No more taking 25% of my income

My sister has credit card judgments against her and her wages were garnished (Illinois). She managed to lose that job with her only income being child support and food stamps. She said they're taking money from her checking account if there's any in it.

Is this legal? She has two kids in 8th grade. I had bought her car for her and am handling the housing. But it seems like they shouldn't be able to take all of her meager money. She plans on filing bankruptcy and also owes court fees for theft (which is why she lost her job - just one more thing in a life-long series of stupid choices, but that's neither here nor there).

Where can I live off 40k a year. I have serious issues and I don't know what to do.

Anstate where if anything I can get ssi for my Sickle cell. I am confused.

I feel many times just to move somewhere because the current place I live at doesn’t seem to pay good and doesn’t give pay raise like other good companies. So far the only income I earned is between $12-15 hourly which is nothing nowadays like my cousin live in other state where he says amazon pays $22 hourly and other mention they able to work over 60 hours and overtime too. They also don’t have no education but still live comfortably while working hard.

I barely get any money saved cuz I’m living paycheck to paycheck. Majority of paycheck goes in rent, bills and everyday to day stuff. I don’t even have side hustle but I’m thinking door dash or Uber but that money will be gone for using gas so I guess food delivery isn’t good option. I’m thinking maybe I should just focus on my college first like that would lead to better paying job but I even stopped taking classes as I’m unaware of what to study. Seems like I’m failing in life because I’m not book or street smart. Sighs I’m feeling scared about my future despite I’m in my mid 20s

While I'm attending graduate school, should I take an early withdrawal from my retirement accts to pay my living expenses or add it to my student loans?

I'll need the max allowed ($20-30K+) to pay my living expenses.

I know there will be a 10% early withdrawal penalty plus federal + state taxes (the first $30K will be tax-free based on prior year tax credit carryover; while in school, my only income will be the retirement withdrawals).

I'm exploring NHSC's loan forgiveness program ($50K+) - the earliest I'd qualify is 2 years after paying the loans.

I need help computing the cost of paying $20-30K of living expenses with my retirement funds versus adding to my student loans. The latter would obviously be a minimum of a 10% penalty, whereas the student loans would be 7 or 8% annually ... so if I have to pay those loans for a minimum of 2 years, isn't withdrawing from my retirement funds a cheaper route? THANKS!

I’ve always wanted to travel. I’m now 26 trying to get my finances right and it sucks when my older sister or friends brag about their trips while I’m at home working two jobs serving hangry people just to pay off debt/have savings.

How do I not feel bad about this? I know eventually once I get my funds together life will be a bit easier and I’ll be able to travel more, but it’s sucks when right now I’m just tryna get by while seeing everyone else living their best lives on cruises and stuff.

I only have myself to blame tbh. I shouldn’t have got myself in so much debt in my early 20’s but it’s whatever. I’m working hard now to get my finances right so my 30’s won’t be a disaster as much of a waste of time and a disaster as my 20’s.

sigh

... think about officiating sports.. I do basketball and softball, so I am able to work all year around and choose and decline games on my schedule and need for money.. I work enough games each month to pay my rent ($1600) and car payment ($335), leaving my teaching pay for everything else.. rec league games pay about $30 and last an hour, do 2-4 games a night.. school games pay $80 and usually a single game..

Just throwing out this idea

I totaled my car. I am fine to take the bus to and from my job. I am saving money up for a car and insurance. What are tips and tricks to avoid getting tricked into paying too much? I also want to know tips for getting a good deal on car insurance, too.

I want to save up for about six months for the down payment. I put away 200 dollars yesterday though normally every two weeks I will put away 100. I’m worried about buying a lemon, I don’t want to dump money into repairs again and again and again. I’m worried about going to the dealership, it seems the name of their game is take as much of your money as they can. I am worried about Facebook marketplace because there is no garentee shopping there. I have time to plan and learn, but I want to know how to be smart, cost effective, get a good deal.

I did a quick search of the forum and was unable to find a previous post related to my situation. I need $2,000 immediately. I have access to nearly $3,000 from a former employer. Unfortunately, I'll need a refund on my contributions to Hawaii's ERS. Ideally I'd rollover my contributions into an IRA to avoid the early withdrawal penalties and subsequent taxable income, but I'm in a bind.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I might go about receiving an immediate loan backed by proof my ERS contributions? I think early cash withdrawal penalty is 20% of the total amount and the refund process may take 6-8 weeks.

If so, how?

On Thursday night I made a payment to the gas company for my service, for which I had received a shut off notice that would go into effect Friday.

The transaction posted/was pending in my account on Thursday night and was listed through Friday, but when I checked my account this morning, the transaction was no longer listed and the money for it had been returned to my account.

I had more than the amount of the transaction in my account, a few hundred dollars more, so it wasn’t that I was over drafted or had insufficient funds.

It’s Saturday and the gas company customer service is unavailable.

Has this happened to anyone before? Will the transaction maybe reappear?

Im 21 yo living with his poor family, got fired from my job 2 months ago and all my savings have ran out, im in tough situation right now where i cant afford paying the rent. I applied on everything i could, none contacted me. Im willing to work anything for anyone, remotely. Please any help or advice?

Hi there!

Hopefully this is the appropriate tag and place for this...but I'm a financially struggling human who is realizing they have no housing backup if my current living situation falls out, which is very likely. I've been scanning potential rooms to maybe rent as a back up now, but I realized I should have had a plan for this now and feeling overwhelmed and like I may be up shits creek if my current housing evaporates.

I'm finally at a place where I'm still digging out of some debt I acquired when I was quietly laid off and had a really bad job. No savings at the moment as I'm still recovering from paying back a very mandatory bill I couldn't avoid anymore and quite frankly needed to get done. Thinking if I get a part time job I can generate some side cash on top of what I make so that I can get back to putting almost 400-500 bucks a week away like I was early 2022.

For anyone who has ever had to look for a place to stay with little to no $$ and kind of a crappy financial history of late, was and is there hope? It's okay if the answer is no 😭

Hey there, PovertyFinance! This post has been a long time coming—years, actually. I'll keep it short and quick. I love this place, and I love all of you. I hope you can all make it out and help each other escape this situation.

Quick disclaimer: Not everyone will be able to follow what I'm posting here. You need time, and you need some baseline health (for instance, heart disease would change things up, having a bit more money but a bit less time, etc.). It's one of the toughest ways out—I won't lie—but it works for me and a couple of other people.

Career Path: On one hand, you can get a job online. The most popular options will still involve programming—I'd recommend web development, but really, as long as you're dedicated and working hard, you'll succeed in almost anything. I started with web development in ReactJS, and I see a lot of opportunities in this area.

Improving Health and Performance: It's crucial to be better than most. What you do every day can significantly impact your performance, especially with something like learning (particularly programming) and performing at work. For instance, instead of drinking alcohol regularly, switch that habit for eating a can of sardines daily. I know buying fish isn't always an option, but you have several health pillars you can rely on: sauna, cold baths or showers (14°C or below), exercise, mindfulness practices, sleep hygiene, fasting, and nutrition. Some of these don't require money, just time. For example, fasting can help you save money, or you could squeeze in some exercise or practice mindfulness for 20 minutes before sleeping. Maybe switch out random food for something rich in omega, like sardines, or try taking a vitamin D supplement to keep things balanced.

Key Points:

Health is always with you, whether you like it or not, and improving it is something you can be proud of, even without money. It's rewarding—the difference between days when I take long 20-minute cold baths every other day or do intense exercise is incomparable to days when I don't. It really matters if you want to study—your mind will thank you for it. Educational Resources: Universities have a lot of information, and there are podcasts like Peter Attia and Rhonda Patrick (but be mindful not to study from only one source). In this post, I've already shared most of what you need to know.

Coding Together: As for coding, the best thing you can do is find people to code with and work on a small project. The market is very competitive. What I've described here, many others are doing, but they often overlook the health aspect. In my experience, it's essential to keep you ahead of everyone else.

Final Thoughts: All of this is time-consuming, and many of you will not be able to do both. Unfortunately, a bunch of us can't even just live healthily, but understanding the importance and keeping it in the back of your mind, looking for an opportunity, can be the game-changer.

I often do a round of Wim Hof breathing exercises during my 5-minute breaks just to remind myself that I am actually in control of my life.

I got laid off before the holidays (company laid off everyone in my state, and are now filing bankruptcy- which I expected, even though it was a billion dollar company the year I was hired). I just got a new job and I start training next week. But I’m cash poor and have tapped out every avenue for loans.

I was babysitting my granddaughters today and the older one (she’s 5) was super in a bad mood and wanted to lash out. I’m usually better with this and can get her out of it and laughing. But today she hit a nerve. She attacked me for a while (I can handle that). Then, out of nowhere in a sing songy voice she kept repeating - you’re poor and we’re rich. Over and over. They aren’t rich rich. But they make six figures (and I’ve literally never made that much), so I said yeah, that’s kind of true. For reference I normally over buy for them at every holiday (and go into debt doing it) and this year I couldn’t even afford Christmas presents. I’m pretty sure my daughter told them not to ask me for anything, which was her being kind. But now I just feel like I’m useless and in a financial hole that’s going to take some time to get out of. I’ve kind of sunk into this depression today that I’m having a hard time pulling out of. My (now former) therapist ghosted me on Monday and I was off my meds for several days this week and a complete mess, which could have a lot to do with this.

Just fyi, I’m venting, not looking for people to come into my DM’s and offer money or even worse some ‘deal’ where I know they get a kickback from. I have burned all my bridges loan wise and now owe as much as if I had a horrific student loan. Thanks for listening. Don’t know why they don’t have the choice in this sub for - vent.

Hey everyone,

I’ve been living in poverty for my whole life, however things have started to take a turn for the worst. Due to unforeseen familial circumstances, I have been desperately looking for a job to help support my mother (father is not in the picture) and siblings. I have recently been given the opportunity to have an interview at my local Big Lots (right across the street from my home!), but now, based on what I’ve been reading on Reddit about Big Lots/retail jobs in general, I’m a bit worried. I am aware that Big Lots pays close to if not minimum wage, but at this point I’m so desperate for employment - and this was the first job that contacted me. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I just turned 16.

Yup just walked out from the restaurant of a country club that I have been working for like year. I was switched to a runner position and kept bringing heavy plates on a big tray. Servers wouldn't do anything, just take orders, constant mistakes and disappear. I received so much verbal abuse by members because of their mistakes.

They did hire a new runner guy to help. Instead he said he couldn't carry a big tray and could take 2-3 plates at once. He did that at the beginning but since Chef and Sous Chef didn't care much to expo, the new runner tried to act like an expo/boss to avoid having to carry plates.

I got into an accident outside of work and I injured two of my fingers where I carry that tray. It's definitely a fracture, all swollen. I was waiting to see if it's gonna heal and I enrolled into Medical. I told them I was in pain. When Chef and Sous Chef ended up 'helping' they would load the big tray and send me. The new runner kept using excuses. I just kept doing it to be in good terms.

Today I injured myself further and I started crying from the pain. Manager told me to go outside for a few minutes and come back. I told him f*** you, I have been in pain and he could have helped to carry tray himself instead of just chatting to the female servers. He asked me if I was walking out or going to the hospital and I asked him if that's all he cared about? Well he can do the work by himself now.

None of these friendly coworkers texted me to see if I'm okay. I was doing all of that to get paid about min wage and servers pocketing cash tips and not giving anything to bussers/runners. What did I make last week? $525 working 5 days a week and I live in LA.

I had an okay job before, and was finally starting to build up my life. I got an apartment on my own and a cat and was super happy with that. However, the person who hired me ending up getting me pregnant. I lost my baby, lost my job, lost everything tbh. I’m a 26f and I feel completely lost. I don’t really have anyone to lean on but i’ve been doordashing to make ends meet. I am not even sure how I will make rent for next month, and if I get evicted I’ve been preparing how I will move into my car. Does anyone have advice how to move forward?

My BFF is moving to a rural desert area, her income is going down drastically and will be about $1500 monthly. She will not have rent expenses as she owns her home, but she has a lot of pets and I know she is going to struggle with this change. I plan to visit as often as I can (I live about 5 hrs away). What are some useful/necessary or special items I can bring her? I am thinking the obvious, like non-perishables, petfood, cleaning stuff, but are there other things I could bring to make her life easier? She will not have Internet where she is at so ordering stuff is a challenge for her, I want to try and help her as much as I am able. Any suggestions/ideas?

I am doing armed security and I get paid 14 a hour. Have been with this company for over two years and it has been the worst thing to ever happen to me. My mental health has shit the bed and it’s hard to save any money. I feel so lost in life. I would love to go into the trades but no one will hire me with no experience. I have also thought about going to school for nursing but the nearest college is a two hour drive from my house. I am 26 years old. I live in rural Virginia where the only thing to really do is coal mining. I can not afford to move away either. I am so lost. I have two kids and a wife as well. I want a good life for them more than anything.

I think the nursing profession is a fantastic way to lift yourself out of poverty. I’ve been working full time while completing my pre-requisites to pay tuition and it has been HARD. Regardless, I made sure to get straight A’s. Anyone can - you just have to be dedicated. Upon acceptance to my school’s program, I applied for a hospital scholarship in the city I want to live in and got it. Not a lot of applicants have straight A’s when you are taking chemistry, microbio, anatomy, physiology… not in the south at least lol. You can basically guarantee yourself money coming your way.

The hospital is paying for the remainder of my nursing school as long as I agree to work for them as a RN after. I don’t even HAVE to use the money for nursing school. I can use it for living expenses, a new car… whatever I need to get me through!

A year ago I was in a dark place and now I’ve never been happier or more optimistic. The possibilities with a nursing license are endless!!! I cannot wait to help others and finally feel secure.

Arby's:

Ordering through the app until the end of April gets you a free sandwich with any purchase. I ordered a buffalo chicken slider and 1/2 # roast beef during happy hour and only paid $1.58... I had seeded burger buns and plenty of Arby's sauce so I was able to get 3 sandwiches out of the 1/2#er....

Here's the facts:

My credit score was very recently around 760 (until several surprise funeral flights home and several expensive veterinary bills happened in a short period of time.)

I now have about $5,500 in CC debt, and score plummeted to 670.

Cat requires $1,400-$1,800 treatment within the next 5 months.

My lease is up in August and I need to move due to personal safety concerns and pests in current apartment.

I have $400 in savings.

One of my 2 maxed out credit cards just increased my limit by $1,000.

I'm afraid if I use that to pay for my cat's treatment that my credit score will dip too low to be qualified to move. I can't use CareCredit.

I can pay a maximum of $300 a month towards credit cards.

What should I do? Balance transfer? Personal loan?

Thank you.