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?

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

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?

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.

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.

honestly just need to vent because i feel like im losing my mind. im 24 trying to build an independent life and it feels like every time i take a step forward, i get pulled right back.
so first, the job drama. i literally just started at tj maxx on the 3rd. they barely gave me training shifts, and i just looked at my schedule app for november and my calendar is a total ghost town. they gave me 2 shift for the first three weeks of november. when i asked for more hours, the manager literally said "I’ll let you know “ like be serious, i can't pay bills on "we'll let you know." Idk if im going to continue to work there tbh. so tonight i applied to dunkin, locked in an interview for tomorrow at 11:30am, which I can’t wait for that.
but the biggest kicker is i just found out my mom used my social security number when i was growing up to pay for xfinity wifi and never paid the bill. a collection agency has it now for $202 and my credit score literally just dropped from 680 to 657. when i confronted her, she acted like she had it all figured out and said she’d start making "bi-weekly payment plans to xfinity." like no... xfinity sold the debt, they won't even take your money. i ended up disputing the charge on credit karma tonight since i was literally a minor and had no part in it, and tomorrow morning im calling the credit bureaus to freeze my credit so she can never touch my info again.
on top of all this, im dealing with a massive rent debt. when i turned 21, nobody gave me the exact rules or timelines on when you're supposed to report a new job/income to housing. a year later they hit me out of nowhere saying i owed $8,000 back rent. i didn't run away from it though instead ’ve been grinding like crazy and already paid off $5,000 of it by myself, so i have about $3,000 left.
im just so exhausted from cleaning up messes i didn't make and having to be the only mature, responsible person in my family dynamic. it's so draining.
has anyone else survived identity theft from a parent while trying to clear a huge debt? how do you even keep your sanity through this?

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?

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

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.

I am a digital nomad in the US and right now I am nowhere near my "home base". Last week I had a dental crown that cracked and it hurts now.... I need to find a dentist somewhere near where I will be but in the meantime I know this means I have an infection and need antibiotics. Does anyone know if I can get a prescription using one of those telehealth services? (hopefully reasonably priced)??? Thanks

I feel like one of the biggest hidden financial drains when you are struggling to get by is dealing with healthcare.

Too many of us avoid asking questions at the doctor because we feel rushed, intimidated, or stressed about potential costs (which we shouldn't...). Then, we walk out realizing we don’t actually understand the instructions, we can't decode the prescription label, or we don't know how to look up our test results on a confusing patient portal. Misunderstanding medical instructions can lead to skipped medicines, extra clinic visits, and unnecessary expenses.

So I created a workshop that can allow you to learn how to advocate for yourself at the doctor is a massive financial and personal life skill.

Full Disclosure (per Rule 9): I am part of the team at HealthInMind putting this on. It is 100% free, educational, and we do not sell or monetize anything.

This is a zero-judgment, highly practical 1-hour session. You do not need any prior experience, and you will NEVER be asked to share any of your personal medical or financial information. It is vetted by professionals.

We are going to practice:

• The 3 essential questions to ask any doctor so you walk out fully understanding your care plan.
• Decoding medicine labels so you know exactly what you are taking without getting confused by fine print.
• Navigating patient portals to find your own test results and securely message your care team.
• Simple phrases to speak up when a medical professional is using confusing jargon, so you can confidently stop them and ask for clarity.

If you want to feel more confident navigating the medical system and avoid the stress of confusing appointments, you are completely welcome. This is open to everyone, everywhere.

👉 You can claim a free spot here: HealthInMind: From KNOWING to DOING Workshop - Google Forms

I'll be hanging out in the comments tonight if you have any questions about the workshop. Hope to see you there!

I had insurance but unsure if I had comprehensive. Filed a claim with insurance but unsure how it will process / if it will go anywhere. Wife started car in parking spot, next to driveway, and it made a huge noise and started smoking, then caught fire.

Thankfully wife's mother is letting her use the family truck, I am not allowed to drive it, and it's only for transportation to and from work. The windshield wipers and heat/ac do not work.

I am trying to weight the pros and cons of getting a loan and using all my savings (800 dollars) to try to get a car, or if my wife and I should beg on hour knees for help from her grandparents who are wealthy and very kind.

Stressed out of my mind and thankful I work from home. Sold my last two big ticket collectibles (American girl dolls) and walked them to the post office. Just struggling to get this all sorted.

I feel like I've been hit with every possible emergency and expense, and we are living with wife's family but like 2 days before the car fire her mom flew off the handle at us because she hit our car. (Sideswiped backing out because she wasnt looking)

I can’t believe this is my life currently. I’m 28 with two children 4 and 1. I’ve have same stable job for going on seven years. I’ve never been convicted of any crime, let alone traffic ticket. It feels so unreal, I lived in my apartment for over a year always paid on time sometimes before it was due. I renewed my lease, they upped my rent. I fell behind due to my father passing away, and living paycheck to paycheck. I was 20 or so days late. They sent it to the attorney and added $550 dollar fee to my portal, as well as $45 late fee on 2nd and an additional $100 late fee after 10 days. I had court date pretty quick, and judge denied to postpone it while my father was on hospice and in his last days. He ended up passing around my court date. I went and cried. They only gave me additional 30 days to pay balance in full. It was incredibly hard to catch up. In total I owed $2650. I actually had the funds lined up. They took away my ACH ability to pay, and it was over $90 dollars to use debit card. I only had exact amount I owed so I decided to put large sum of $2000 on my Venmo balance. Long story short, my mother has Venmo and she banks with place that allows Zelle (my apartment complex only other way to pay rent) I thought well I’ll just send her my portion so she can add it to what she was helping me with and get it over to them the day it was due so they’d drop my case and I’d avoid eviction. As soon as I had the money in my Venmo they flagged it as “risk” and locked my funds. They wouldn’t let me transfer it back to my bank, send it to my mom’s Venmo, nothing. I spent over 8 hours on and off the phone with Venmo, even left work early unpaid to try and handle it. They said there was nothing they could do and I have to let the system re set and try again in 5-7 days. I kept my landlord as well as their attorney in loop the entire time. I had the funds, but I had no way to send it and it was out of my control. I sent them screenshots of conversations between the Venmo manager and I as proof and even sent the proof of money I had in my balance. After filing complaints with my state attorney, as well as the CFPB they let me transfer it to new bank standard not instant which takes additional three days. I immediately contacted my landlord again and kept them in the loop, and asked to give me brief extension of three days and they’d have the full balance I owed, as well as an extra 400 from pledge I was going to receive from local community. They ignored all my emails, all my calls. They sent me short text message stating they would proceed with eviction, not granting any extensions, and I have to vacate by tomorrow. They ignored everything else I said and everything I tried. It all just feels so unfair.

The place I started using was partially shut down and gave out moldy product. I did seperate the moldy and toss it then soak the rest from each package to kill any spores with vinegar. Is this normal? This is my second time ever using a food bank. There were very few volunteers this time too. The one who spoke to me was really mean. Last time I went they were all really sweet and it was like going to a grocery store.

honestly feels like every time i walk into the store the same stuff costs more. been trying to meal prep on a budget and keep a running list on my phone but the total still shocks me at checkout. tbh starting to wonder if i'm just not shopping smart or if prices really are that bad everywhere. anyone found tricks that actually work? like specific stores or timing or what you cut out first when money gets tight. trying to stretch things without eating rice and beans five nights a week.

I’m in my 20s and run a small independent business in Asia. Because local wages are considerably lower than abroad, the proportion of earning power relative to this debt is astronomical like 30 to 40 years to pay back. Currently maintains $0 personal debt and hold about $2,000 in liquid working capital strictly to pay suppliers, buy ingredients, and keep the shop running day-to-day and due to various issues within country my daily profit swings. So this saving ensures my survival to absorb that. But in my immediate family is telling me to take that out and pay for their debts.

My parents are facing foreclosure on over $118,000 in debt spread across multiple banks and creditors—and that $118k isn't even the full total, as interest and penalties are ballooning the debt further every single day.

By the end of this month, Bank A is demanding an immediate $2,400 lump sum just to temporarily pause legal action. On top of that, they have another $3,000 balance rolling on an installment plan with Bank B (requiring around $50/month),which they also have zero way to pay because existing monthly obligations already consume 100% of their income.

They don't have stable jobs, consistent earnings, or a realistic debt restructuring strategy. Their approach is simply making promises they can't keep, saying "we'll find a way," and frantically scrambling for cash just to buy 30 days of quiet . In the past, my family already took and sold my personal savings, gold, and cash gifts to throw at this debt. 

It solved nothing and the debt kept rolling.

 Now, my parents and relatives are telling me to give up all my cash, selfish because I refuse to hand over my $2,000 shop capital or take out personal loans further to cover that 400 dollars for my parents because if I do I will be in debt again. 

And I ask them who is going to save me if I drown myself they say idk.

Is it wrong for keeping my business money locked in my shop and staying debt-free?

Can anyone afford $1,725 in rent and still have enough, I'm M(42) and make $4,000.00 after taxes every month. $73,000 a year. I live by myself but the apartment I live is in desperate need of repairs.

What really killed my entire budget is I have to order out every night out, my fridge finally broke 2 months ago. I have called 311 and still waiting. Similar story happened to my neighbor and they couldn't get a fridge until 6 months later from buliding office.

Also this is what got me into mess of finacially spiraling, since I had no fridge and working late nights covering shifts. I started to overdraft my debit card just so I can eat. Yes I can get food from where I work but how many times a person can eat rice or salad every night.

I have been wanting to get a a extra job to keep afloat but I work as a GM for a resturant and since I had staffing issues, I work more days and weeks to keep the store afloat. Wish I was not on salary beacuse the OT would be such a blessing.

What would you guys do in this situtation?

Today, I drove through a really nice neighborhood around Fayetteville and Jamesville, near Syracuse, and honestly, some of the houses blew my mind. Huge homes, beautiful properties, perfect-looking neighborhoods. It was the kind of place where you start wondering what the people who live there actually do for a living.
At first, I was impressed. Then I started thinking about my own situation.
I’m a young guy working a regular job in a deli, trying to figure out my future and build something for myself. And I couldn’t help but wonder, how does someone go from working a regular job like mine to eventually owning a house like that?
Sometimes it’s honestly discouraging when you see that kind of lifestyle and realize how far away it feels from where you are right now. I start wondering if I’ll ever get there, or what I would have to do differently to make it happen.
But at the same time, I don’t want to just look at those houses and feel bad about my situation. I want to understand how people actually get there. Is it owning a business? Real estate investing? Getting into a high-paying career? Saving and investing for years? Or some combination of all of those things?
I’m not expecting to get rich overnight, and I’m willing to work hard. I just don’t want to spend the next 10 or 20 years working without a clear plan and end up in the exact same place.
For those of you who own nice homes or grew up in neighborhoods like these, what’s your story? What do you do for a living? Did you start from scratch, build a business, invest in real estate, or take another path?
And for those who started with a regular job and didn’t come from money, what would you do if you were in my position today?
I’m not looking for a get-rich-quick scheme. I genuinely want to learn from people who have built a good life for themselves.
I guess seeing those houses today made me realize that I need to think bigger, but also get serious about having a real plan.

I was on my way home from getting my front breaks replaced, they had been grinding which as we all know is BAD, and thankfully, I had the aid of a local church who cover the cost of vehicle repairs within reason. They wont buy you a whole ass car but they covered the cost of getting my breaks repaired. ON MY FUCKING WAY HOME, MY MOTHERFUCKING BATTERY DIES.

I got my car to a safe spot and got a lift home but BOY am I ever stupid for thinking this month was even looking up, I was slowly starting to really make a dent in my debts after the horrible winter storms of 2021/2022 and my family getting illegally evicted in February of this year but NOPE.

Ive done everything right, I have a JOB, I work, Im enrolled in college thankfully covered and yes, Ive made a donation drive, but no one gives two shits about that unless you have kids, not one. If you dont have have kids the advice is always "Get a job you fucking loser, this isnt a charity." My only lifeline is slowly shitting itself infront of me but because I dont have kids im just left out as unimportant.