#credit card loan amount

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

huh they just let fuckin anyone have a grownup credit card these days huh. and apparently that was a huge source of my moving worries solved in under thirty seconds. upsetting how completing the tasks actually works

[t-ierrahumeda]

Ok if things go well I'll be almost penniless next month, at least until I get my first paycheck, which will be at the end of June. In theory I can pay for everything BUT I'll have to rely on my mom's salary for the whole month. Haven't done that since I was 14 so, it's gonna be a thing I don't like at all.

[tyranicalgrief]

woof lmao

[abra-ka-dammit]

welp

scratch pay denied me a loan. discover denied me a loan. paypal wont let me have my ko-fi money yet. i have no idea what to tell these ladies when i go in to the vet today

the surgeon was talking like she may have gathered enough compassion funds from people in the office who love bojji and want to help him get past the finish line that money is trying to keep him away from to at least cover some of the rest and she was saying if i could even just sign a promissory note for the boss there for another $1500 they can apply that so uh. hopefully i'll be able to find 1500 to spare by the end of december that isnt already going to the debt and he doesnt have any new surprise issues that will up the price too far again

assuming paypal releases my ko fi funds before i have to pay that though, im already almost halfway to that amount--if i can just keep getting donations at this rate when paypal releases this money maybe i can have enough to just hand that amount over and seal the deal so i can just worry about the monthly payment on the care credit instead of simultaneously stressing about new sources of imaginary money to indebt myself with further

[the-cimmerians]

Vice President Kamala Harris announced this week that the Biden administration is looking to lessen the burden medical debt has on people by purging it from their credit report. This means that even if people have piles of medical debt — one in five Americans say they do — it’s not going to affect their ability to get a mortgage or a car loan. So they will at least have a place to rest their head and a car they can drive to work every day while paying off their medical bills.

Via AP:

Harris said that would make it easier for them to obtain an auto loan or a home mortgage. Roughly one in five people report having medical debt. The vice president said the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is beginning the rulemaking process to make the change. The agency said in a statement that including medical debt in credit scores is problematic because “mistakes and inaccuracies in medical billing are common.” “Access to health care should be a right and not a privilege,” Harris told reporters in call to preview the action. “These measures will improve the credit scores of millions of Americans so that they will better be able to invest in their future.”

It only seems fair that high medical bills for an emergency or serious illness shouldn’t affect one’s credit rating anyway. It’s not like we’re talking about someone irresponsibly dropping several grand at Versace and then never paying off the credit card bill. Fifty-seven percent of Americans could not afford a surprise $1000 emergency, so the inability to pay off massive amounts of medical debt is hardly a fair reflection of an inclination to default on normal payments — payments you can budget for — on something like a mortgage or auto loan. “Way to be irresponsible by getting cancer, lady! You should definitely be punished for that by not being able to find any place to live!” seems pretty harsh, no?

[honeytonedhottie]

financial literacy continued⋆.ೃ࿔*:･👛💵

so i released a poll if you guys would like a post on financial literacy and the results are here. so im gonna share some things that i learned while taking a financial literacy course…💬🎀

HOW TO SAVE MONEY ;

automatically deposit a certain percentage of ur income into ur savings account so that u dont even have to think about it

to do something more FUN tho, (at least in my opinion) is to make a challenge where u have to save every $10 dollar bill, or $20 dollar bill or whatever. just something to make saving money seem like a game if u wanna have some fun with it.

EMERGANCY FUND ;

most experts will tell u that ur emergency fund should be 3-6 months of ur needed expenses. so calculate ur needed expenses and multiply that by 6 to figure out how much you'd need to have in ur emergency fund.

PAYING YOURSELF FIRST ;

you should always put urself first in every single situation including financially. so to pay urself first simply means to put ur future and needs before anything else. FOR EXAMPLE... let's say u wanna buy an ipad by the end of the year, an ipad is $345.

lets also say that u get paid weekly, so you'd divide $345 by the number of weeks in a year (52) you'd get 6.6. so you'd have to save roughly $6-$6.50 a week which isnt a lot at all. and you'd be getting what u want.

INTEREST AND CREDIT ;

interest is like a reward that the bank gives you for trusting them to look after your money. the more money you have in your account, and the longer you keep it there, the more interest you can earn…💬🎀

so the bank calculates interest as a percentage of the total amount in a bank account. so if the bank pays a 1% interest you'll earn $1 for every $100 in ur bank account over the course of a year. so if u have $500 in ur account you'll get $5. its not a lot, but interest builds on itself.

credit is the ability of the consumer to acquire goods or services prior to payment with the faith that the payment will be made in the future…💬🎀

for example missing payment deadlines can negatively affect ur credit score. why is this important? if u wanna go to college and wanna use student loans, u might not be able to if ur credit history is bad. as ur credit history grows you'll get a credit score. the higher ur score, the better ur credit is.

BUILDING CREDIT ;

get a secured card. a secured credit card is a special type of credit card with a down payment. when you open the card, you will give the credit card company a deposit to hold. it can be as little as $100. the company holds the money for you and gives you a credit card with a line of credit equal to your deposit

sign up for victoria's secret direct paper mailers. you'll get a coupon each month for 1 free panty for every purchase. when u go to the mall, get urself a panty and a sweet treat 🧁 (DO NOT PUT ANYTHING ON THE CARD THAT U CANT IMMEDIATELY PAY OFF)

and then go home and pay ur credit card bill off, and then dont use it again until the next month.

[reachartwork]

I Am In Deep Shit

hi, everyone. your friendly neighborhood reach slash your friendly neighborhood @classpectanon here.

I currently have 400 dollars in my bank account, 250 of which is earmarked for next week and 250 more of that (500 total) is earmarked for the week after that, for recurring expenses that are *not* food, medicine, or rent. that is to say, without any assistance, not counting how much i need to pay for food, medicine, or rent, for my household of three (plus several cats), I am 100 dollars in the hole.

To add to that, I have straight up not been able to pay my rent this month - I talked to my landlord, and they said, okay, cool, just pay it next month. So, when I get paid, that *entire paycheck* is going to get eaten by double rent. my other household members cannot work (both are disabled, and one is an immigrant who cannot legally work now anyway), so without some more outside help it is very possible I could end up in a total money black hole. Due to my Not Great parents, I do not have any credit history, and cannot take out a loan or credit card to smooth things over. I am trying everything I can but it is very likely that within a week or two I just straight up will not be able to buy groceries or medication (including my nerve medication so I can use my legs, and my spouse's antipsychotics so they don't go literally insane).

I would like for this not to happen!

I *hate* e-begging. I loved that six month period where I had a fruitful second job that meant I didn't have to e-beg. But if I don't get some outside help then I very well may not be able to survive to a point where things are stabilized. So, anything you'd be willing to help chip in with, whether that be one singular US dollar or a reblog, would be appreciated.

Thank you. Anything is appreciated. DM me proof of payment and I will make you some art if you want an incentive.

[mousedetective]

Please Help A Mentally Ill, Mostly Queer Homeless Family Stay Housed This Holiday Season?

PAYPAL | AMAZON WISHLIST | KOFI | GOFUNDME

VENMO: @penaltywaltz | CASHAPP: $afteriwake23 | ZELLE: DM me for email address

12/27/23 - Updated Post!

NEW GOAL!

$1290/$2013

(Original goal met, now edited for additional room help, food, bills and other things needed)

If I can get the entire amount still needed, I can do the following:

Get the hotel room for over a week, which will let us come and go without worrying about having to spend all day trying to raise money and we can run important errands next week

Close three open collection accounts my mom has by paying them off in full via her debt consolidation company, and pay off two defaulted payday loans

Pay off her PayPal debt so that PayPal will reopen her account

Have money to make a payment if I can get the debt collection company to find her other credit card account I need to arrange payments on

Get food after the 10th, because I fully expect both myself and my mom to be out of food stamps by then (also, I don't know who did it, but BLESS YOU to the person who bought us three DoorDash gift cards off the Amazon wishlist...I just wanted to put that out there in case you didn't send a gift receipt)

Most of this will be a huge help in getting us to be able to qualify for housing that requires credit checks, and helping Lena get her health stuff sorted and figure out if she has any other debilitating illnesses will help give her disability appeal more strength, which will help her get an income to support herself. So please reblog this version if you can, and help with money or wishlist items if you can (the restaurant gift cards go a long way, plus I desperately need the clothing for me because I've lost 40 pounds this last year and most of my stuff is now too big). Thank you for reading this, and I hope you have an awesome day!

[aha-chuu]

We the hsr community are really missing out by ignoring the aventio dynamic that is canon and funny.

Because okay. Let's be fr: Ratio has however many degrees, multiple PhDs inside that. He has a job now, obviously, but he also spent a fat while trying and failing to get Nous and the Genius Society to notice him. He's renowned and super smart and has a bunch of achievements and credentials, but that student loan debt,,, fml. And we know from Herta and Asta's dynamic that scientific endeavours aren't just automatically funded.

So for some period of time before the IPC/Intelligentsia Guild snatched him up, I imagine Ratio was bobbing along like those rubber ducks he likes so much. Not broke, exactly, but certainly in the midst of six different projects at any given time and also canonically doing TA work as well like. Relatable king.

Dr Ratio has eaten a pot noodle in his life is what I'm saying.

But that's like,,, regular financial strain. Aventurine's situation is so far removed that to talk about it in just a monetary way would be insane. His net worth was *how much he was sold for*. But you know. He didn't have rent? Aventurine wouldn't have had any concept of what was "normal" between his downtrodden upbringing and horrific early adulthood.

So what I'm saying on that unhappy note is that when Aventurine got with the IPC, it's no wonder he seems most cavalier about dishing out credits. What do they even mean to him?? Money is important and he understands its value obviously - like it's part of his job and he's smart - but his personal experience is at odds with what he knows logically.

(and in some ways, after having been assigned a monetary value himself... I don't think Aventurine can conceive of any amount of money that is worth a person's life. He'll use people as "chips" but that's different)

Anyway. When Ratio was a fresh faced IPC collaborator and stuck with Aventurine as his partner, their first mission must have been insane. Like Aventurine only knows top level IPC people's financial situations so when Ratio is just a reasonably normal guy Aventurine must have been ???? He's still new at this too, you know, does Ratio need bailing out of all this debt? (it's very regular and he's responsibly paying it off ASAP), should Aventurine get on his good side with an extravagant purchase on his own fairly new IPC issued credit card? (he chooses not to because that might flaunt it).

Ratio notices. Obviously. But the biggest issue for him is Aventurine comparative cluelessness more than actual offense. Also like Ratio is certainly NOT poor I'm sure that first IPC paycheck will polish off the student loans entirely.

It's that cluelessness that would them trigger him to try and figure out Why this clearly competent Stoneheart who is obviously very good with money would be so out of his element when faced with a normal financial situation. And Ratio is blunt so he says those words out loud but without any of those complimentary parts. Aventurine is still reeling from someone seeing through his façade.

This isn't going anywhere except Aventurine trying to be a sugar daddy for maybe four days before he clocks onto the situation properly. And Ratio isn't about to say no to paying off that student loan debt a bit faster. And eventually they're both so well compensated by the IPC that when Aventurine casually transfers everyone else 100000 credits just for being in the room, he has to come up with some insane and creative way to shock Ratio. Maybe that's where the gun light cone came from: "if I can't impress you with my shiny new wealth I will certainly do it with my luck 🤗 why are you dialling a crisis line rn"

[pillarofna]

happy tdov ! please help me pay off my credit card 🥲

hi all, i’m dylan, a disabled + mentally ill trans guy. i’m waiting on (several) calls back to get a job but currently i owe $1,677 on my credit card (on top of the $11,000 i’m already in debt, thanks student loans) and i’m just looking to get that amount lowered as much as i can.

i am also still about $95 short of covering my cat’s latest vet bill. at this point literally anything helps. thank you all so much for your continued kindness.

päypal (@ aidenallison) or click here

cäshapp ($diabolicshrimp) or click here

vënmo (@ diabolicshrimp)

[monzterzack]

the last 3 months have been extremely rough

and i really hate to be doing this again, and i really really wish it wasnt the case, but im drowning here again over financial problems

its been so harsh that i had to take a loan to cover last month’s debts and i already over spent my credit card to pay for food + electricity+ internet this month

i havent been able to open commissions either due to my wrist hurting horribly because of carpal tunnel

i got a bit of help from twitter which thankfully has brought down the amount to 800$, which is the amount ill need to cover this debt

if anyone could help me out, ill appreciate it very much, and thank you for reading

[yazmarina]

i wanna roll with him, a hard pair we will be

zak o'sullivan (f2) x fem!reader

your best friend is a monaco race winner. you find out winning turns others into totally different people

warnings/notes: smut, mutual masturbation, dry humping

a/n: this is very self indulgent okay let me have my zak moment,,,and this turned out much dirtier than expected LMAO okay bye

.

You weren't even supposed to be here. The flight, accommodation, and paddock pass were almost too much, and you debated just dropping the plan altogether.

But Monaco is special to a lot of racing drivers. Symbolic in the way that it holds history and is the place of many victories. It's special to him.

So, you bite the bullet, book the tickets, and grit your teeth through the exorbitant amount that turned up on your credit card record. You only live once, live in the moment, viva la vida, whatever.

You're here now in Monte Carlo, in arguably the best seat you could afford with what you had after months of saving and weaseling a loving loan from your parents. Watching the race. Watching Zak.

You arrived early this morning, rushing to your hotel, and packing what you needed for the day. You tried to get some shut-eye, managing to get barely three hours of sleep. And then off to the track you went.

Zak doesn't know you're here. You had to lie through your teeth to your own best friend. You told him Monaco just wasn't in the cards and that you'd see him race some other time. In Silverstone, maybe, or Monza.

He has no clue that you're sitting here, with bated breath, as the lap count ticks down with every minute. Zak is leading but he hasn't pitted yet, and they're about to enter the second to the last lap of the race, and what the fuck are they doing not pitting him yet?

Then it happens, almost too quick for you to register. The large screen in front of your section shows a collision. Yellow flag. Virtual safety car.

You're confused for a moment, shocked exclamations erupting around you, but then you see it happen. Zak pits in the midst of the safety car, rushes out, and comes out a second ahead of the whole pack.

You don't even notice how loud you gasp as you finally realize what's happening. One more lap to go and Zak is leading.

The seconds seem to tick by awfully slow yet the race is coming to an end right before your eyes. The checkered flag waves and he crosses the line and the crowd erupts in cheers, mixed with disbelief and genuine awe.

His team gambled and he walked away with the jackpot.

Zak O'Sullivan, Monaco race winner.

Everything played out in one big blur after. You were clapping, then you were crying, running, squeezing through people, pushing, praying that you get to the paddock unscathed.

You pause for a second in front of a screen to watch the champagne spray around Zak on the podium. He's beaming, still in awe himself. You feel the tears come once more and you sprint through the throngs of people and down the streets of Monte Carlo.

You arrive at where the team support trucks are, growing nervous with each step. You came alone and sure, some of the ART people knew who you were, but without Zak, you're feeling a little lost.

You stop in front of the ART truck and it's quiet, as you expected, with all of the employees probably down at the podium celebrations. A pair of personnel clad in the team kit exit the vehicle just as you contemplate contacting Zak's trainer.

"Hi," one of them greets, a sprightly young woman around your age greets. Probably one of the communication people.

"Are you here for Victor or–"

"Zak," you rush out. "I'm ______, his friend. I've gone with him back in Bahrain and Jeddah this year, but I came just this morning so..."

"Oh! Yes, it's you. I remember now, Zak's friend, yeah," the other cuts in. "He was pretty bummed out today, saying something about how you couldn't make it?"

You feel the heat rise in your cheeks. "Yes, that's me. I wanted to surprise him."

"Well, consider me surprised."

You turn around, your heart leaping into your throat. Standing there is the best friend himself, drenched in champagne and holding his winning trophy to his side.

Zak rushes to you and pulls you into a hug, handing off his trophy momentarily to the employees. You feel his arms circle around your waist just as you feel the rest of your tears fall.

"I'm so proud of you," you whisper as you bury your face into his shoulder.

"I thought you couldn't make it," Zak says, pulling away slightly to peer at your tear-streaked face. "But my luck just keeps getting better, huh?"

You meet his eyes and you can see the sparkle of victory in his irises. He grins down at you and pulls you in again, swaying you from side to side.

"Zak, we need a bit more media from you," comes a voice calling out from further down the paddock.

"I'll be a minute!" Zak calls over his shoulder, slipping his hand in yours. "Take my trophy with you but be careful!"

You giggle, glancing behind to see the ART personnel shake their heads in disbelief.

"Come here a second," Zak says, pulling you toward the entrance to their makeshift motorhome for the weekend.

You step inside, familiar with how the interior is, having seen something similar from when Zak was still in Prema last year. You're usually not allowed inside, but riding off a win, you suppose no one dared argue with Zak.

The door shuts and Zak turns to look at you. His eyes scan your face, a smile growing wider on his lips.

"You're here," Zak states as if still not believing it.

"I'm sorry I lied," you admit sheepishly. "I wanted to surprise you, maybe comfort you if the race doesn't go as planned."

Zak chuckles, stepping closer and taking your other hand. You take a good look at your best friend and you feel yourself tear up again.

"But I'm here to celebrate your first podium, a win in Monaco, instead. How about that?" You finish, letting out a breath as Zak takes ahold of your face, leaning in to kiss your forehead.

"How about that, indeed," Zak repeats, tilting your head up so you're looking at him.

You're quite familiar with how success can make you do uncharacteristic things. It makes you reckless, unboundedly giddy. Drivers lock lips with their significant others in front of the camera after a win. Shirts discarded. Champagne poured down their bodies.

Oh, but you're not Zak's girlfriend. There are no cameras.

But you taste the champagne just the same as Zak pulls you in, kissing you with so much force it drives you back against the door.

You reach behind you, still having the presence of mind to turn the lock and bar anyone from walking in on you and Zak.

You grab at the half-undone collar of Zak's race suit, tugging the zipper down in one fell swoop. Zak pulls away, long enough to shrug his suit off, just enough so it hangs under his hips.

You understand now, that underneath it all, success makes you horny.

"Zak," you begin. "What...wait–"

Your best friend pauses, breathing heavily, hair mussed up and lips shiny from kissing you.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't want him with every fiber of your being.

"We can stop," Zak offers, reaching out tentatively. He brushes some strands of hair away from your face.

"I just...I was really lucky today and I thought maybe I should just gamble one more time," he explains, trailing his fingers down the side of your face, to your neck, fingertips lightly brushing against your collarbone.

You get it. Or you think you do. He wants you, too.

You pause. You turn it over in your head for a second. What this means for the both of you. If you do this, you step out of this truck as something different from when you entered.

"Come here," you whisper, grasping the back of Zak's neck before leaning in to kiss him again. He groans, large hands finding your waist as he pulls you flush against him.

You can feel him poking through his fireproofs and you moan into the kiss, grinding hard against the stiffness. Your dress hikes up as you wrap a leg around Zak's waist.

"Fuck," he curses. "I didn't...god, have I had a boner all this time?"

You giggle, rubbing even more on Zak. He groans, throwing his head back, his hold on your waist almost vice-like.

"Winning does that to you," you whisper, kissing along his defined jawline.

"My race winner," you say right next to Zak's ear, biting down on his earlobe after.

Zak buries his face into the crook of your neck, rutting against you, desperate for release. You thread your fingers through his hair and tug lightly, whimpering as the friction through your underwear increases.

"Oh god, look at us," you mutter hurriedly. "Grinding and humping like a bunch of horny school kids."

"I'm gonna cum," Zak warns, pulling off slightly before reaching into his fireproof bottoms. He pulls his length out, pumping furiously.

You pull your dress all the way up to your stomach, tugging your underwear away just enough to let Zak have a view of how drenched you are. Your fingers reach down to circle around your clit as Zak continues to jerk off.

"Cum in them," you offer, gesturing to your panties. "I'll keep it on the whole day."

Zak's mouth hangs open as he finishes all over his fist and into the fabric of your underwear, the delicate material catching his sticky release. The sight of the mess pushes you over the edge yourself, your knees buckling slightly as you try to keep yourself upright through your euphoria.

You retract your hand from between your legs, panting and noticing you've worked up a sweat, as if you had just gone for a long, very sexually-charged jog.

Zak looks at you and smiles, taking your soiled hand and licking your fingers clean off. He winks as his lips let go with a pop! and you reach over to smack him in the chest.

"Naughty," you grumble, though you're grinning just as wide.

"I know you are, but what am I?" Zak taunts, pressing a kiss to your lips. You sigh against it and savor it all: Zak's touch, the smell of champagne on his skin, and the glow that seems to envelop you two now.

"They're probably looking for you," you whisper, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I'll be back," Zak reassures, stepping back. He stills for a moment and takes the image of you in once more before kissing your cheek.

"Wait here, yeah?"

[anonymouspuzzler]

Haha Whoops Uh Oh! (UPDATED 6/11/23)

so this isn't the type of post I normally like to make, but! uh! hey! I just got ambushed by a HUGE tuition bill I wasn't expecting, and I'm out of options to pay it - they've already applied my scholarship and loans, I'm already working multiple jobs that are basically just barely paying for rent + groceries, and I only have enough on my credit card to pay for One of the three payments they're requiring, which only gets me through till July (with, again, no options that get me that amount of money by that time).

further full disclosure, this bill came at like, the worst possible time - they've given me four days to make at minimum the first payment (which, again, I can only do by maxing out my credit card), and on top of juggling multiple jobs I'm also in the middle of two classes, including one which involves upcoming travel (that is already paid for, thank god). Hence, me Scrambling a li'l bit!!

as such, I've set a new goal on my ko-fi!! it is, of course, HUGE, but genuinely any small amount people are able to contribute goes a huge way to giving me SOME way to pay it off. note that 3-coffee doodle requests are still A Thing, commissions are still a thing (if you have one active I'll be getting to them this & next week), and I'll be streaming wherever I can to pull together money that way - wherever it comes, any support is HUGE and I mean that.

UPDATE 6/11/23: I am updating the original post to remove the ko-fi link and yet you fine folks know: HOLY HECK, y'all managed to get my tuition dealt with. words truly cannot express my gratitude for that - I'm so, so, SO humbled and thankful for everyone who came out to get me out of a really rough situation.

in the slightest, smallest attempt to pay forward the kindness i've been shown, I'm gonna try and use this moment to direct y'alls attention to some other folks I know who could use some kindness! hardly comprehensive, in no particular order, just top-of-my-mind type type beat. (note that these are all folks' twitter handles - some of 'em are on tumblr too, but I figure best to direct you to where I know they are 100%!)

@/Pochiyaki is a friend & artist who's been trying to get out of a bad money situation a while, and could definitely use some love!

@/rudeboimonster is similarly a dear friend who's been struggling to find long-term work and housing, anything you got would help.

Or, considering supporting the work of a creative you love! A few I've been loving lately that I'd recommend:

@/cosmignon (Runaway Draikana webcoming, and other comics and illustration work)

@/SynthCharmVA (voicework & writing/show development)

@/Tonya_Song (music - including vocals, piano and composition - plus education and activism work)

@/jaypg_art (character design, visdev, and illustration)

@/littlegoodfrog (Matchmaker and other comics)

@/winonaparadise (Girls With Horns and other comics/illustration work)

@/derekmballard (comics, including the upcoming Cartoonshow graphic novel)

@/_PartyCoffin_ (Welcome Home, and just about every art form you can conceive of)

and of course, if you're not following & supporting my amazing partner @/hollowtones, who helped me through this tough situation in every possible way - well you ought to be!! a delight and talent in every imaginable way, and I'm only a little biased on that.

and above all else... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!

[abra-ka-dammit]

Alright: here's my official cry for help. You can see the latest updates in my pinned, but here's a shorter post for sharing purposes specifically

If you haven't been following, early on Wednesday morning I awoke to my youngest cat Bojji gagging and choking down a plastic ribbon that had already begun its journey into his intestines. The ER vets managed to safely surgically extract it from his small intestines, where it had already began bunching things up in the exact way these things risk doing. all seemed like it would be well, and that he might even be released the next afternoon.

the next morning, however, testing of a fluid that formed around his lungs overnight proved it to be laden with bacteria-containing cells that presumably entered the chest cavity by an esophageal laceration from the struggle with the ribbon. he had quickly worsened in condition and began to go into septic shock, and in a call that has now made this situation well beyond my finances, I begged them to save his life.

and they did. he's now recovering in the ICU and improving every day, and much faster than anyone expected after the condition he'd been in!! but this is still adding up just as fast--as anyone who's had to get prolonged pet emergency care can attest, I'm sure. I've maxed out my care credit and am hurriedly applying for discover loans as my parents begrudgingly hand over their credit cards to keep his care going through tomorrow. things are getting pretty bad.

Please... he's only 2. He deserves so many more years of life and I refuse to let a ribbon take that from him. I know none of you can just hand a stranger thousands of dollars, but any amount truly helps, as does sharing. Thank you in advance, and keep sending my boy your best fast-healing vibes.

[kiefbowl]

i made a string of really dumb financial decisions and now im in debt that might take me years to pay off, do you have any words of wisdom for me queen. like that feels bad. how do i even save up. imagine flushing a pile of money down the toilet thats what this debt it

I know how that feels, believe me. A lot of people do. I'm feeling the pain of my 9 month school loans, and credit cards I had already paid off back "on" again (one in particular is pretty high...whooooops).

Don't lose your cool, I have a couple of flexible suggestions that you take, use, and modify to your specifics:

Tithe yourself - if your job does direct deposit (which most do!), you can direct deposit your money into multiple accounts. Get it set up so your paycheck goes 90% into your checking account, 10% into your savings account so that you're not even thinking about it. You might feel the squeeze for a little bit but you'll acclimate to that "missing" 10% sooner than you think.

Ask for a raise - if you're working, ask for a raise. If you're new, or maybe not that "great", or they're penny-pinchers, or you're just nervous to ask, don't even worry about it. Ask for 3% - this is low, and most jobs will give it to you just for the convenience of getting you to stop bothering them about it (if they can't afford 3%, run run run). For context, if you make $10 an hour, a 3% raise only gives you $12.00 more each week. It's really not much, but not nothing! If you're NOT worried about asking a raise, go all in! Ask for 10%, maybe even 15%. Flex some negotiation skills. Maybe you'll walkaway with 7%, but every penny counts.

Get yourself on auto payments [at the smallest amounts you can] - if you've got credit cards, log in right now and get yourself on auto payments for the smallest amount. If you've got student loans, do the same thing. If you've got utility bills, get them on auto pay. These things take 3 minutes to set up, and there are phone numbers to call if you can't figure it out. These companies WANT you to do this, they will help you get it done.

Work off the smallest amount you owe first [aggressively] - Let's say you have a $60 parking ticket, a credit card you owe $400 on, and three student loans that are currently at $6,000 & $7,000 & $10,000. Forget the student loans right now, you've got them on autopay for the smallest amount you can get away with. First, pay off that $60 parking ticket with your next pay check before it becomes a $200 ticket and a court appearance. Now you can focus on the paying off the $400 aggressively. Your minimum payments will still go off, but every time you get a paycheck, long on and pay an additional amount to the credit card (something you can manage and will also feel good to your brain - $50 feels good when you're thinking of your debit in hundreds for example). Once you've got that paid off, now you can aggressively pay off your $6,000. Don't worry about the other two. Just focus on the smallest amount you owe. Each paycheck, payoff a chunk of your smallest debt. It'll get exciting after awhile, like yes I get paid I can make that credit card even smaller. Gamify it, whatever.

Stop worrying about how long it will all take - Only worry about the smallest amount of debt you owe and how (reasonably) fast you can get that paid off. That $400 credit card, if you can spare $100 each pay check - that's only 4 paychecks. That's not too long, right? That's the way to think of time and debt: how much can you spare each paycheck to pay off your lowest debt.

Ask for help - do not punish yourself by lying to your parents and friends. Tell your friends you can't do fancy dinners because you are paying off debt and can't afford it. Real friends will bring over a pizza to hang with you. Your parents might be willing to send you a check without you asking for it. Don't feel guilty about monetary gifts, just take it. Go to a bank and talk about their consolidation options. Bring a third party so you aren't dazzled by sales pitches. Consolidation loans aren't objectively good or bad, they can be a life saver if they have the right terms that work for you. Don't think it's over your head! Ask as many questions until you understand all your options.

Buy smart, stop suffering - this really should be like 4 different bullet points, but I'm going to be as concise as possible: you'll never get out of debt if you spend your money without purpose, and you'll never get out under the yoke of anxiety that you fucked up if you just squirrel your money away in fear. A lot of people will give you advice that you need to put yourself on a tight, punishing budget. Maybe, but I think those are doomed to fail for most people. And now you feel twice as bad. Don't do that to yourself. Learning the value of $10 is important. So it learning the value of $100, or $1,000. And the best way to learn is to practice buying and using your money - there's a cheap $1,000 and an expensive $10, and you have to learn how much value you are getting out of these amounts for these purchases. If you punish yourself all week, and then allow yourself a "little treat" on Sunday - that doesn't feel worthwhile to me. Those little treats will grow every day. Soon you're stopping at Starbucks every day for "just $10" and your Sunday treat has become a weekly blow out brunch with friends and then week to week you're scrounging to eat Top Ramen and lamenting your dreams are dying. Instead, save money by spending money on things worthwhile that make you budget for them. Go sign up for those yoga classes you want, go sign up for those guitar lessons you want, go sign up for those art lessons you want, whatever it is. Whatever brings value to your life. Your $70 a week yoga membership can now be valued against your $70 week at Starbucks, and as your pockets pinch one hopes you'll choose the yoga over the Starbucks because one hopes that the yoga is serving you better. Or maybe yoga is ass and you want to spend it on Starbucks, at least now you know. Though I recommend your local coffee shop, as Starbucks is a union busting piece of shit corporation :)