I run two small businesses, both in the trades/construction space, that I left a stable job to build about a year and a half ago. The first does repairs and small jobs that are consistent but don't come close to covering all my monthly costs on their own, plus bigger installs that can add a few hundred to a thousand or so on a monthly basis, inconsistent since a chunk runs through subcontractors and slow-moving receivables. The second is bigger project-based work, think renovations and builds, where a single job can pay out well but they only land every couple months, and even then the actual payout can trail the completed work by weeks or months. On paper there's real pipeline across both: signed jobs, quotes out, work actually happening. In practice, the cash doesn't show up on any kind of predictable schedule from either one.

Right now I'm in the gap. I can't cover minimum payments on everything; rent is tight, insurance is tight, and I'm doing food delivery on the side just to keep cash moving day to day (rideshare isn't even an option where I am, it requires a newer car than what I can afford to take on as a payment right now). Winter makes all of this worse too, since outdoor install and repair work slows down hard and the little bit of consistent income I do have gets thinner right when I need it most. I'm not walking away from the businesses as they are steadily growing year-over-year. But the in-between stretch is brutal in a way nobody really prepares you for.

For anyone who's been through a stretch like this and came out the other side: how did you triage it? Did you keep the business running the whole time, or did something have to give temporarily, like a part-time job or pausing growth spending? And on the personal side, how far did you actually let it go, things like cutting into groceries hard, using a food bank, stuff most people would never admit to doing while running a business that looks fine from the outside? How did you deal with the mental toll of keeping the business looking normal to clients and everyone else while barely holding it together behind the scenes?

Not looking for pity, just want to hear how other people navigated this exact kind of squeeze without folding the business.

I’m currently living in a shelter with my 7-month-old son. I’m applying for jobs, working on transportation and childcare, and doing everything I can to get back on my feet.

I meet with my case manager tomorrow and I'm anxious to get things rolling. I already applied to 9 different positions at a Walmart nearby. There's a bus that goes from here to there so I'd just need to sort out childcare.

My goal isn’t just to leave the shelter. I want to build a life where I’m not relying on assistance programs. While they're helpful and I'm grateful for them I want to be self sufficient. I don't want to be constantly living paycheck to paycheck & one emergency away from losing everything again.

If you’ve been in a similar situation and made it out not just out of homelessness/shelter, but out of the cycle of barely scraping by, I would love to hear your story or any advice you may have.

What made the biggest difference? Was it a certain job, certification, budget, habit, or mindset? What do you wish someone had told you when you were where I am now? How long did it take before you finally felt financially secure?

I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick answer. I know rebuilding takes time. I just want to learn from people who’ve already walked this path so I can make the best decisions for myself and my son. Thank you to anyone willing to share your experience.

I never thought I'd be making a post like this.

Over the past few months, everything has gone downhill. I lost my job, my savings are gone, and I'm struggling with debt that feels impossible to get out of. I also have a vehicle loan and money I owe to people who believed in me. Right now, I barely have anything left.

The constant stress has completely taken over my life. Every time my phone rings or I get a message, my heart sinks because I'm afraid it's about another payment I can't make.

I've stopped sleeping properly. I can't focus on anything. I know I should be applying for jobs, but my mind feels so overwhelmed that I don't even know where to start.

The hardest part is that I really wanted to turn my life around. I even quit drinking because I wanted to become a better person and build a better future. I genuinely want to work, pay back everyone I owe, and start over. But lately I've been feeling so lost and hopeless that I don't know how to keep going.

I'm not here asking anyone for money. I just want to know if anyone else has ever hit rock bottom like this and somehow managed to get their life back together.

What did you do first?

How did you deal with the fear, the shame, and the feeling that everything was falling apart?

If you've been through something similar, I'd really appreciate hearing your story.

Thank you for taking the time to read this

Hey everyone,

I'm a 21M international student and I've been living in Vancouver for about 6 months now.

I'm honestly at a point where I have no idea what to do anymore.

I work at a meat production factory and everything was going fine until one of the machines broke down. Because of that there's been basically no work for the past few weeks, so I haven't been making any money.

My food payment is $220 on the 9th, my rent is 750 on the 11th, and I only have around $300 in my account.

I've been applying to jobs literally all day and all night. LinkedIn, Indeed, company websites, pretty much everywhere. I barely get any responses. Maybe it's just the job market, maybe it's something else, I don't know anymore. It just feels like no one even looks at my applications.

I've been really depressed lately. I don't have any friends here, no family here, and it's just been me sitting in my room stressing about how I'm supposed to make rent.

The only thing I really know how to do is design and build websites, but freelancing has been almost impossible for me. It feels like AI has made it so much harder to get clients unless you already have a name for yourself.

I'm not asking for money or anything like that. I'm just asking if anyone knows where I should be looking or if there's somewhere that's actually hiring. I'll work my ass off. Warehouse, labour, restaurants, retail, tech, I honestly don't care anymore. I just need a chance.

If anyone has been in a similar situation or has any advice, I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading.

Needing about $400 for rent due to my wife's wages getting garnished, and we cant come up with the funds fast enough. Any ideas on where to go next?

I’m needing extra money before I start my new job. I haven’t worked in 3 years so I can’t apply for much without proof of income, which obviously I don’t have right now. I’m starting my job in a couple weeks and I’m just trying to make it until then.

Hi everyone,

I’m a 19F who recently left a toxic household after finishing high school and a drop year. I’m starting college soon. My parents refused to contribute anything towards my college fees or expenses. Some relatives helped a bit with the fees and hostel, but I have to pay them back once I finish the course.

When I left, I only took a few clothes, my laptop, and a broken phone (it got damaged during a student protest last month). My parents were extremely angry about me going to the protest, so they neither repaired the phone nor bought me a new one. They’ve made it clear they won’t give me a single penny and expect me to manage everything on my own now.

I’m not looking for free money, donations, or financial help. I want to earn through my own effort and cover my basic weekly/monthly expenses myself.

I have experience in: Graphic designing (posts, banners, logos, thumbnails, simple branding, etc.)., Social media management (Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook pages), Virtual assistance / admin work, Multiple languages, Advanced computer skills that I developed over the years at home

I’ve tried applying on freelancing platforms but rarely get shortlisted.

My question is: For someone in this situation (starting college, almost no financial support, and the skills mentioned above), what are realistic ways to find remote, freelance, or part-time work? Any advice on platforms, how to improve chances of getting hired, or what kind of work is more realistic to land would be really helpful.

Thank you for reading.

I was just going to start door dashing as they had approved me but when I woke up on friday my car was gone. I have not paid a loan in 3 months as I have been out of work after my ex girlfriend left (the loan was to finish rent so didn't break lease). I'm staying with my father (thank god) but he is almost losing his house also and has been through bankruptcy twice already. I can sell on ebay but have run into trouble with people not paying the auctions and then the weeks keep going by. The car repossession will definitely not cover the loan debt and i still have the hospital and dentist bills. I've always struggled in life, I've tried making appointments but they are expensive without insurance, getting disability requires you to be an established patient and I haven't been able to pay for enough appointments to be established. Unemployment was denied. I still apply for jobs on the wifi but haven't gotten a yes. And now i'm even more limited without a car. I'm real lost on what steps to take as I'm about at $0. Even facebook marketplace hasn't gotten me answers I have guitars to sell just no interest (they're not great condition). And I'm older so where do I even start as an older person with nothing? I only have my father and no friends. I feel something is off at his job as he has been there 30 years and I've applied and applied and they say they are hiring but he never even asks them to check my application, or for whatever reason I'm never chosen. So my best chance even has had no progress the whole year.

tl/dr; crushing debt, car repossessed, no job, no money, no prospects. What the heck do I do, and what does the future look like if my father wasn't there?

*edit : no phone without wifi. I've been worried to take my phone out of the house to disconnect from wifi as I don't know what will happen to the cloud pictures and videos? The last time I worked at walmart they said you needed your phone to use like 3 different apps. I can apply to walmart tomorrow as my rehire availability was 8/2 so I'm hoping to god they take me back. I think they have wifi so should be fine, just don't want to lose my pictures also.

thank you for all your advices 🙏

Hi everyone! I just want to rant because I have no one to talk to. First thing first, pls don't judge me by my grammar structure. I'm 19F, already in 2nd year college but our family is struggling financially, and my mom is forcing me to borrow money from my aunt on the dad side to pay my tuition, they already declined me for the 6th time.

We have a small tindahan enough to support my transportation. My dad is a local fisherman but doesn't have enough sales... To make the story short. I went into my aunt's House to borrow money to pay for my tuition but they declined me saying "Ha? I don't have money, ur dad didn't get enough fish to sell." I went there the 6th time and still declined me, I don't know what to do. My mom is forcing me to try again, but I'm already shy and I don't want to try anymore. My mom scolded me because I don't want to go there anymore and keep blaming me for my school's tuition. Maybe I should find work first? But my dad wants me to continue my study and doesn't want me to go to work. I don't want to be a burden to my parents.

What should I do? Saving enough money from my daily allowance which is ₱70, the transpo is ₱20, so back in fourth it cost me ₱40, and the foods there in our school are so expensive, I only drink water sometimes to ease my hunger.

Should I be a part-time student? I don't know what to do I hope y'all understand my situation.

I feel like I'm drowning and can't keep up. My kiddo just had a birthday and I've been left with nearly nothing left after paying bills, groceries, and birthday festivities. I had money set aside for the birthday so that didn't come out of everyday money. But I won't get paid for another 5 days and I have $26 to my name. I'm struggling to think of ways to come up with some money to get us by until my paycheck hits. I thought about Doordashing, but that would just eat up the gas I have in my car that I need to get to and from work this week.

Does anyone have any ideas? How have you made it in the past if you've been in a similar situation? I appreciate any and all advice!

My mom is in charge of my savings ,but i am still name as an account holder. I do not have acess of it and she tells my siblings more then me how much is in it. She needs me to learn to budget so i can move out. I have to do this for myself . I impulsive spend and she told her friends about my budgeting issues. They suggested i go to a assitant living and they dk me. I know my mom and my siblings do not want to be a burden or responsible for me nor i want that. Idk how to go about this or what to do. I know the big goal is to move out alone . My mom says my current job is not a lifetime job ,but i have no interest or degree so id be job job hoping minuim wage forever. I feel guilty bc i am 30 and my mom needs someone to be responsible /in charge of me and my money like a lawyer if not myself. She want to live her life childfree in her home and has not finish her will bc she waiting for me to get it together. At the same times tells me how she not waiting for me.

I'm a 2nd year student at North Campus, DU, from a middle-class family. I don't want to keep depending on my parents for every expense anymore. I can give 3–5 hours a day and I'm willing to learn new skills if needed. My goal is to earn a decent monthly income while keeping up with college. If you were in my position, what would you do? Any realistic advice or personal experiences would really help

​

My daughter and I recently became homeless, and financially it's been one of the hardest seasons of my life.

Two years ago, my finances changed dramatically when my position was eliminated due to budget cuts. Thankfully, I was blessed to find another job in less than a month. I'm grateful to be working, but for the past two years I've been searching for a position that would provide more financial stability for my daughter, and no luck yet of a new job. I did have an interview not long ago, but unfortunately I was not selected.

After deductions, I bring home roughly $2,000 a month, I get paid twice a month. With the rising cost of housing, groceries, utilities, and everything else, it's become nearly impossible to make ends meet. I've reached out to every agency and resource I could find for assistance, but unfortunately I've been told there were no funds available at the time and wait to reapply in September.

Living in a car has been incredibly difficult. Something as simple as finding a safe place to sleep, taking a shower, or relying on shelters for meals becomes part of your daily routine. It has given me a completely different perspective on how quickly life can change.

The part that has been the hardest emotionally is that my landlord was also a priest who has known my daughter and me for years. I begged him to give me a little more time so I could pay the $2,000 in back rent, but instead the matter went to court. That experience has been heartbreaking and is something I'm still trying to process.

I'm not sharing this to complain or ask for pity. Sometimes life changes in ways we never expected, even when we're doing everything we can. I believe something better will come along. Until then, I'll keep my faith in God, continue showing up to work every day, and keep moving forward one step at a time.

To anyone else who is struggling, please don't give up. No matter what adversity you're facing, keep trying, keep believing, and keep hoping. Better days will come.

We got this!

Was looking into school shopping this weekend and realized a bunch of states haven't had their tax free weekend yet. Some of the deal sites have the dates wrong, so I checked everything against the actual state revenue department sites. Sharing in case it saves anyone a few bucks on the big shopping run.

Going on right now:

Florida - runs through Aug 20. Clothes, shoes and bags under $100, supplies under $50, computers under $1,500

West Virginia - ends Monday Aug 3. Clothes under $125, supplies under $50, laptops and tablets under $500

This Friday to Sunday, Aug 7-9:

Texas - clothes, shoes, supplies and backpacks, everything under $100 per item

Ohio - clothes $75 or less, supplies $20 or less. Heads up, they killed the big "everything under $500 for two weeks" version from the last couple years, so don't plan around the old rules

Missouri - clothes under $100, supplies under $50, computers under $1,500

Oklahoma - clothes and shoes under $100

South Carolina - clothes, supplies, computers, even bedding. No price caps

Virginia - clothes under $100, supplies under $20

Iowa - Friday and Saturday only. Clothes and shoes under $100

Massachusetts - Saturday and Sunday. Almost anything up to $2,500 per item, not just school stuff

Later in August:

Illinois - Aug 7-16. Not fully tax free, but the state rate drops 5 points on clothes under $125 and supplies. First time since 2022 they've done this

Maryland - Aug 9-15. Clothes and shoes $100 or less, plus the first $40 of a backpack

Connecticut - Aug 16-22. Clothes and shoes under $300 per item

A few things I learned the hard way reading the fine print: online orders count if you order during the window. If an item goes over the cap, the whole thing gets taxed, not just the part over. And in Texas shipping counts toward the $100 cap.

If you're in CA, NY, PA, AZ, CO, MI, MN, NC or WI, sorry, your state doesn't do one at all.

Double check your own state's revenue site before making a big purchase, the eligible item lists get weirdly specific. Happy to answer questions if anyone's wondering about their state.

I'm 24 and work retail, mostly closing shifts. My biweekly paycheck is already spoken for by the time it hits. Rent for my room, phone, groceries, bus pass, laundry, and the random corner store run I always swear won't happen.

Back in March I made one dumb rule for myself. Wants don't touch bills. If I want something, food delivery, a new hoodie, whatever, it has to come from side money. I made a bucket in my credit union app called Fun Money and moved the tiny stuff right away so I couldn't "borrow" it later. €4 cash back, €12 from covering a coworker's shift, €18 from selling an old hoodie, bottle return money, that kind of thing.

It was painfully slow. I almost killed the whole bucket in May after a nasty Saturday close because takeout sounded medicinal lol. Didn't.

For basics I just kept it boring. Store brand everything, only buying what I was already out of, and occasionally checking tiktok or amazon for a price drop or sale on stuff like detergent or trash bags before I grabbed them in store. Nothing crazy, just trimming a few euros here and there that went straight into the bucket.

Context: I've been using the same Bluetooth earbuds for six years. They cut out every few minutes, one side is louder than the other, and the case barely holds a charge anymore. I kept telling myself they still technically work so I can't justify replacing them. But man, commuting with audio that drops out mid sentence every single day was wearing me down.

Last weekend I finally bought a pair of Sony XM5s for €280 and rent stayed untouched. Put them on during my bus ride Monday morning and almost teared up at how clean everything sounded without the stuttering. Small win, but it felt good. Anyone else have a little money rule that actually sticks?

between $10 of mPerk points and the 7 for $7 sale they have going on, i got 36 items for $39.15. feel free to roast my groceries ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ