Ask Lemmy

Step 1: Go to any hardware store and buy a 16oz claw hammer and a 25' measuring tape.

Step 2: drive around anywhere you know of new housing construction happening near you

Step 3: Find the project manager and ask if they're looking to hire help (if you live in North America, they are).

Step 4: Keep your head down, show up sober every day and you'll already be placing yourself in the top 10% of your new career field.

I did this exact thing for much of my early 20s (less than a decade ago) in 41 of the lower 48 states and lived a comfortable enough life

I lived for years without a car and then when I did get one, I bought a super shitty one in cash ($650 20 years ago). If you are able to get out from a car payment, that could free up some cash.

During other lean times, I've gotten rid of entertainment experiences like internet, Netflix, cable, etc. and used the public library to fill the gap. And during one extreme period, I held 3 not classy jobs (like 50 hrs/wk) to make ends meet. Not sure what the economy is like in your area, but the McDonald's by my house pays $20/hr, which can add up on top of another job.

If you can get yourself pointed in the right direction, you should consider taking that moment to think about how to position yourself for the future. There are some decent online degree programs (WGU is very affordable and can be done around full-time jobs), which may be worth a small amount of debt. Obviously this is not a "follow your passion" moment - get a degree in something that will make getting a job easier or increase your income. I made the mistake of getting my undergrad in philosophy, which made me basically unhireable. So I later got an MBA, which opened a lot of doors. This was an expensive and time consuming path - hopefully you can learn from my error.

I also want to call out that it can be a heap of work, so if you are feeling tired and overwhelmed, that isn't unusual (or a shortcomg on your part).

Hang in there, you got this.

You need roommates. When I was younger we lived in groups, to split expenses. Tackle this from that side first, get into a situation you can afford on your pay so that you aren't panicking. Even if you go live with your family.

Then you can work on increasing your income.

And don't think it's any kind of failure on your part. I have never lived alone, most people at my job make good money but nearly all do live in 2-3 earner households because it's better and more secure.

There is an economy of scale in multiple earner households. One house, not much more electric use, food costs less per lb in bigger packages, you might be able to carpool.

Can you get into a trade? Go to the electric worker union and start as a helper? Those jobs are getting so much more valuable and that trend is increasing. I don't think you need a college degree to get a good paying job, but you probably do need to put in that same 4 years working your way up.

Not going to disagree with the tough world out there, I'm just going to suggest / ask a few things that are at least somewhat in your realm of control that might help.

• If you are willing to divulge this information - how much are you making at your current job, how much do you pay for rent and what are your expenses?
• Do you have any family members or friends you can reach out for support?
• What does the cost of living look like in your area? Any other options?

Reach out if you're interested in blue collar work. I'll give you my number and you can call even. I can advise from personal experience on truck driving, water/wastewater treatment careers, or railroad work.

Truck driving has the benefit of being able to cut expenses to near zero by going over the road if you have few obligations. Getting a cushion this way makes settling down and going local much easier, even though I make more local than I ever did over the road.

I don't haul freight anymore either, and I don't think that's a long-term good prospect. Blue collar jobs where you work with the truck but have onsite work with it are a bit more resilient against automation I believe. Think wastewater cleaning, railroad, lineman, heavy haul, etc.

So here's some things to think about that may help you out.

The biggest thing you can do to help yourself financially is to cut down on expenses and work your way out of any debts you have.

Take a look at your bank account activity and just write down how much percentage of your monthly income is going where. If you have monthly entertainment subscriptions like Netflix or patreons multiply that sub cost by twelve and ask yourself if its worth paying $ each year. Cut down on your spending as much as possible dont buy anything unless you really need it.

What I'm going to say next is going to be controversial especially among the lemmy crowd, but its a way to financial freedom you might not have considered.

Your biggest expense is almost certainly rent to your appartment. Take a look at how much money your paying to your landlord each month, and ask yourself how your financial life would look if you instead poketed that money and paid yourself the "rent". If you were your own landlord.

The secret is, your car can be a home that you own. Yes you heard me right, I'm suggesting that you move out of your apartment into your car while still working and pay yourself all that rent money, use it towards working off any debts you may have and pay off the car loan. After all your debts are paid and you own your car you build up a emergency fund nest egg of 3-6k and set it aside. After that you are financially free compared to most people living paycheck to paycheck in their appartments and the world is your oyster. You can upgrade your car to something a little more spacious and or travel your country sight seeing, working seasonal jobs , doing a little soul searching.

The sad reality is that many people every day especially the elderly living on meager SS are forced to choose between paying rent or not starving to death that month. Inevitably they choose the latter and are forcibly lead down that path of living in their car with no choice in the matter and little time to physically or psychologically prepare after the eviction.

Yet they manage to find the mental strength to endure, adapt, and thrive. I invite you to check out the YouTube channel cheaprvliving hosted by Bob wells. He does interviews with vandwellers who are more often than not older people fallen on hard times and shares their stories and builds. As well as practical guides to everything you want to know like how to take baths, use the bathroom, keep yourself warm, generate power for basic appliances and AC. Some of his older videos that share his personal story are very inspirational I like his quote videos too.

Of course this option has its own cost. One for sure is comfort, especially starting out. Its such a radical change in lifestyle that requires adaptation and an open mind.

If you have a family or even a partner that makes it a lot tougher than if its just you.

How much would you sacrifice for financial freedom, to not live paycheck to paycheck, to have money no longer be such a huge master of your life? do you think convinence and luxury are a price you could pay for that kind of freedom?

My final suggestion is this: an attitude change. Reading your post I get a serious "cant, won't, dont know how" self pitying vibe. Its never too late to learn something new, or to go back to school, or develop a trade skill. The barrier to those things is usually a lack of motivation and purpose in life. If you dont know what your living for or why your doing it, that's the core problem. All that other stuff is symptoms. And there is no silver bullet cure all suggestion to finding your own meaning in life that's something you have to reflect on and think about. Anyways hope this gave you some food for thought.

Get yourself a TEFL certificate (168 teaching hours, whatever you can find for cheap) and teach English in a third world country. Schools pay quite well to have a foreign face on their website, and the cost of living will be peanuts. That certificate cost less than 100 bucks, you'll find a million of vouchers everywhere, and it takes maybe 4-6 weeks to complete.

Some of the highest paying countries like China or Korea require a bachelor's degree (any, really) on top of the certificate, but others such as Thailand, Indonesia, or Vietnam don't.

With the money you make there you could then get an online degree from a properly accredited university in a discipline you care for (or if you end up enjoying teaching, that would open the door to some other countries). Pro tip: Look for degrees outside of the US, it's way cheaper, and tuition in English is quite common even in non-native English countries. Personally I went for a UK degree since it's a first world country with a good education record. Paid around 18k for a 3 year program including travel expenses for a 2 week residency. The same in the US would have set me back 60-80k easily.

All depends on how much time you have before you lose important stuff without a bailout, and how far underwater you are on expenses minus your after witholdings paycheque. I'm going to assume you have a bit of time to think, then act, enough that you won't risk anything without drastic immediate action.

Step 1 (Budget): Look through your bills, card statements, receipts, determine how much you spent vs. how much you got paid, for recurring expenses, essentials and all the rest.

If the difference is less than about $US 500 a month or 250 per biweekly paycheque, you should be able to cut expenses enough that you can break even. More than $500 means moving to somewhere new, back with your parents, getting a new job that pays more, getting a second job on top will be options that are more worth it than just squeezing your budget can reasonably do. Now stay calm, go into this with a clear head and the confidence that you can work yourself out of your current situation.

Step 2a (Cut expenses): If you have a less than 500/mo shortfall, your goal is to cut $5/month out from up to 100 places.

• Cut Netflix, Amazon, streaming services, magazine subscriptions, gym membership, any monthly luxury thing that has tied your leg to a chain. Cut, cut, cut.
• Buy cheap, filling foods: beans, potatoes, cucumbers, rice, carrots, bread, milk. Buy dollar store plastic lunch containers to hold stuff in and meal prep for yourself every week. Every meal in a month that you make yourself instead of eating out saves you $15, minimum.
• Internet and cellphone, change providers and find a better "2-year introductory offer", if your current phone has a balance, well you can't do as much but you should pay it off if it's $100 or less, stick with it and get cheaper BYOD plans from now on.
• Check your credit-card, loan balances.
• Do your best never to buy more on your CC than you can pay off that month, keep a zero balance if you can. If you have a balance racked up, and nothing like a Line of Credit to move it to, then well just make minimum payments but this is the top priority to tackle once you are in the black and you want to clear that ASAP.
• If you have loans, ask for alternative payment plan options, interest deferrals, something that can give you 6 to 12 months of breathing room.
• Never EVER get payday loans, they will screw you over.
• Shop around if you can attain better rates for auto, home, health and rental insurance. Especially if you've recently turned 25, then insurance companies will fuck you over much less than before.

2b (Increase income or change living situation): Follow most of the same advice across the thread, highlights:

• Apply for jobs where you are, and in other cities across the country where rents you've checked are reasonable.
• Look for seasonal weekend work to supplement your current income.
• There's a lot of need for blue collar work, many will train on the job, and over time, help you get your 'tickets'/qualifications to do more specialized and well paying work. Call up the trade unions, some may have spots.
• Municipal work pays well and lower barrier to entry
• Overseas online teaching math and english is a way I know how some of my friends job searching are supplementing their current existence.

Step 3: Stay healthy, keep your chin up, don't be afraid to ask for help. You shouldn't act desperate, you have many options here but don't let your pride/empathy take away your car and home.

I live abroad. If you have the money to survive the US for a month, you can survive for many months abroad.

Getting certified as an English teacher takes a few days, and you'll be saving $1 to $2,000 a month after living expenses in a lot of countries.

No degree or skills outside of native English speaker required.

If you don't want to travel or teach, cheap RVs + 24 hour fitness subscription for showers is a very comfortable lifestyle that cuts rent out of the equation.

If $4,000 is too much for the RV, you can find an SUV for half the price in suburbs outside of larger cities and throw a memory foam mattress in the back.

If it took you months to find a job, I'd look outside of where you are.

Search classifieds in other cities and be willing to move if the city you're in isn't serving your needs.

I do recommend moving out of the country rather than the state though.

Real quick to give you an idea of the costs of living abroad; siam reap, Cambodia is 3$ a day for a shared hostel, 8$ and up a day for a private room, utilities included, food will cost you less than $5 a day and if you cook for yourself, food'll cost a dollar a day.

Very easy and cheap way to get some breathing room while you figure out what to do next.

There are many free and inexpensive certification programs that you can do online without a degree that you'll be able to turn into better job prospects.

Learn to save money. Not as in "don't buy a 5$ coffee, millennial" but fixing things.

I'm kind of a DIY guy and it's saved me a lot of money at random times. Knowing how to safely replace an outlet, a power supply for the dish washer, various little repairs on the car, etc. It might not save a lot though since you're renting.

Also, the United States is over educated in the wrong fields. A lot of trades are desperate for competent workers, and are willing to pay good money for it. Due to the collective societal brainwashing of "work white collar or you are stupid" became a self fulfilling prophecy, there are few left who do good work

Even if you don't have money for classes, you can save enough for the most basic of tools and start practicing until you can try for a job.

Libraries are also a valuable source of knowledge for begining a new career.

Hard to offer any advice without knowing much about you. Have you told your employer about your situation? If you enjoy your job I'll bet it shows and you're good at it. If it's a big company there may not be much they can do as they have to treat everyone equally. Maybe they can help you find someone to carpool with. Is public transportation an option? You can save A LOT of money that way. As others have said, if you can find a roommate that helps obviously. If where you live is expensive don't rule out relocating.

Just know you are not alone when you are struggling. Do what you have to do, your resourcefulness may surprise you. Despite what you'll read online it's not always a cakewalk no matter what decade it is. When I graduated unemployment was 10% and minimum wage jobs were the norm. I lived with 8 people in an inner city house and often ate out of a dumpster. It taught me to be frugal and how to keep an eye out for opportunity. I could blather on about my own experiences but they don't work for everybody. If I could offer one piece of advice that does, know that the people you meet are the gateway to opportunity good and bad. You sound like you have a positive attitude. This will take you farther in life than any college degree. My very best to you

Look into switching jobs. Unemployment is on the low end. People who switch jobs tend to make more money, and it's easier to get a high-paying job when you have a job already because employers can't help but think more highly of you if someone else is wiling to employ you.

Depending on what you do a recruiter or staffing agency may help. What's worked best for me is posting an updated linkedin profile with keywords that recuriters will look for that relate to buzzwords for your job. Remember recruiters are typically trained as salespeople and may not know much about your actual job, they just look for words. Put in that you're looking for work (but only show it to recruiters) and see if anyone bites.

Right now I'm unemployed and I know it sucks having no money. Reading your story makes me realise that I'm not doing that bad but also scares me, no wonder I don't have a job or a car, or my own place to live. I just couldn't survive.

Lower your standards until they fit your new forever.

In all seriousness I would apply for state and government jobs. Often you can setup an account on your state's website and apply to a to a ton of jobs they have open all in the same go.

If you can't make more money, cut expenses instead. Start by swapping your car for a bike and your apartment for a shared living situation. Go vegetarian, too: meat is expensive.

Join the military.

If you have friends and family that you don't want to leave there are options. Everyone has a skill or can learn one. You might want to be a companion for an older person who needs assistance. Try to network with friends and family. Let people know you will help and want to work. Get rid of things that cost money but don't save you money but keep a basic smart phone. Change your pastimes. Learn to forage, garden or build things. Many people look for helpers. Many people are eager to help and teach - find them. Meet strangers in friendly environments - you can network with those people. Go to free events. Volunteer - but be picky and don't let anyone use you. If possible volunteer at a local garden - you can get food in return for helping. Co-ops pay people a modest amount and you can network there. Above all, keep busy to open doors and ward off the anxiety.

These guys might be able to help: https://www.modestneeds.org/

It sounds like the cascade starts with your car. I’m assuming it’s a car payment you’re about to miss?

If you have a car you can make extra money doing doordash or uber or something like that.

For the immediate, to survive another month until you’ve got the gig work income set up, you can probably find a one-off grant for rent or car payment assistance by googling for that.

I found the charity above by asking ChatGPT.

Try pooling your resources with others. I know my experience was from a long time ago but this is how I see people making it work now as well.

I had roommates for several years after school. It should have been even longer but I had to get married early like a dumbass. If you can at all, use that time to save what you can.

While you're doing that, get experience and connections at work. People will come and go and it'll be helpful to have people you can reach out to that know you enjoy your work and see that you're good at it.

Most companies don't provide good growth opportunities from within so every couple years, look at making a move. My biggest pay jumps have occurred this way.

Don't be afraid to apply for positions that you might feel are just out of reach. Having connections that can vouch for you and help you with your resume are very valuable for these.

Along the way, don't pass up your employer's retirement matching, and save as much as you can. Since you don't have a degree, look for certifications in your industry or take advantage of any help your employer can provide with tuition for college. Don't be afraid to do it slowly if you have to.

I know I had a lot of help getting opportunities but it was always on me to make the most of them. Good luck, I hope you make it where want to be.

Just like everybody else. You pick yourself up by your own boot straps, grab the ankles, and offer yourself to your wealthy betters. Next question.