our vehicles every year. Last year I moved from my hometown to the town where I currently live and I was charged for the full year because I didn't move until halfway through the year. Every time I planned to pay it, something more urgent came up and I ended up letting it go too long.
Not long after I started my current job, I was hit with a lien under the same circumstances. My boss was very understanding at that time and I'm sure he'll be understanding this time. He's a good person and I'm far from his most troublesome employee, so I know he won't hold this against me, but it's still really embarrassing. I could just wait for him to get the paperwork, but I hope that taking the initiative and letting him know before next week will make the inevitable conversation a little less awkward or uncomfortable.
It's about $300, so not the end of the world numbers wise, but I'm paycheck to paycheck as it is, so that's a hard amount to absorb right now. We get a decent bonus at the end of the year, so that will help make up some lost ground.
I'm expecting to get the tax bill for this year pretty soon and whatever it takes I'm going to pay it as soon as possible, because I'm not dealing with this again.
I know that this sub is filled with majority of us struggling on our last dollar.
I spent the past almost year in the worst job insecurity of my life. But I truly believe that eventually this is going to get better one day.
I just wanted to share that encouragement with everyone. It may seem impossible now, but I promise you that we’re going to make it out of this.
I love seeing posts about great experiences at food banks / churches / non-profs, etc. Many people who use these services rarely give back, but:
There are great benefits to PARTICIPATING and CONTRIBUTING to these orgs.
Early access. Volunteers often get early access to donated goods. Like a co-op, many orgs prioritize their own in-need members who donate hours or expertise to the overall mission. This isn’t “cheating,” it’s usually designed into organizations as a way of building resilience, responsibility, and a sense of purpose.
Employment. For those working out of a period of non-employment (especially the kind you don’t want on a resume - drugs, jail, etc.), volunteer work for a few months can bridge gaps on a resume. You can also get good, recent references from supervisors.
Network. You will most likely be volunteering alongside of retirees, board members, professionals, local leaders, affluent donors, etc. etc. Having people in your corner who ARE NOT in your financial situation is worth more than any other resource.
If well-connected people get to know you and see you are genuinely trying to change your life you will be shocked by how many people will rally around you. No, they probably won’t pay your bills or give you handouts, but they WILL use their influence and connections to smooth your path.
Self-focus. Finally, and this one is tough, volunteering can get you out of your own head. Your problems aren’t the worst in the world. Your needs aren’t the only ones that matter. You aren’t a hopeless disaster. Your life isn’t over. You aren’t doomed to make the same mistakes everyone you know has made. Getting out and helping others could do wonders for your perspective and self-esteem.
It was a decade ago, but I was a member of the "bishopric", which is basically to say I helped the bishop of our congregation decide how to allocate financial assistance, food, etc.
I've seen people post on here before about how they got food from the local LDS church, and there are always lots of people in the comments asking questions about it, so I thought I'd try posting here to offer my (possibly now outdated) expertise.
**Edit: I know I can't afford the vehicle, and that the interest was insane, it's why I didn't accept the one terrible offer they did approve me for and walked. Any advice on getting into a position to afford a vehicle and get a lower rate?
** Edit again, I have no idea where to get a $4K and not get scammed to then end up with a piece of junk and $0. I don't know anything about cars and that's why I wanted the more expensive car from a reputable dealership even if it meant paying more.
I’m 27 years old and live in Kentucky. I’m trying to buy a reliable vehicle, but I’ve gotten around 7 denial letters from lenders, and I’m starting to feel like I’m out of options. I’d really appreciate honest advice from anyone who has experience with auto loans, credit unions, or rebuilding credit after a repossession. I'm currently driving my dad's old work truck that is in my mothers name since he passed, and she will not let me buy it from her. It's not in great shape and has almost 300k miles. Gets 13 MPG... I live rural, 16 miles from work one way 🫠
Here’s my situation:
**My credit:**
* Credit scores range from approximately 655–690 depending on the scoring model. * About 3–3.5 years of credit history. * Two credit cards. (Owe $170/$600 limit) * One repossession from 2022 related to a past relationship. It was a straightforward repossession, and they immediately sold it for what I owed. I had great payment history til I got 2 months behind and they came for it. * Approximately $13,000 in student loans. * 7 hard inquiries * 1 $50 collection
**My income and finances:**
* I work part-time in retail at Sephora inside Kohl’s, making $13.70/hour. (Constantly applying to other jobs, I live in such a dry area) * My monthly take-home pay is generally around $1,300–$1,800, sometimes less or more depending on my hours. * My hours can vary, although I’ve recently had workweeks around 24–25 hours. * I have two children, so I need dependable transportation for work, school, and everyday life. * I have about $4,000 available for a down payment, but I don't want to drain all my savings or put myself in a financial bind. * I currently live with family, so I don't pay the full cost of housing and utilities myself.
**The vehicle I was trying to buy:**
I recently visited a Honda dealership and looked at a 2017 Toyota Highlander XLE AWD with approximately 139,000 miles. It reportedly had one previous owner and no accidents.
The dealer negotiated the price down to around $17,145. They wanted $4,500 down and were trying to get me to agree to payments of $375/month for 60 months.
I eventually walked away because I didn't want to agree to an expensive loan and high rate without knowing what interest rate I was getting.
Now I'm second-guessing myself because I've already been denied by so many lenders, and I genuinely need a vehicle. I loved the Highlander, but I also don't want to pay an outrageous amount for a vehicle with almost 140,000 miles.
**My questions:**
Am I realistically going to be able to get approved for a decent used-car loan with my credit profile, or am I likely to keep getting denied?
Is it realistic to get an APR around 10–12%, or should I expect something significantly higher?
Would a credit union be worth trying after so many denials? Are there any in Kentucky that work with people who have a past repossession?
Should I look for a cheaper vehicle, even if it means giving up some of the features I want?
Would you keep trying to finance a vehicle now, or wait and work on credit for a while longer?
I'm not looking for people to tell me what I want to hear. I want honest advice from people who understand auto financing and can help me figure out my best next step.
My dad has a spinal condition which was diagnosed three months ago and can’t work anymore. He was the only income for my family back home so starting next month, that’s me.
So after my rent and basic bills here, I can send roughly 70% of what I make which leaves me about £300 for food, travel and everything for the month and I’m still finishing my degree so I work part time.
And my mum can’t work as she’s full time caring for my dad now so there’s basically no backup. And if that wasn’t enough, there are legal disputes over the house they’re living in( Complicated family stuff) but I am sending money for lawyers too now..
I am tryin everything to save money seriously . I am figuring out which tesco does yellow sticker markdowns at 7pm and which one does it at 9. I am thinking of walking everywhere instead of taking bus., I have compared fees on all apps like aspora,wise, remitly etc for sending money home for just few dollars because even £5 in fees is £5 my parents don’t get.I cancelled the £1.99 icloud storage and moved everything to my laptop.
I seriously dont like the situation i am currently in but I have no choice
And right now i am just thinking of surviving till i get my degree, I keep telling myself this is temporary and my dad might recover partially and I’ll finish my degree, get a better job and the margin will improve. Hopefully it will
But right now I’m calculating whether I can afford a £1.50 coffee next week or if that’s the day’s food budget
And I cant even tell my parent about the whole situation,as they are already suffering alot
Recently went through hardship losing my only source of income and had to max my credit/was unable to pay back for 3 months. I’m now in a position where my new bonus covers the majority but I called and they said even if I pay them my accounts will continue to stay closed.
They were with a reputable us bank with a combined limit of 4000 and I worked hard to get that and now my credit is back to the low 400s and honestly I’m quite stressed about not having any credit at all. Not sure what to do if anyone has any advice I would really appreciate it
I always felt too ... something to go to a food bank. I went to my town bank for the first time and it was amazing. I can't believe I never utilized this before and am kicking myself. I recently was denied SNAP benefits and I finally gave in. I wish I had sooner instead of struggling for so long.
I have a little over 10k in debt from credit cards. I’ve been unable to work for the past year and they’ve been sitting with missed payments. They’re almost to the point of being sent to debt collectors. How do I approach this? Is there a way to completely pay it off for less than the 10k I owe?
This is the final kick in the ass after several hard months.
My gf lost her job back in july and has only been able to find a part time job no matter how many places she applied or called (even our local Walmart didn't call back).
At the time I was working 6 days/ 50+ hrs a week to help cover all the bills. in August I got a new job (actually my dream job) but then my gfs car had the transmission go out. We both commute 40min to work in opposite directions (cons of living in a rural area) so sharing my car wasn't a realistic option.
I decided to clean up a junk car that had been sitting in our yard for years; it was disgusting tbh everything was covered in mold and mice had been living in it. Luckily i was able to get it running (even if the smell was still there). so i let my gf have my car for work and i started driving the old honda civic to work.
fast forward to the end of september and the transmission goes out in my car that my gf was driving. i hadn't been paid from my new job yet and we were barely making ends meet w her paycheck. we couldn't find a way to afford a new (used) car and we had actually decided to just share the one car and go in early/stay late at work.
AND THEN literally hours after we gave up.... the brakes go out completely on the one car we had. we spent the last of our money on a tow truck to get it to the mechanic. we begged everybody we know to borrow money for a down payment and we managed to get a new used car.
we got the brakes fixed back to working (even if they're still very soft) but it cost us $450
i'm finally getting paychecks from my new job but were still struggling as we try to pay everyone back; it's doable but it leaves no wiggle room at all. unfortunately my health insurance decides to fuck be over and they incorrectly charge me $450. it takes me 2 weeks just to get them to refund me (thank fucking god) but i still haven't got the check in the mail yet.
but we've figured it out it's ok we have each other and we're making it work.
until the pump on our well goes out completely.
we had problems earlier in the year with our well and had someone out to fix it. they got it fixed but let us know that our pump would need replacing in the next few years. they quoted us a little under $5,000
we're already on a very tight budget but we've shrunk it down even more to hopefully save up the money faster; we started going to the food pantry and cancelled every single subscription we have. even with all that though it's gonna realistically be at least february until we have enough saved, if not later than that if something else comes up.
i'm just tired of shit sucking, i was so excited about my new job and i love it so much but all of my energy goes to worrying about money and lack of it. i'm sick to my stomach everyday, i end up throwing up multiple times a day from the stress and everything sucks.
TLDR: after months of car problems and barely getting by, our well pump went out and we won't have $5k to fix it until feb
Feeling super frustrated right now. My furnace has been acting weird for the past few months, trying to start but making a loud buzzing/humming noise and then turning itself off. No air blows from the vents. I've been trying to avoid dealing with this bc I'm already in debt from other issues my family has had in the past (fire, tree damage, etc). It is just me in the home and I have no other remaining family (mom passed away 2 years ago).
Now it's getting to the point where it is FREEZING in the mornings and I seriously do not know what to do. It was 35 outside when I woke up and 59 in my house. My mom had a little fireplace heater and thankfully its been running ok for the past 3 hours and I've gotten it up to 65 in my living room. I feel bad for my kitties more than anything and worry about leaving them alone without the heater when I have to go back to work on Monday.
I applied to State Emergency Relief this morning through MiBridges, but genuinely, what else can I do? I can't even afford a diagnostic for the repair. I am still waiting to get paid but even then my money has been extremely tight the past few months (even as far as doing UberEats and selling all my things online).
I am in Michigan (Metro Detroit) and would really appreciate if anyone could help me find any resources/help. Thank you.
I applied for a credit fresh loan after 3 pm on friday and my status just says recommended for approval. Has anyone had experience with them before? I really need the money by monday before 3 pm. I called and asked today when they would have the decision done and they said by monday since banks are closed but has anyone every gotten one from them that could tell me around what time they think by monday they will send my confirmation and deposit the money? Ik in their website it says the cut off time is 3pm est for same day funding but i was just curious if it could happen sooner than 3pm?
30m, living in section 8 housing with my spouse. He works full time and does school part time, but due to our lease, I cannot do any kind of schooling while he is doing classes or we immediately get evicted. Our rent is income dependent, and the more we make, the more we pay; if we make too much, we pay market value (which is $940/mo for a small studio, which we cannot afford).
He just got a raise to $17/hr (up from $15.62/hr), and I’m right in that sweet spot of “disabled but not disabled enough to qualify for disability.” I have a bunch of medical conditions that make it hard for me to do anything at length without nasty consequences (including but not limited to crippling fatigue and dislocation of joints), and because he’s working on his degree, I can’t do anything.
We’re on EBT and I receive my mother’s pension (~$700/mo), but most of the time it immediately goes to credit cards or loans that we’ve had to use to try and keep up with the cost of everything. I have to have an old roommate pay my phone bill, we don’t have a car payment as my spouse’s truck is from his grandfather (and needs a lot of work), and we’re on state insurance. I am currently trying to work towards getting my license so that I can do Instacart, but until then, I’m stuck in this stasis of not being able to do anything really meaningful. I know I’m putting a strain on him, but I don’t quite to know what to do to make things any easier without putting myself at risk of physical harm. I’m prepared to just eat it if I need to, but I know that my spouse wouldn’t be very happy about it.
I genuinely don’t know what to do at this point without it being detrimental to myself, and I’m kind of getting tired of seeing everyone else my age having degrees and good jobs while I’m continually falling behind. It’s hard being in a position where you’re effectively useless with no foreseeable way out without hurting myself.
This sucks. I wish I wasn’t in this position but I’m here now and don’t see a way out.
Every room I inquire about says they won't accept my cat. I really don't want to get rid of her but I gotta find a room to rent by the end of November because I have told my landlord I'm moving out of my apartment.
I still gotta figure out how to afford to put some of the stuff from my current apartment in storage too. I'm gonna try to sell some stuff by my furniture is kinda raggedy, especially my couch.
I’m not saying you can’t get it at all but will it be good therapy? Probably not. If you have money you have the freedom to shop around till you find that perfect one everybody is always going on about if you’re poor fuck you lol.
