Every time i see a post on reddit talking about income or jobs i see the comments flooded with people saying they make more than 6 figures and they own a home. For example theyll say something like “i make 187k a year, 500k in a roth ira, 200k in savings.

In real life i know almost know one that makes this much money so how are there so many of these posts? Is reddit full of rich people?

Mine is milk. As 1Litre of regular cow's milk is now 1.20, I have reluctantly admitted that I'll have to switch to semi-skimmed UHT milk, as that only costs 0.69 per 1Litre. The UHT milk is fine, I guess, but sweeter than I'm used to. So, what have you guys downgraded to in order to keep having certain things? Let's share some cost-cutting substitutions.

[Location: England]

Paycheck to paycheck.. tomorrow is payday and the cycle repeats.

You can become a live in caregiver. It’s a long day because you would be on call. But you would get your days off and $250 a week here, in the suburbs of Chicago. You have to have a high school diploma, a working car with insurance and pass a background check

I've been on one meal a day for quite some time and now I've been trying to skip a day sometimes but my body won't allow it. I feel weak and dizzy.

I've read people here saying they go days without eating, so I'm wondering how they manage it. Please share your tips. Thanks

Title is self explanatory, any advice/resources? Im a Male with a drivers license and clean background. Been job searching with no luck lately

Im open to any type of jobs: willing to train, offers housing, seasonal, remote (i have a laptop), etc. Not expecting all these options to come with a job, im just listing different types

Basically anything that can get me some income at the moment so i can get back on track. Im also willing to relocate anywhere in the U.S.

My partner & I were living in a 400 sq ft apartment with a baby. We needed more room and desperately wanted to buy a house. We had less than $5k in savings.

My mom offered to help us with a down payment. Thing is, she is retired/disabled and needs her own savings to live on. She only gets a little social security each month. She said she would give us the down payment if she could move in with us.

She didn't pressure us at all. Honestly, we jumped at the opportunity to buy a home. But it's not been an easy adjustment.

Multigenerational living is hard. Having a baby is hard. Living with your aging mother (presumably for the rest of her life as I would never put her in a care home) is hard. Supporting a family of 4 on $50k is hard. Owning a home is hard and I worry every day that an emergency repair is going to tank us.

I am so grateful for our home and my family, but god I am so tired all the time.

Anyone else doing the multigenerational thing right now to make ends meet? How are you doing?

I’m 38 and live in Chengdu, China. After my business failed, I became unemployed and was left owing money to the bank that I can’t currently repay.

Because of this, my bank cards and my WeChat and Alipay accounts have been frozen or restricted, and my credit has been affected. I want to find work and start earning again, but I’ve discovered that some jobs are harder to get into than I expected.

I looked into driving for DiDi and doing food delivery, but I was turned down because I couldn’t provide a bank card to receive payments. I also considered working as a designated driver, but my credit issues came up in the background check, so that didn’t work out either.

Right now, I’m thinking about looking for temporary work so I can bring in some income. At the same time, I’ve started making videos about my everyday life. I want to keep going and see whether it could become a new direction for me.

But I’m anxious about the future. I need income now, and I don’t know how long it might take for the videos to go anywhere—or whether they ever will. I don’t want to put all my hopes into something uncertain, but I also don’t want to give up before I’ve really tried.

Sometimes the hardest part isn’t the work itself. It’s wanting to move forward and realizing that the options in front of you are fewer than you thought.

Has anyone been through something similar? How did you keep earning while trying to build something new, especially when you didn’t know whether it would work out?

Everybody I contact about renting a room , doesn't accept cats and I have one (currently staying in a 1 bedroom apt). I feel sick that I may have to give up my cat just to save money. My lease ends at the end of next month so I have to find something soon or either renew my lease. I honestly was just going to get a second job and consider staying in my apartment , but I don't know that it is a good idea. But on the other hand I'm afraid to stay with strangers but it seems like a lot of people doing it nowadays. However I saw like a whole bunch of YouTube vids that say not to do it because you will be miserable. Someone tell me that renting a room from a stranger isn't that bad or am I delusional? I can't even afford my car payment right now

I Owe CRA 42% of my debt
I owe NSLSC 43%
Credit cards are 13%

around 80k total

Credit cards accepted my proposal
CRA voted against it, my LIT reached out to CRA to counter
NSLSC has not responded yet. The 45 day mark would be November 9th.

Just looking for others who have gone through this and had it eventually accepted 🤞

I've been crying all night, I really don't want to have to do bankruptcy due to the fact that you can only make a certain amount of money per month. I feel like a failure at 29 years old, I had a baby at 18 and went back to school at 21 life just got expensive as a single parent.

I already started working more over time to put extra away to throw at the proposal.

no kids, just me and a dog. our apartment dryers ($2.50 each for one washer/dryer, so $5 minimum to wash and dry) are being repaired so i went down the street to the laundromat. i just spent $19 (would have been $15 at my complex with the amount of loads i did) to wash/dry my clothes for the week.

those with kids, how the hell are you all keeping up financially especially with grocery trips and other random expenses that come up?!?!? i can barely keep up just taking care of myself, i couldn’t imagine the cost of a whole family.

Hello, I am open to advice or ideas, but somewhat I am also venting.

I am on a month to month lease specifically because I have been struggling with money for years and knew I might run out some day. I was afraid to be trapped in a lease I couldn't pay for.

So now the time has come that an income source is running out at the end of December. I could end the lease. I have been thinking of plans to put the most important things in a small cheap storage unit and trying to couch surf for a bit. I have been asking friends and acquaintances for places that I could stay for free or cheaper, even if temporary.

But honestly, I am afraid to let go of my safe apartment, especially in winter. I have camping gear and also know of some places I can go in the warm season, like a farming commune that might let me stay for free temporarily, if I help with work. But that is for warm weather. I am looking at January-March and wondering what to do with that.

Common advice is get a better job or more hours. I have a job. I could work more hours there, but I average 20 hours a week. It is often the most I can do. I don't want to get into all the details, but I have physical chronic illness as well as mental health life long problems. I burn out on jobs frequently. I have a bachelor's degree, but I can't keep up with almost any job long term. I have a hard time staying awake and getting to work within specific hours, and I burn out quickly trying to fit into most work requirements. I am lucky to have the job I currently have because I can make my own hours and they don't fire people for having too few hours. It's a blessing with the problems that I have, that at least I can get some money when I am able.

I can't get on disability because I am not properly diagnosed for several of my problems. And I have been to several Dr.s about it over the years, physical and mental health. Some even said they think I may have autism or ADHD. But they don't want to diagnose me because they think that I am drug seeking, but I have no addiction problems whatsoever and never have. I am willing to get tested at any time. I am not currently on any medications. One dr said that ADHD meds are basically just meth and that's why they are unwilling to help. I have said I would like any other help a diagnosis could give me, but they won't help. They also say they can't diagnose me for anything because I am older than 12 and have a college degree. I had to change my major because of my focus problems also.

I also know someone similar to me, who I let couch surf here for 3 months. She has been trying for years to get disability and she does have multiple diagnosis, but after 3 years she still can't get disability either. I also have executive dysfunction trying to do things like applying for things like that. I don't think I could handle it. People don't believe me that I can't handle simple tasks that they can. But I have had meltdowns / panic attack trying to get through simple things that other people seem to have no problem with.

TLDR. I don't know if I should leave my apartment because I don't make enough money to pay. Or get into much deeper debt, that I feel I may never be able to climb out from.

When my Mom died, we sold the family home, and after a few things, I have $16,000 in an ABLE account (savings account for someone with a disability, exempt from asset limits). My sister is my Representative Payee for SSDI.

I am currently sitting at Les Schwab getting brakes, tires, and an alignment. The brakes were really bad, scraping. I am putting it on a financing account with them, and my sister and I will decide what to do with it by the time I get the first bill. It would be monthly payments of about $55.

I also have a personal loan for $3,500 with monthly payments about $100.

My question: should I payoff both debts, using the ABLE account? Or just keep making monthly payments, and leave savings alone for any future needs?

I will NEVER receive such a substantial amount of money ever again. No one else will leave me an inheritance.

I will likely need a new used car within the next 5 years or less. So, two things: making on-time monthly payments on my loans will improve my credit score, for a better rate on a car loan...or, leaving money in savings would allow me to pay cash for a beater.

I suck at financial decisions, so I'm open to input.

I’m working towards my bachelor’s. I was previously in an abusive relationship and it caused me to do poorly in school because he didn’t see education as valuable so he often didn’t let me go to class and made it really hard to get work done. I’m not trying to shift all the responsibility but all of my energy was going towards trying not to make him angry and it’s not easy to focus on school when you’re focused on not getting beat up all the time.

I finally got out of that about a month and a half ago. I thought I would do way better now that I’m not with him but he left me in a tough financial position and now I’ve gone from working part time to working full time and I just haven’t been studying as much I want to. I did poorly on a few tests and I was hoping to get straight As this semester to pull my GPA back up but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen.

I have a midterm in an hour. I’m not prepared. I was planning to study a lot more but, well, it’s the end of the month and I’ve been scrambling to get enough for rent and such.

I always thought that doing well in school would be my path to getting a better job and being financially stable but it feels like a cycle I can’t escape.

I was hospitalized for about 2 months last year - tried to pay hospital bills with credit card, then when filing taxes, HR let me know I had been fired hence why I couldnt access my W-2 ,, this lead to my vehicle repo and credit card collection

I already went through court and got unemployment for a while and got a new job where i get paid well enough but havent had the free income to rebuild credit with a secured credit card

A deer hit me and my car got impounded because the light went out and my registration was out of date ,, only have liability

Anyway gotta get my tags and stuff as well as pay impound + tow fees - all together I need like 2k and I dont get paid until the 5th which is a lot of money going into impound fees

I make about 2750 a month net but have had no luck with credit unions or standard loan company applications

Any advice?

Hey Everyone , I'm in my mid 20s and I rent a room for over a year and 2 months , always paid rent on time but since the start of October i struggled to pay it ( I can't work anymore for couple of months for legal reasons ) , and I didn't find a place to stay yet ( gov can offer me a place in the shelter if i'm lucky ) , I don't have a car , I was being fair and thought I should leave the place if I can't pay it anymore but at the same time I have nowhere to go .

I sincerely need advice from people who went through the same things and struggled also , I'm going through one of the hardest period of my life , and I know it's a phase and it will be done for , it is just hard to go through this and also give up a safe space of mine . re-starting from 0 again can be harsh , everything i worked for 5 years vanished .

I'm in EU not USA.

I 22F live w my single father 49M who was laid off a year ago from his job of 20yrs. From what I know he’s been applying to jobs but hasn’t heard anything back. I currently work for starbucks and am a full time student so needless to say this keeps me up at night. He also owes my mom child support for my siblings that live w her, so that’s always a money drain. he owns our house but my mom currently is trying to serve him w papers bc he hasn’t sold the house yet. everyday im fearful im going to wake up to an eviction notice or that we’re going to be flat broke. idk what to do. i want to help my dad find a job but idek where to start.

This is a Vent/Rant but I am looking to hear any advice people are willing to give me, so I'm using the Misc Advice tag.

No matter what I do, I can't get caught up on my bills or lower my debt. For context, I wasn't struggling like this until my ex decided to break up with me out of nowhere 2 years ago and leave me with all the bills for the apartment we were renting at the time. Since he refused to put his name on anything, I ended up with all the debt. (Shouldn't have been surprised as I found out he didn't love me and was just using me for 6 of the 8 years we were together) Due to that I wound up maxxing out both my credit cards (6k in total) and using Affirm (horrible mistake) to attempt to afford the bills and groceries as mine and my roommates paychecks each week were not enough to break even with the monthly payments between rent, food, utilities, our phone bills and car insurance. Not long after my ex left, I moved back home with my parents since my lease was up and it wouldn't be renewed unless my roommates and I agreed to a 750 increase making rent 2750 a month which was not possible. I ended up needing to rent a storage unit for all my belongings except for my bed, desk, clothes, and my cats since my bedroom is small and I can't fit much in here. But as scummy as storage companies can be, my monthly payment went from 125 to 300 after just 3 months due to "high demand." Now to top it all off, 2 months ago, my car decided to fully break down, and it's going to cost over 2k to get it back on the road. So between trying to get my credit cards back down, get these weekly Affirm payments taken care of, somehow fix my car before it starts snowing this winter and be able to keep my cats and myself fed I don't know what to do. I make 18.37 an hour and only get between 15-20 hours a week. So, on a good week, I can take home around 250-300 after taxes. In total, my current monthly payments are around 1400, and obviously, I have to keep my cats and myself fed, so I just keep falling behind each month since I can't afford to pay everything on time. I know I can be late on my credit card payments to give myself some wiggle room, but I already can only pay the minimum amounts and afford to get hit with late fees. I've applied to multiple places to try and pick up a second job, but I never hear back from any of them, or I get told they found someone already. One of my friends has been willing to help me out whenever he is able to but I can't keep relying on him just to break even each month since it's just putting me in debt with him even though he doesn't care when I pay him back. I'm just at a point where it all seems hopeless, and I don't see myself ever getting caught up and out of debt.

I've been writing this half asleep while also having a breakdown, so I apologize if this seems like rambling or some info might be missing. I welcome any advice you guys can give me and will try to respond as soon as I have the time or can think straight.

Update: Fixed some grammar mistakes and meant to mention that I'm 28 and live in Connecticut.

So every year our town has a Main Street trunk or treat where kids go to business in their costumes and get a piece of candy. Well this year many are advertising that you must buy a drink/item then go through to their trunk or treat area.

The coffee shop down the street sells very expensive and shitty drinks. I’m not paying $7 so my daughter can grab a piece of candy from their trunks.

That said, trick or treating is fun and I prefer it over our downtown one but I figured many homes will have their lights off this year with how expensive everything is.

I’m 20 years old and trying to get my life financially stable while raising my son. Right now, we’re jumping from hotel to hotel, and my biggest priority is finding permanent housing.
I have roughly $20,000 in debt, my credit score is in the 500s, and I still owe my previous landlord money from an eviction last year. I’m trying to improve my situation, but I know I can’t fix everything at once.
I want to make smart decisions instead of panicking and taking on more debt just to get through the month.
My immediate goals are to:
Find an affordable place for me and my son.
Secure steady income that works around childcare.
Stop living hotel to hotel and build an emergency fund.
Develop a realistic plan for the debt and improve my credit.
Eventually establish a career in aviation maintenance.
Start preparing for a hotshot trucking business next year, if my finances allow it.
I’ve also considered active-duty military service because of the pay, benefits, and housing support. However, I’m concerned about being away from my son and whether the commitment would fit our family situation.
I’m interested in aviation maintenance and have automotive repair, maintenance, and quality-control experience. My civilian salary target is around $60k–$70k, although I haven’t been able to secure the right opportunity yet.
I understand that I probably need to focus on one step at a time. What I’m struggling with is deciding which steps matter most right now.
For people who have climbed out of debt or financial hardship:
How would you prioritize limited money when you’re paying for hotels, childcare, food, transportation, and trying to save for a rental deposit?
Would you temporarily pause paying unsecured debts while establishing housing, or try to pay everything at once?
How much emergency savings would you aim for before moving into an apartment?
Would you negotiate with the former landlord, settle the balance, or focus on finding a landlord who will work with the existing record first?
Would you prioritize any reliable job immediately or keep pursuing a higher-paying career job?
Would you consider the military in this situation, especially as a parent?
Is preparing for a hotshot business next year realistic, or should that goal wait until I have stable housing, income, and better credit?
I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick solution. I want a realistic plan that helps me get stable without making decisions that create bigger problems later.
If you were starting from where I am today, what would your first 90 days look like?

Twice a month, before payday: list every bill with its nickname, amount and due date; sort by due date; then mark each one paid only when you've actually paid it, not when you plan to. Keep a separate "planned" vs "actual" number per category so a bad week doesn't overwrite your plan. Paper, Notes or a spreadsheet all work. Nothing needs to connect to your bank.

Disclosure: I built this, a $9 one-time phone board that does exactly this: https://thewellhabit.com/bill-budget-board/?src=reddit-povertyfinance. It's manual by design. But the method works fine for free on paper, and that's the main point.

Im a trainee at this job and my coworkers / other trainees always order food pretty much everyday , there's this girl who often orders sushi , I've never dared to even think about getting sushi not only its expensive asf for very small portions but i personally dont think its worth the price

fortunately for me i get to go home for lunch time so i avoide that embaressment of not ordering with them plus even if i just brought food from home I'd get jalouse from the view of their food it be looking so good and delicious

Well we talking about employed people who probably got a decent salary that made them able to make such purchases which is reassuring in a way but damn there's other trainees like me who are college students

Because of our financial situation at home I've always seen getting a whole meal outside as this big thing that will take all my money away at once so i see it as a waste

Seriously tho food is expensive asf these days , one meal price is equivalent to the allowance im getting and that needs to last me couple of days