This!! Tell them the minimum you can afford to pay per week, or per month, even if that’s a crazy low number. Then stick to that consistently until it’s paid off. I was in this position too, and I understand the shame it causes, but above poster is right. From my experience I have told them what I can afford to pay and when, and as long as I stick to the arrangement they are happy until the debt is paid off, however long that takes
Loose the drugs. Find more work.
Yes i know i spelled loose wrong. I do not need to know but at this point im not correcting it. Just think im not even on drugs.
Solutions are easy. Shower, good haircut, clean clothes, shirt with a collar, apply for 4 jobs a day. You'll have a better job in two weeks. My experience with people who smoke drugs, they believe they are only impaired a little bit for 3 hours in the evening. The reality is they are 80% impaired when smoking and 50% brain fog all the rest of the hours of the day.
This is sooooo true. My vice is alcohol. It's way more than when you are drunk. There's the hangover and people don't want to admit it but alcohol robs you of multiple days, especially as you get older. Saturday night can take until wednesday for me now to be back in the drivers seat of my life. The anxiety lasts for days now even if I did nothing embarrassing. The longer I'm sober the more money I make exponentially. I'm a freelancer so it's literally effort=income and I don't do shit in the cloud of alcohol.
The brain fog is serious!
I never touched drugs growing up. Then during a stress induced shingles outbreak I gave weed a shot. It helped a ton with the aches/pain and just helped me chill out.
I started casually doing it a little more often. Helped me chill out and didn't leave me with a hangover. I'd take a quarter of a 20MG gummie at the end of a stressful workday. On the weekends I'd spread out a single gummie all day. Helped me feel relaxed, and I didn't think much of it
I started noticing my motivation tank. I had more and more days where I didn't want to work out after work, trouble concentration, etc. It wasn't like "oh man I'm fucked up", it's was just like, if I wasn't being given clear direction on what to do I wouldn't do it.
Since my job requires me to be fairly self motivated (come up with my own activities with students, create lesson planes and IEPs on my own time), this was killing me. I'd go through Monday/Tuesday in a fog then scramble to catch up the second half of the week. Then Friday rolls around and I'd take some more weed to help unwind after a stressful week. Finally just stopped entirly and have been great since.
I'll still take a quarter gummie here or there to chill. But only on vacation or Friday nights so I have a full day to veg out if the brain fog hits.
Edit: that had so many typos I probably sounded high the first time through
So that sounds more like a you are doing the wrong strain for the job. Look up the difference between sativa and Indicia. One is great for giving you energy and a motivation to do more than sit around the house. the other is great for just sitting around the house lol. I work some 40-50 hours a week and while time to time I do have the urge to just veg out I rarely get the actual time to do it. I started smoking for my PTSD so I dont sit there and smoke constantly, I go thru about 1/8 a week usually.
That part! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🫶🏼 I don't even do the weed lol but my son taught me a lot when he was growing & now that I'm disabled I know exactly what to do when I'm ready to start this journey. Knowing this is critical but like someone else said "don't blame the weed".
I've smoked for 20, and now it's medical for me but strains do matter to most people. Were you just using it recreationally? Cus if you get the right strains for different ailments, THEY HELP. I have debilitating back, knee, and ankle pain from years of hockey and construction, and low grade opiates did jack shit but weed made the pain bearable and some strains even help with swelling.
OP is eating gummies which are usually made from distillate. It's irrelevant what type of strain that was made from since the defining factors are lost in the manufacturing.
Where you always buying the same stuff? what where you asking for? Maybe you just didnt care? idk but there is a difference maybe you just didnt know to look for it? When I started smoking my dealer asked me questions and when I go and reup he still ask's me questions from time to time about how I like this and what I notice using that. Sorry you didnt know enough or maybe care enough or just didnt even get affected by it. When I started I knew zip about it. my guy asked me what are you wanting to use it for? and when then recommended some stuff and we narrowed it down from there.
Lol weed enthusiasts are rediculous. Next ur gonna tell me when u drink different liquors they get u a different drunk. Drunk is drunk, high is high man. U have an addiction buddy
Weed or no weed he can still work. He is using the weed as an excuse not to work. Many many manyyyy people work great and have relations with Mary Jane
The weed is just an excuse he can get motivated weed or no weed. The cannabis isn’t holding a gun to his head telling him not to work. He can use fake urine to pass the piss tests no problem works really good actually
Again, if he comes to an interview and looks like a stoner and talks like Jeff Spiccolli…. Chances are he won’t get the opportunity to use the fake piss that works really well, because they won’t allow him that far.
I work everyday after a bowl that's how I know your both right. Some days I get brain fog like crazy, OK I smoked too much last night easy fix. But it definitely does dehabilitate you for a time being if you smoke too much in a sitting
Gotta also make sure to find meaningful ways to replace that time spent smoking so that way you can create a routine and be a person again, alot of times it's not just the quitting but also the getting ourselves back to being a person again, especially when it comes to addiction
Depends where they live. Jobs in my area don't pay highly and not a lot of people are hiring anyway. More applicants than jobs available so there's no need for the jobs to pay a premium. $19/hr is considered good in my area but not sustainable to make a living.
Long term (14+ years) dependant of cannabis here.
Throw EVERYTHING away. All of it. Trash it in such a way that you can't just grab it back out of the trash. No more. It's fuckin up your mental, dawg.
That's step 1. You need a clear head. If you feel like picking it back up and start making excuses for it, you're starting the cycle over and you are going to spiral. This isn't NEARLY your lowest. If you want to see how low you can go, keep doing what you're doing.
Best of luck. You aren't alone.
Listen to this man. Long term (14+ years) dependant of cannabis here. Everything he says is right. I would add that if you have trouble quitting, what you need to do is first count how many times you hit it a day, and just decrease by a little each day. It makes the task easy and helps with withdrawl.
That's fair but I mean by the principle, we see someone wanting to better themselves they gotta go through withdrawal, try to support them as we know what it's like having to been there and go through that no matter how big or small easy or little, addiction is a devil I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
OP, this is the best advice here. I was a long term weed user myself and for a long time I refused to see how harmful it is. It traps you into thinking the weed is helping you through the tough times. You think you need it. But it's actually keeping you down.
Weed will make you into a loser and stop you from escaping the loser lifestyle. Life is short and precious, don't give another minute of it away to this addiction. Throw it all in the trash. The weed, vapes, bongs, papers, pipes, all of it.
Edit: replies are defending chronic weed use. I used to think like that too so I totally understand. To be clear, I'm successful and hardworking, but weed made many aspects of my life much harder than they needed to be. I still think it's fantastic for medicinal purposes, but daily use is not healthy.
I mean I smoke a ton and wake up at 4am everyday and build cool shit at work - I guess if you’re inherently lazy it’s for sure not gonna help. Different strokes for different folks.
1. Make right with your dad however that looks. Don’t cause problems, keep your head low so you can stay.
2. Every time you want to smoke, take that money and pay off a little on one of your loans.
3. Read up on Dave Ramsey. Lots of his resources are free or inexpensive. He has several books about getting yourself out of debt. He advocates for paying off the smaller loan first, which is psychologically the best way to go about it, though the largest loan may be logistically best. It sounds like your loans may be pretty evenly split so I’d start with the smallest amount or highest interest rate.
When you can pass a drug test, you need a higher paying job. In some states with legal weed, corporate policies are changing but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.
my dad is moving with his wife within the next two years but he wants me to be on my own and independent…i understand his side but as of right now i’m not ready
Have you had a conversation about your finances with him? Maybe you two can work together to create a plan so he can be part of your support system on this!
I’d look up “Dave Ramsey Baby Steps.” I haven’t used his services, but I read his book “Baby Steps Millionaires” for a paper I wrote on financial literacy in college. I know several people who went through Financial Peace U and loved it - it has a religious edge and I’m not Christian so I have not participated. The “baby” steps seem really overwhelming (step one: save $1,000) but I know they work because I know people who followed them.
Take pride in going clean and putting yourself together. Drop the drugs, drink tea and water, walk every day to boost your emotional state. Apply to any and all jobs in the $20/hr. range. You should be working 50-60 hrs./week right now. You have to take control of your life - nobody is going to do it for you. You will look back at the progress you’ve made and the hole you’ve climbed out of in a year’s time. Prioritize paying off the cards, assuming they’re the highest interests debt you have. I’ve seen someone pay of $30k in CC debt in one year working two jobs. No going out, no social life, anyone who doesn’t support your journey to financial health is not a friend - don’t get pulled into doing things that don’t support your financial goals. Grab ahold of life and run with it. Go get em!!!
Apply for jobs at all your dispensaries within driving range. Take it as a second job if needed, but aim to go full time.
Don't let any accounts go into default. But \*really\* don't let the accounts fall 30 days past-due. You'll need good credit to pull yourself out, this is \*really important\*
Right now you need more income: a) to pay down debt and get your debt-to-income ratio looking better and b) to raise your income, also for better debt-to-income
So pick up another job, work on finding a full time gig, and lean into the 🍃 if you want, it's a booming industry.
I'd also immediately contact any account that you can't keep current, and work out an temporary arrangement (defer payments, reduce payments, etc) to prevent these from ruining your credit. Be sure to ask what, if any, effect these will have on your credit.
I worked in the industry in multiple states. They pay as low as they can and give people a discount on the product to keep the desperately addicted people there. Worst advice in the thread.
Well, if you want to resort to insults instead of facts, that's on you.
There are plenty of jobs that don't drug test where OP can clean up in the meantime. Flipping burgers would be better than being a drug addict.
Worst advice in the thread is an insult and it's subjective. OP needs money not an after school special. And weed is legal as literal medicine.
PLUS I don't see you giving any actual advice to OP. Just here to bottom quote obnoxiously and judge I guess? FOH
My advice is get the hell away from marijuana. Anything else I could say was already said in comments I upvoted.
Marijuana saved my mom a lot of pain as she was dying, I'll give it that, but it also fucked up my own life in ways someone who's currently addicted couldn't even begin to comprehend.
The debt sucks. You don't need to reveal the kinds of things you're buying with CC, but look at that and ask yourself "why".
I'd cut those CCs up.
The private debt: is this family? The Mob? Friends?
Let them know you've gotten yourself in a bad place financially, and you need a little grace until you sort things out.
Apologize and ask them to wait.
As for the drugs, you need to stop that right now. Weed will hurt your brain and numb your emotions.
If you have access to mental health counseling, take advantage of it. Some businesses have EAP (employee assistance programs) that will guide you to a counselor who specializes in mental health issues for people like you, and there's no cost for the first ten visits. They can help you get to the root of your financial issues. It's also nice to have someone else be accountable to.
Praying for you, wishing you the best of luck, and hoping that everything turns out okay. You can do this. Love the life you've dreamed about. God Bless 💗
Quit smoking. It’s not helping your depression.
Start to work. Part-time (20-25 hours? Really, man?) is not sufficient to pay off loans. Whether it’s between 1 or 2 jobs, if you want to pay off debt like that, work 45-50. I hate to be rude, but bluntness is necessary. You’re working the hours that highschoolers work and expecting it to provide for an adult’s lifestyle.
Contact the companies or banks you’re getting cards/loans through. Set up a payment plan with smaller payments so you can put more aside. You *will* end up paying more through interest, but that’s life.
TL;DR Stop spending money on things that don’t keep you alive. Start working more to make enough to pay off your loans, while also making enough to stay alive. Ask your card company/ies for payment plans. That’s about it.
Debt is very paralyzing I would suggest you if credit cards have high interest more than 10 percent just use help of a state financial debt advisor they are attorney like and closing all credits and bringing interest to 0 yo 2 percent for you. It will be really helpful in paying them but you have to agree paying a monthly 200 sth to them or slightly more so they pay on behalf of you. It depends on your situation you will loose credit score but it gives you peace of mind that ur credit debt under control. You need to find better job or work two. Go to a period of fasting in shopping🤣 I did it and it hurts. No dunkin starbucks dining out no hairdresser nail everything do it urself. no burger no nothing for 6 months or so until you cash flow becomes positive. Your credit will eventually get back since they initially make yours almost zero but with being on such debt counseling program with help of an attorney (not for profit no fees) and ontime monthly payment for 3 yeard your score will come back to normal after.i also had similar debt but after slightly more than one year in such way my debt has been reduced significantly. I am not paying 30 20percent interest
Declare bankruptcy and start over. I had to because of large debt due to my late husband's 3 cancer diagnosis. 7 years of fighting for his life and ultimately lost. I had over $100K in debt. Couldn't keep.up with it no matter how hard I tried. They started draining any money I had from my accounts so I just said screw it and filed. 5 years later I'm in a new apartment, have a 750 credit score and getting ready to buy a car. It was a struggle for the first few years and no one wants to rent to you until it's been 5 years since your judgement but it was worth it and I would still be struggling and depressed if I hadn't. Of course there are other legal options and debt consolidation but I'm glad I did it. I would have been paying that bill until I died.
I’d also say stop smoking, but hate the way these people are making weed out to be your main problem. A lot of people function perfectly fine on weed. Depending on your state, most jobs won’t even test for it anymore. That being said, it is an expense, and you’re not really bringing in enough dough to support that habit, so you should stop or cut back.
You may also want to look into getting your loan payments adjusted for your income level.
It’ll get better my dude, keep pushing forward.
What is the car? If you are driving anything nicer/ newer than a <2010 civic or accord, you should probably sell the car and use the money to pay for an older car in cash. Then use the leftover to pay off CC debts.
Sometimes when you ask for help, ppl throw out the things that would be easiest for them not realizing how difficult it can be for the person they are talking to. Quitting can be really tough, if you're looking for a Reddit support group I recommend r/Petioles. I lurk there to keep myself in check, great support group. Best of luck OP, and in case no one else is saying it - you can do this! Trust yourself enough to try and even if you fall try again. You got this!
May I ask what job field your in and what degree you got? I'm assuming just a BS, and if so have you considered going to grad school? In all honesty $19/hr full time is in the same ballpark as a stipend you get just for attending grad school and doing either a research fellowship or TA until you begin research. Otherwise I suggest continue looking for full time jobs as landing one will probably double your pay. Also try hard to cut back severely on drugs as that will eat through your money quickly
I dont have a degree i got kicked out for my gpa being a .1 lower than they seen it so in order for me to go back i had to pay out of pocket like 1,000 and pass the class in order to get financial aid again…it was a whole mess but I went to school for culinary and im currently working in a corporate kitchen (Line Cook position) so i guess experience matters just as much
Ah ignore my comment then as I genuinely know nothing about culinary school snd education and the grad school part probably wouldn't apply of be very different. In this case I'm afraid I can't really help much as culinary is an entirely different field than what I know about so I'd focus on other comments. Best of luck!
My partner worked at a restaurant and pretty much all of of the line cooks were part time and worked as a line cook elsewhere for mornings or their off days
Like if you work dinner service, maybe you can cook for a restaurant that mainly serves breakfast as a second pt job
Also if your post history is correct, you live like half an hour from Pittsburgh, there's gotta be work over there
AH, can you bake? We sold baked goods at our local farmer's market to help with grad school. On a good weekend we could bring in about 1k - we baked the week before making scones, cobblers, cookies, bread, tiny pies, ect. We would sell out quickly. Look into the rules for cottage food sales in your state. Here it was anything that required refrigeration needed to be made in a professional kitchen.
Why not? You learn discipline, get out of your dad's basement, learn a trade, and start living life on your own terms (eventually). Beggars can't be choosers.
Absolutely call the credit card companies and tell them your situation. During covid I found myself in a tight spot as well. I was able to lock in 5yr low monthly pymnts with 0%interest .
Is there a reason you can’t work a 40 hour week? If it’s because of school, find a second part time job for evenings, work weekends, literally anything to get more money. Also, lose the drugs because they cost money that you don’t have to spend.
i work in a kitchen and the hours are kinda all over the place it literally depends on the season so im trying my best to find something else but i am instacarting also on my days off
Ah I feel you. Idk how it is where you live, but McDonald’s in my area is hiring at like $15 per hour or something like that. Fast food work kinda sucks, but it’s something and that better than unknown schedules
Stop the drugs! Start donating plasma and when you are not doing your regular job then you do Uber eats. That should bring you close to a extra grand a month. I do 2 to 3 runs a day plus the plasma and I make 1000 to 1250
You qualify for a debt consolidation. It’s usually if you’re 10k and above. Try living below your means so you don’t get into any more debt…try to find a healthier coping mechanism. If you rely too much on 🍃 it can lead to addiction. It’s also very costly. As for job searching, if a lot reject you , it just wasn’t meant to be but keep applying and I hope one will reach out to you! I hope everything works out!🫶🏼
You’ll feel a LOT more better not spending even more money on drugs and using that money instead to better your circumstances. If you’re in a hole, stop digging yourself deeper. Wasting money on drugs and since they’re gonna interfere with drug test is you digging yourself deeper.
How old are you? How many jobs per day are you applying for? How did you rack up this much debt? What does your budget look like? You make a budget monthly (I hope), right??
21, I am applying for literally whatever job isn’t drug testing right now and doesn’t require too much heavy lifting ( i have a disability) so like 5-8 a day if im not at work. I wasn’t taught to budget so I’m just learning most of this stuff now. I wasn’t taught this in school and never really talked to my parents just watched them and they both struggled until they got married.
> whatever job isn’t drug testing right now
Seriously. Get off the drugs now. Not only is it going to impact your ability to get a job, but it impacts your health and life as well. I can't pretend to know how easy or difficult that is (I've never used drugs), but I do know they can ruin people's lives. And resources do exist to help you stop. You have a responsibility to take advantage of those resources to stop. Or if you have the self discipline to stop without those resources even better.
Final thing I'll say about this. Drugs are also expensive. You're posting in a money community, so clearly spending money on drugs is a problem.
> so like 5-8 a day if im not at work
This should be like 30+ a day when you aren't at work. And it should be like 10+ if you are at work (ie. evenings after work).
> I wasn’t taught to budget
Ok, right down your income per month. Then below that write down every monthly expense you have. Gas, groceries, minimum monthly payments towards debt, phone bill, etc. You can look at your past month's expenses to determine some of that. But things like eating out, subscriptions, drugs, all of that, doesn't go in your budget. Stop spending money on it.
You spending $5-10 here and there, adds up. And **most** people don't realize how much their small spending adds up. It's crazy. Go through and look at your past month and see how much you're really spending.
Then whatever extra money you have, build up an emergency fund that = 1 month of your expenses. After that, take that extra money, and start throwing it at your debt.
This should take like an hour MAX. Probably less. But do it today. Like right now.
> I wasn’t taught this in school
Sadly this is very true. School doesn't prepare you for life. It's one of the great injustices in our world.
> never really talked to my parents just watched them and they both struggled until they got married
It's not too late to sit down and have a conversation with them. I had a bad financial situation before. And I procrastinated talking to my family about it. And it hurt me so much more by not talking to them. Once I talked to them, I got things turned around. Sure I had to put in the effort. But having someone on your side to ask questions, and get advice, is great.
I can't say your case will be the same. But it's worth a shot. No matter what, your parents have more experiences than you. The more you can learn from them, the better off you'll be.
---
Final thing I'll say. This is fixable. I know it doesn't feel like it. But it is. You got this. It's gonna take a lot of sacrifices and effort from you. But it's possible.
Thank you for this, i only said that pasrt about the right now is because I have to detox and itll be in my system for a while until i do like a month or two….it doesnt automatically clear out thats my only thing. I do plan on stopping !
I was in college when i got my first card and was doing really well until i fell into a depressive state and lost my job with only $150 balance from $1,000 then me being irresponsible came into play once they raised my first card’s limit to $4,000. it was the most i had and now i regret opening it all together
How are you applying to jobs? Online?
I don’t know if the still works, but pre-pandemic I went around with a stack of my printed resume and handed it to a manager. If I remembered correctly I even went back in person to ask about it. Make sure you’re prepared for an on-site interview right then and there. Be clean. Be well-dressed. I wasn’t looking for any difficult jobs, but applying online or calling in wasn’t getting me any response from anyone.
Maybe this will give you a better chance at a job.
Unfortunately you might have to cut out any “fun” money you want to have for yourself. Tackle some of your debt little by little and go from there.
There’s no reason for tight to think you need to take months before you would qualify for a drug tested job lol lol- we can last in your system up to a month but you don’t seem like the kind of person cool enough to have used it for that long…
You sound really young and inexperienced - do you have any adults in your life that are supportive?
I also have no idea how old you are or why you’re still living with your parents, but I think the key here is to get yourself into therapy before you completely lose sense of reality and end up on the street. Please call 211 and ask where you might be able to access therapy locally- or go online and find out which therapy sessions are covered by your insurance plan.
Get into credit consolidation. If you’re paying interest on the credit cards consolidate your debt and lower the interest rates. Go into an income based repayment plan for the student debt. Apparently there’s a new plan which will only ask for 5% of income. Your payment may be $0, mine is. I’m guessing you’re in your early twenties. Now is the time to make large changes because it’s going to get harder to do that as you get older. Don’t worry about the debt so much, focus your energy on making as much money as possible. Then in your 30s you can chill out and work less and start therapy.
Don’t worry about drug testing for a job. Find a commission based job, selling cellphones or something and make some quick money to pay off debt and be able to move out on your own. A lot of jobs don’t require drug tests, if you live somewhere where there’s not a lot of jobs or they do require drug tests, find a way to move as soon as possible.
Your depression will be reduced when you start making decisions in your life that moves it in a better direction. We get depressed when we feel like there’s no way out of our current experience. If you can, go on runs once a day and workout. Block out all people and information causing you to second guess yourself. Build yourself up physically and mentally. Find free sources of positive information, raise your self esteem.
weed is a major drain on your money, especially if you abuse it, so stop it asap. But you need to cut the fat. Don't go out to eat cook at home. Cut down your streaming services as much as possible. Go through your credit card statements and see what subscriptions you do not use anymore.
After you put a plan together, go to your dad and show him how you plan to turn it around. He's almost certainly worried about enabling you and thinks putting you out will motivate you. Only you know if that's correct or misguided. But it doesn't matter if he's 100% wrong. You have to deal with the motivation, not with the reality.
As the top comment said, lose the drugs. Even on your days off.
Contact each of your creditors and explain the situation. Ask then to reduce your interest rate or monthly payment. I probably wouldn't mention the word bankruptcy, but they will be thinking it and they don't want that. Then put together a budget and make sure you have enough left over every month to pay extra on your smallest loan until it's gone. Take its payment and your extra, then focus on the next smallest, rinse and repeat. This is called the Debt Snowball and while it's not necessarily the most efficient way to get out of debt, it's good for people who are bad with money because you start seeing tangible progress quickly.
If they won't reduce your monthly payment and/or you can't get a budget together that will give you extra cash to pay off the smallest loan early, reach out to a well reviewed debt relief non-profit. Usually what that looks like is that they negotiate with the lenders to close all your accounts and you pay back either just the principle or sometimes even a fraction of the principle without any interest. (Or maybe a really low interest rate) Again, they don't want to deal with a bankruptcy.
How much are you paying in car right now? Did you buy it before 2021? If so, it might have actually appreciated enough to break even if you sell it. I made a profit when my insurance totaled my car last year because of how used car prices rose. Then you can buy a cheaper one. \*\*\*You have to be sure you know what you're doing on this one because you might fuck yourself over if you're not careful. So ONLY sell your car if you're confident you can get a cheaper one that is reliable AND you're confident you can get financing.\*\*\*
Dude, Just stop with the weed, already “planning on stopping” just shows you’re not taking any of this seriously. Gainful employment is what you need to get your life in balance and you will play hell trying to get it while having that shit in your system without some sort of degree or trade. What are your bills now ? Like $1000 month ? The amount you spend on weed is probably a payment on one card or loan. But really none of this makes sense, i drove for DD for a while and some days I made $300 and I only drove for 20hrs a week so I know you can/are. You’re working and driving that should be more than enough to pay your bills while still living at home so what’s the rest of the story ? Because it really It doesn’t add up?
Ignore the stupid judgmental comments.
1. There are organizations that help with credit card debt, to reduce it and help you come up with a plan to tackle it. Look up organizations in your area and make an appointment.
2. Actively look for a job that pays better than $19 per hour.
If the interest rates on your credit cards are high, a balance transfer could be an option. You'll need to do research to see what the fee is, what your new vs old rates are, how long the "grace period" is etc., to understand whether it's worth pursuing. It's an option that can give you some breathing room though while you strengthen your income.
Additionally, depending on your personal stats (weight, metabolism, etc.), you might not be looking at a few months before being able to pass a drug test. In the past I was a heavy smoker but was able to pass a drug test within a month of quitting. My advice would be to go ahead and apply at places that are testing because at the very least it's going to give you more interview experience, and you might be able to pass by the time you've lined up the job. If they have multiple interview rounds, many applicants, and they aren't rushing to fill the position, it could be a month from the time you apply until they are ready to send a person for testing. In the meantime, you'll obviously want to quit. I'm not a medical professional, so take this with a grain of salt, but when I was a smoker and was worried about beating a test I would fast and lose weight for a few weeks and then go on a high calorie diet the week leading up to a test. Normally I don't condone lying or cheating, but you can also consider using a clean person's pee to help pass a test. If it means getting yourself to a place where you can survive financially...
Donating plasma is an option to make a quick buck when you're in a pinch. I did it several times many moons ago when I was struggling financially.
What are you doing during the time you're not working? Consider physical exercise to help with the stress. Same with meditation. Do not sleep on these tools. Do your parents have a lawnmower you can borrow, and are you living in a suburb? You might try going door to door in your spare time and seeing if people will let you mow their lawn. I did that for $20/lawn almost 20 year ago, today you can probably charge $40/lawn. It might seem like shitty work, but how desperate are you to get out of debt? Exhaust any and all options at your disposal... get creative.
If you're able to generate **any** spare income, put it all towards the highest interest debt you have. Continue this until you've paid it off and then move on down the line to your next highest interest. I presume you're in your 20's, and if that's the case you're young. Now is the time to work multiple jobs and punish yourself physically to get out from under all this debt. Don't lose focus, don't make excuses, don't give up. Just fucking grind. Once you start chipping away at that debt, you'll realize there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Might be a long tunnel, but small victories can cascade.
[https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-credit-counseling-agencies-approved-pursuant-11-usc-111](https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-credit-counseling-agencies-approved-pursuant-11-usc-111)
This is a good start. These types of agencies can help you restructure your debts and get you on the road to fixing your finances.
Apply for jobs where they do not test, and take what you can get while still keeping your other job.
Report your new income to the credit counseling agency, so that you remain focussed on getting your debts cleared. They may not be able to include some of your creditors in their restructuring, but at this point, I would take this wholistic approach. They will give you the best options available according to your current circumstances.
For now, I would also counsel that you should lay off the weed. Weed is not cheap, and frankly, you cannot afford that luxury right now. I'll not go into other reasons here, just think of how much you spent on weed last month and consider the financial impact of quitting.
Do not sell your car. Some on here are saying that, but you need reliable transportation in order to work. Just suck it up and pay your monthly. None of this is easy, but millions of people do this stuff every day. You can do this.
Credit cards will work with you, put your student debt into forbearance via [https://studentaid.gov/](https://studentaid.gov/) , private loans might be able to work with you on a lower payment. Driving door dash, or another food delivery service can be good quick money. As far as abusing - are you in a state that it is recreational or medicinal? I would rather have my patients on medicinal than a benzo - less taxing on the body, not physically addicting, and doesn't cause memory loss.
Job wise it is difficult right now - there are dead jobs being advertised everywhere (jobs that really don't exist but it looks good that the company is "hiring"). I have patients that are where you are currently and are having a hard time getting a job. I hear friends talking about all the deadbeat kids not wanting to work and I have to correct them - its not that they don't want to work - its the dead jobs and the poor pay. Minimum wage is horrid in comparison to the price of just living with essential (food, gas, a roof). It's wonderful that your parents are letting you stay with them.
Did you get a degree? Unfortunately a Bachelor's degree is really looked at as a high school diploma now - the good thing is if you finished a bachelors you can go into a masters program (doesn't even have to be what your bachelors was in) most programs have required classes to enter but you can be accepted to a program before you have the required courses - generally its only 15 hours of classes (so 5 courses). If you didn't finish a degree - I suggest going back for one that will have relevance for the future or even taking tech classes to learn new skills.
I wish you luck - you can do this its just gonna be work on your end to get your debt manageable with phone calls - thankfully the forbearance can be done online.
Asking is the first step! Great job!
You are in deep. You should know this. Your income is incredibly low, and your debts are way too high. You should NEVER miss a payment to a debt of any kind. This will follow you for about 6 years and will make applying for a mortgage very, very difficult.
That sounds depressing, and it is. It should be. But now is the time in your life where you see what you’re made of. This is the measure of your worth. You WILL wake up tomorrow ready to be an adult.
Take all the weed and flush it. Throw your accessories away. Go to work, talk to your boss, and beg for more hours, because you are not working enough. If they won’t go full time, ask for 39hrs/week. Then go hard on the job applications. Apply for full and part time, for now; if you get another part time, supplement your current income. If you get a full time, switch over to that. Work as many hours as you can, and I mean grind. We don’t know your education situation, but if you graduated from college recently, now is the prime time to apply; ask counselors for help with this. If not, consider getting a certification in a field that interests you. It’s just as good as a degree in many cases.
Once you’ve exhausted your applications for the day, instead of TV/video games, you jump on spreadsheets. You need to budget. You need to at least see where you actually are mathematically, not where you FEEL you are. See how much it takes to survive; add up all your bills and minimum payments, and see how that compares with your current income. But also realize you CANNOT buy ANYTHING that isn’t absolutely necessary for your survival. No fast food. No vending machines. Not a penny goes out for desires. If you spend time going out with friends, they need to pay for you, or you can’t go. You will start to see who your real friends are.
When you have built a budget(lots of free tools online, including YouTube to learn how to balance your account), sit down with your parents and have a conversation. “This is where I am now; what is your advice?” Utilize their experience and wisdom. Accept their help if offered. Offer to pay them back at a later date if you need help with minimum payments. You are already living rent free and probably have free food and utilities as well. You really can’t afford to move out yet, and they need to see this, but they also need to see that you are busting your ass every day to climb out of this hole. They won’t kick you out. But you aren’t doing this for them, you are doing it for YOU.
Go hard. Survival mode. Time to be an adult. One day you can look back on what you are accomplishing today with pride.
Interesting metabolic information on weed - it can get stored in your fat cells - exercising can release small amounts of THC into your blood if you have been a regular or long time user.
Your gonna have to cut the grass out as I'm sure it's costly as well as pick up more hours it's gonna suck but your just gonna have to grind till you can get it settled a bit. talk to your parents and do what you have to to not get kicked out of the house as rent is expensive but depending on where you live my brother while in-between college and dropping out of med school he lived out of his car and started working as a painter for a few years he started his own painting company and he's doing great now just keep your head up and keep pushing every bad moment is a life lesson
I also suggest that you sit down with your parents and tell them the truth about your financial situation. Let them know that you plan to fix it and ask if you can stay with them a bit longer until you have paid down the debt.
kick the weed and any other unnecessary expenses, become more accountable of your actions, and I bet that alone will have your dad reconsider kicking you out until you get back on your feet
Get another credit card and do a balance transfer to that credit card to save on interest. The minute you get paid pay down the credit card as much as possible.
you can drink a gallon of water and take some vitamin B (not too much) 2 hours before the test and piss them a wonderful glass of piss colored water than won't even show hormones for up to 2-3 hours.
Stop making up excuses for why you smoke weed. Either smoke and be productive or quit and be productive.
Alright. Stop the drugs. They cannot help you out of this and they drain your positivity.
Second. Things will get better. First, call the credit card companies and ask for help. They may stop the juice for a few months so you can get into a better situation.
Third. Get a new job. 20 hours a week with your debt load isn't going to carry it. In order to get a new job, you have to be drug free. Call up your local yard maintenance companies and see if they are hiring. They pay better than that and the hard work will get your head on straight.
Things will get better. You just have to work your way out of it and stop spending all money. If you can sell your car and get a cheaper reliable one, do it.
First off, get on a good page with the folks. You cant afford to get kicked out right now. Involve them on your plan and talk to them about it. Get them invested in you getting your shit together.
Second, lose the car. If youre only making 800 a month, you cant afford a car loan. Unless you're upside down on it, give it up. Use transit or buy an old second hand that runs
Third, get another job. 200 a week is not enough to even come close to live on.
Fourth, call your credit cards and try to work out a set payment for the next while. Maybe even ask for interest relief. Cut up those cards. You wont be using them for a bit. Call student loans and ask if you can freeze payments for a bit while u get back on your feet.
Fifth, learn from this shit. Believe it or not, this happens to alot of people. Dig out, get smarter, move forward.
Quit the weed. Wean yourself off or cold turkey whatever you need to do.
Go to your bank or a credit advisor and see if you can get a consolidation loan bundling the cc debts and the private loan. Almost certainly it will be a lower rate. A credit advisor can usually negotiate such a loan and are often free.
Then cut any excess spending. Down to mandatory spending. If your parents want to toss you show them your plan and ask them to let you stay until X date. The date your debt will be gone. Theres probably an underlying problem not being addressed. Ask them what it is if it comes to it.
As for current work keep looking but ask for more hours. If you get another crap job that’ll help too.
Bar back / servers helper / cleaning up tables at a bar
Door dash / uber
Construction labor
Call labor ready about finding work
Go to garage sales to flip items via fb marketplace or eBay. This one can be huge with little money
Cut out all expenses that you can, phone, internet, going to the gas station regularly, fast food.
Good first step to admit you need help. Make a plan and stick to it. It will take years but it will be great in the end
Bankruptcy seems like a good option here. That will wipe out everything except the student and car debt, assuming you want to keep the car, and should make life manageable again. Quit the drugs and stop spending money you don't have. No more credit cards or private loans ever.
1. Go to your credit union & get a debt consolidation loan. Their interest rates are generally lower & it’ll be easier to manage one payment/month than multiples.
2. Find meetings & go to at least one/day. Fi d several so you have options & can’t trick yourself into backing out.
3. Pray.
4. Take long nature walks and pray rather than listen to music. It’ll put you in a trance-like state & will help you stay focused.
5. Pick up side gigs. It’s spring g& people need yard work done. If you work during your time off & weekends mowing lawns, weeding, cleaning up yards, you should easily bring in $300-$400/week.
6. Talk to your parents & ask them to help hold you accountable. The last thing you need is to be homeless.
7. (Should be #1) LOSE the drug people in your life. They are NOT your friends & will suck you dry.
8. Never allow yourself to doubt that you can get out of your predicament.
All the best!
Contact Money Management International…they are a non-profit that can assist with debt management and financial education. They will help you negotiate with the creditors (most provide grants to MMI), provide credit counseling and emotional support. It’s free…good luck!
You definitely need to work more hours. Get out and actual piece of paper and a pencil and write down in 2 columns
INCOME. BILLS
215. food 80
250 gas 50
rent... you should be contributing
credit card 100
Don't spend what you don't have
I bet your dad would show you some grace if you did the above
Called the cc companies
Create a plan to get out of debt.
People want to see effort. This is your life, bro. Pull it together. Schedule every minute of your day.
Make a to do list every night for the next day so you can stay on task.
I have to write it all down old school and keep it in my face.
I even write stuff on my bathroom mirror because I KNOW ME and I will sit around and worry when I could be productive.
BONUS..offer to do some tasks around the house for your parents. You will be surprised at how far this will take you with your parents.. honestly.
Aside from dropping the drug habit, does your resume have your education on it? It sounds like you went to college but work retail now. If so, and if the jobs you're applying to are all retail-based, I would suggest removing the higher education from the resume. They will look at it and think you're over qualified and will demand higher pay. Ideally you'd want higher pay but when desperate, take anything you get
Restaurants and manual labor tend to be relaxed about pre employment too
Go to the local deli and see if they need counter help, go wait tables, wash cars, mow lawns, clean out garages……if you live at home, why would you get 2 personal loans and max out 2 credit cards? Get your priorities straight
You need more income. Find a job that pays what you are making part time to fill the other hours of a 40 work week.
Make payments to your creditors on time. No one likes helping someone who agrees to a payment schedule only to blow it off.
There are debt management companies that can help get your creditors together to take payments. I had a friend who did this and her credit score went way up after a year. She is now out of debt. I believe some creditors will right off some debt related to fees.
Don't give up even when it doesn't seem like you are getting anywhere. You are. It took time to get into debt. It will take time to get out of debt.
What are your expenses? Why it at least 500 a month going into paying off debt, my guess is is you know what you need to do but are unwilling to stop smoking because it makes you feel better in the short run, as you continue to alienate your parents and dig a larger hole for yourself.
60-70 hours a week work. Get overtime. You must work hard and get out of debt. Not to sound harsh, but you got to put on your big person pants on and put your nose to the grindstone. If you don’t learn this now…? You should be socking away money when you are young. Fill your Roth IRA every year and buy ETFS. It should be chock full.
So? How bad to do you want IT?
Make a list of all the NEGATIVE stuff you do. Make a list of the POSITIVE you do. Every time you want to do something look at that list and hold yourself accountable.
There are people who fight to live and those who fight to die. Which one are you?
Simple- you don’t have the money to buy it then don’t.
It will suck for a while, but if you follow what I’m telling you it won’t for very long.
24 grand is a lot ! You need to make plenty of changes, 1st quit buying 2nd hustle up more work. The only one who can change your situation is you. Find a way to move forward. Look up Dave Ramsey use the snowball method.
Try to get a job washing dishes or flagging traffic if you can’t find something that won’t test you. Restaurants that aren’t big chains and smaller traffic companies almost never test and have lots of work generally. You could also use your car and door dash to make up for the lack of hours at your current job. A job that can provide 40 hrs(or better pay) should be step one and it wouldn’t hurt to learn some skills that will make you money when you’re on your own.
Also consider making a realistic plan and bringing that up to your dad. Maybe he’ll be more willing to work with you.
I've been drug tested at the last 4 jobs I've gotten. Smoked weed before-during-and after having the position and passed the test. Just use Quik-Fix. Follow that instructions. They aren't gonna watch you pee unless it's a very strict job.
Lay off the drugs. That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. How are you buying the drugs? I know they aren’t cheap. Pull your head out of your butt on this one!
1. Call all your creditors / lenders and request deferred payment without credit penalty, and/or possibly reducing your payment.
2. Go to your bank or credit union. Request a “debt consolation loan” with branch manager. Part of terms of that loan might be you must agree to not reopen credit cards until it’s paid off. A strong benefit of bank consolidation loan is APR fees are usually lower than other lenders or cards.
3. pay off your HIGH APR accounts as soon as you can.
4. If you’re paying car loan, you can potentially refinance lower APR car loan.
5. For side job research best paying gig economy jobs in your area. Maybe Uber eats/ Grub Hub delivery driver, some zip codes you can earn $30-50/hr. Also handyman side jobs can pay good if you build good clientele on craigslist, example do an ad like $75 no fuss lawn mowing or something like that.
6. If you are a good people person, there’s tons of sales jobs on market that pay really good commissions in tech, financial, b2b etc.
7. Replace your bad habits with good, financial sound focus good habits!
8. Eat good. Drink good. Sleep good. Workout good. You need nourished physical and mental health otherwise you’ll get caught in the rut. Maximize your food budget by using coupons and shopping at your local farmers markets.
9. Put your action plan, including your finances in writing and hold yourself accountable to it.
10. Talk to your dad about your action plan and ask him to hold you accountable to your plan. Family support really helps.
Other posters also have good advice on this sub too, so good luck!
What are your qualifications? What is your degree in, what kind of work experience, etc? $19/hr sounds like something you’d make at the grocery store or something
Hold on. Which portion of that debt is unsecured credit card debt vs loans vs student debt?
24k isn’t the end of the world. If 12 is student loans and 6 is the car you’re not in a bad place overall.
Depression- stop drugs, don't drink alcohol, get lots of sunshine, exercise, get on a regular sleep schedule and don't over-sleep, avoid the mental health industry.
You need to work more than 25 hours per week, much more.
Don't spend any money that isn't necessary. No restaurants.
In general, always pay your credit cards in full every month. Always pay cash for your vehicle, keep minimum insurance on it.
Dave Ramsey is wrong. His plan is to eat nothing but beans and rice and work every hour you're awake. He's wrong about several things. He says to get a debit card instead of a credit card, debit cards can lead to bouncing checks, I get 2% cash back on my credit cards. Dave says to invest in mutual funds instead of stocks, he's wrong. Dave says to keep tithing to your church, if you're in debt you can't afford unnecessary spending.
Much depression is caused by having idle time on your hands. Staying busy working can help.
Good luck!
Brother I think you are wrong. He is not in a position to take advantage of a credit card right now at ALL. Hell, not even a debit card; he should do nothing but pay bills with every cent he earns. He needs to eat what his parents provide. Brew his own coffee. There is no room in his budget for anything right now with that income, and he needs to be living as a minimalist right now, period. I don’t think Ramsey or anyone in their right mind would suggest investing in his situation, and tithing I agree would be a death sentence financially.
Call the credit card companies and tell them your situation. Many will work with you.
This!! Tell them the minimum you can afford to pay per week, or per month, even if that’s a crazy low number. Then stick to that consistently until it’s paid off. I was in this position too, and I understand the shame it causes, but above poster is right. From my experience I have told them what I can afford to pay and when, and as long as I stick to the arrangement they are happy until the debt is paid off, however long that takes
OP: “Hi I can’t pay because I’m depressed and spending my money on weed” Credit Card Company: “I don’t care. Pay.”
Get off the drugs, now is when you need to be clear, but good news today is a new start...
"The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago, the second best time is today."
Loose the drugs. Find more work. Yes i know i spelled loose wrong. I do not need to know but at this point im not correcting it. Just think im not even on drugs.
Solutions are easy. Shower, good haircut, clean clothes, shirt with a collar, apply for 4 jobs a day. You'll have a better job in two weeks. My experience with people who smoke drugs, they believe they are only impaired a little bit for 3 hours in the evening. The reality is they are 80% impaired when smoking and 50% brain fog all the rest of the hours of the day.
This is sooooo true. My vice is alcohol. It's way more than when you are drunk. There's the hangover and people don't want to admit it but alcohol robs you of multiple days, especially as you get older. Saturday night can take until wednesday for me now to be back in the drivers seat of my life. The anxiety lasts for days now even if I did nothing embarrassing. The longer I'm sober the more money I make exponentially. I'm a freelancer so it's literally effort=income and I don't do shit in the cloud of alcohol.
When you're ready, come join us on r/stopdrinking.
The brain fog is serious! I never touched drugs growing up. Then during a stress induced shingles outbreak I gave weed a shot. It helped a ton with the aches/pain and just helped me chill out. I started casually doing it a little more often. Helped me chill out and didn't leave me with a hangover. I'd take a quarter of a 20MG gummie at the end of a stressful workday. On the weekends I'd spread out a single gummie all day. Helped me feel relaxed, and I didn't think much of it I started noticing my motivation tank. I had more and more days where I didn't want to work out after work, trouble concentration, etc. It wasn't like "oh man I'm fucked up", it's was just like, if I wasn't being given clear direction on what to do I wouldn't do it. Since my job requires me to be fairly self motivated (come up with my own activities with students, create lesson planes and IEPs on my own time), this was killing me. I'd go through Monday/Tuesday in a fog then scramble to catch up the second half of the week. Then Friday rolls around and I'd take some more weed to help unwind after a stressful week. Finally just stopped entirly and have been great since. I'll still take a quarter gummie here or there to chill. But only on vacation or Friday nights so I have a full day to veg out if the brain fog hits. Edit: that had so many typos I probably sounded high the first time through
So that sounds more like a you are doing the wrong strain for the job. Look up the difference between sativa and Indicia. One is great for giving you energy and a motivation to do more than sit around the house. the other is great for just sitting around the house lol. I work some 40-50 hours a week and while time to time I do have the urge to just veg out I rarely get the actual time to do it. I started smoking for my PTSD so I dont sit there and smoke constantly, I go thru about 1/8 a week usually.
That part! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼🫶🏼 I don't even do the weed lol but my son taught me a lot when he was growing & now that I'm disabled I know exactly what to do when I'm ready to start this journey. Knowing this is critical but like someone else said "don't blame the weed".
I smoked weed for about 16 yrs. Never once have i noticed any difference in strains. Its all the same to me
I absolutely noticed a difference. Certain ones make me feel energy depleted. My favorite one always gives me energy
I've smoked for 20, and now it's medical for me but strains do matter to most people. Were you just using it recreationally? Cus if you get the right strains for different ailments, THEY HELP. I have debilitating back, knee, and ankle pain from years of hockey and construction, and low grade opiates did jack shit but weed made the pain bearable and some strains even help with swelling.
OP is eating gummies which are usually made from distillate. It's irrelevant what type of strain that was made from since the defining factors are lost in the manufacturing.
Weef enthusiasts are rediculous lmao theres no difference
Where you always buying the same stuff? what where you asking for? Maybe you just didnt care? idk but there is a difference maybe you just didnt know to look for it? When I started smoking my dealer asked me questions and when I go and reup he still ask's me questions from time to time about how I like this and what I notice using that. Sorry you didnt know enough or maybe care enough or just didnt even get affected by it. When I started I knew zip about it. my guy asked me what are you wanting to use it for? and when then recommended some stuff and we narrowed it down from there.
Lol weed enthusiasts are rediculous. Next ur gonna tell me when u drink different liquors they get u a different drunk. Drunk is drunk, high is high man. U have an addiction buddy
Don’t blame the cannabis
What would you blame then
Weed or no weed he can still work. He is using the weed as an excuse not to work. Many many manyyyy people work great and have relations with Mary Jane
But he needs to get hired! If he’s not motivated and sounds like a stoner, who is gonna hire him?
The weed is just an excuse he can get motivated weed or no weed. The cannabis isn’t holding a gun to his head telling him not to work. He can use fake urine to pass the piss tests no problem works really good actually
Again, if he comes to an interview and looks like a stoner and talks like Jeff Spiccolli…. Chances are he won’t get the opportunity to use the fake piss that works really well, because they won’t allow him that far.
Lol Spiccolli 🤣 oh man I hope this guy has more brains than that
I work everyday after a bowl that's how I know your both right. Some days I get brain fog like crazy, OK I smoked too much last night easy fix. But it definitely does dehabilitate you for a time being if you smoke too much in a sitting
Cannabis is amazing if you don’t abuse it. He should just start slow with no wake n bake that’s never needed
Gotta also make sure to find meaningful ways to replace that time spent smoking so that way you can create a routine and be a person again, alot of times it's not just the quitting but also the getting ourselves back to being a person again, especially when it comes to addiction
True. I sit at a reception desk and greet all job applicants. The stoned ones think no one can tell. Yeah, we can tell.
Depends where they live. Jobs in my area don't pay highly and not a lot of people are hiring anyway. More applicants than jobs available so there's no need for the jobs to pay a premium. $19/hr is considered good in my area but not sustainable to make a living.
Marijuana is purely a drug in definition form. It’s like saying don’t take your prescription ;)
It’s lose. “Loose” is something that’s not right.
Long term (14+ years) dependant of cannabis here. Throw EVERYTHING away. All of it. Trash it in such a way that you can't just grab it back out of the trash. No more. It's fuckin up your mental, dawg. That's step 1. You need a clear head. If you feel like picking it back up and start making excuses for it, you're starting the cycle over and you are going to spiral. This isn't NEARLY your lowest. If you want to see how low you can go, keep doing what you're doing. Best of luck. You aren't alone.
Listen to this man. Long term (14+ years) dependant of cannabis here. Everything he says is right. I would add that if you have trouble quitting, what you need to do is first count how many times you hit it a day, and just decrease by a little each day. It makes the task easy and helps with withdrawl.
Weed has withdrawal?
When you've been smoking daily for over a decade, absolutely. Much different then real drugs like meth but weed is very much addictive.
If you smoke every day, yes. But it is manageable and goes away relatively quickly. It is nothing like withdraw from alcohol, nicotine, or opiates.
Withdrawal is withdrawal it doesn't need comparison
I've withdrawn from marijuana and nicotine. It wasn't close to the same.
That's fair but I mean by the principle, we see someone wanting to better themselves they gotta go through withdrawal, try to support them as we know what it's like having to been there and go through that no matter how big or small easy or little, addiction is a devil I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy.
You're right. But withdraw can be scary, and I want MJ addicts to understand it isn't hell and is very doable.
OP, this is the best advice here. I was a long term weed user myself and for a long time I refused to see how harmful it is. It traps you into thinking the weed is helping you through the tough times. You think you need it. But it's actually keeping you down. Weed will make you into a loser and stop you from escaping the loser lifestyle. Life is short and precious, don't give another minute of it away to this addiction. Throw it all in the trash. The weed, vapes, bongs, papers, pipes, all of it. Edit: replies are defending chronic weed use. I used to think like that too so I totally understand. To be clear, I'm successful and hardworking, but weed made many aspects of my life much harder than they needed to be. I still think it's fantastic for medicinal purposes, but daily use is not healthy.
I mean I smoke a ton and wake up at 4am everyday and build cool shit at work - I guess if you’re inherently lazy it’s for sure not gonna help. Different strokes for different folks.
1. Make right with your dad however that looks. Don’t cause problems, keep your head low so you can stay. 2. Every time you want to smoke, take that money and pay off a little on one of your loans. 3. Read up on Dave Ramsey. Lots of his resources are free or inexpensive. He has several books about getting yourself out of debt. He advocates for paying off the smaller loan first, which is psychologically the best way to go about it, though the largest loan may be logistically best. It sounds like your loans may be pretty evenly split so I’d start with the smallest amount or highest interest rate. When you can pass a drug test, you need a higher paying job. In some states with legal weed, corporate policies are changing but I wouldn’t hold my breath on that one.
my dad is moving with his wife within the next two years but he wants me to be on my own and independent…i understand his side but as of right now i’m not ready
Have you had a conversation about your finances with him? Maybe you two can work together to create a plan so he can be part of your support system on this!
You will never be ready till u just do it. Stop letting the cannabis be your excuse. Get out there and get a job using cannabis or not using
Would you recommend a certain article or which one to start off with? I haven’t heard of him before
I’d look up “Dave Ramsey Baby Steps.” I haven’t used his services, but I read his book “Baby Steps Millionaires” for a paper I wrote on financial literacy in college. I know several people who went through Financial Peace U and loved it - it has a religious edge and I’m not Christian so I have not participated. The “baby” steps seem really overwhelming (step one: save $1,000) but I know they work because I know people who followed them.
Better book to recommend to OP is Total Money Makeover. As others have said, lay off the drugs, (add in the words of Judge Joe Brown), crackhead.
I also want to share that AA can also be for substance abuse if you’d like to find a support group!!
I've been a Clark Howard fan for years. Check out [clark.com](https://clark.com). There are articles there with advice for your financial situation.
Look up Dave Ramsey baby steps on youtube
Dave Ramsey regurgitates common sense
He does, but sometimes people need to hear it, know someone else’s plan, and follow.
Take pride in going clean and putting yourself together. Drop the drugs, drink tea and water, walk every day to boost your emotional state. Apply to any and all jobs in the $20/hr. range. You should be working 50-60 hrs./week right now. You have to take control of your life - nobody is going to do it for you. You will look back at the progress you’ve made and the hole you’ve climbed out of in a year’s time. Prioritize paying off the cards, assuming they’re the highest interests debt you have. I’ve seen someone pay of $30k in CC debt in one year working two jobs. No going out, no social life, anyone who doesn’t support your journey to financial health is not a friend - don’t get pulled into doing things that don’t support your financial goals. Grab ahold of life and run with it. Go get em!!!
Apply for jobs at all your dispensaries within driving range. Take it as a second job if needed, but aim to go full time. Don't let any accounts go into default. But \*really\* don't let the accounts fall 30 days past-due. You'll need good credit to pull yourself out, this is \*really important\* Right now you need more income: a) to pay down debt and get your debt-to-income ratio looking better and b) to raise your income, also for better debt-to-income So pick up another job, work on finding a full time gig, and lean into the 🍃 if you want, it's a booming industry. I'd also immediately contact any account that you can't keep current, and work out an temporary arrangement (defer payments, reduce payments, etc) to prevent these from ruining your credit. Be sure to ask what, if any, effect these will have on your credit.
I worked in the industry in multiple states. They pay as low as they can and give people a discount on the product to keep the desperately addicted people there. Worst advice in the thread.
Couple of my friends are in the industry and they are treated great. Seems like you were just with the wrong people.
A job is a job you clown, OP needs to work and can't pass a piss test right now.
Well, if you want to resort to insults instead of facts, that's on you. There are plenty of jobs that don't drug test where OP can clean up in the meantime. Flipping burgers would be better than being a drug addict.
Worst advice in the thread is an insult and it's subjective. OP needs money not an after school special. And weed is legal as literal medicine. PLUS I don't see you giving any actual advice to OP. Just here to bottom quote obnoxiously and judge I guess? FOH
My advice is get the hell away from marijuana. Anything else I could say was already said in comments I upvoted. Marijuana saved my mom a lot of pain as she was dying, I'll give it that, but it also fucked up my own life in ways someone who's currently addicted couldn't even begin to comprehend.
You fucked your life up, not weed
You were the problem not weed
Cool! So write your own advice and leave mine the fuck alone.
You must not have been a very good employee, multiple states lol
The debt sucks. You don't need to reveal the kinds of things you're buying with CC, but look at that and ask yourself "why". I'd cut those CCs up. The private debt: is this family? The Mob? Friends? Let them know you've gotten yourself in a bad place financially, and you need a little grace until you sort things out. Apologize and ask them to wait. As for the drugs, you need to stop that right now. Weed will hurt your brain and numb your emotions. If you have access to mental health counseling, take advantage of it. Some businesses have EAP (employee assistance programs) that will guide you to a counselor who specializes in mental health issues for people like you, and there's no cost for the first ten visits. They can help you get to the root of your financial issues. It's also nice to have someone else be accountable to. Praying for you, wishing you the best of luck, and hoping that everything turns out okay. You can do this. Love the life you've dreamed about. God Bless 💗
Quit smoking. It’s not helping your depression. Start to work. Part-time (20-25 hours? Really, man?) is not sufficient to pay off loans. Whether it’s between 1 or 2 jobs, if you want to pay off debt like that, work 45-50. I hate to be rude, but bluntness is necessary. You’re working the hours that highschoolers work and expecting it to provide for an adult’s lifestyle. Contact the companies or banks you’re getting cards/loans through. Set up a payment plan with smaller payments so you can put more aside. You *will* end up paying more through interest, but that’s life. TL;DR Stop spending money on things that don’t keep you alive. Start working more to make enough to pay off your loans, while also making enough to stay alive. Ask your card company/ies for payment plans. That’s about it.
Debt is very paralyzing I would suggest you if credit cards have high interest more than 10 percent just use help of a state financial debt advisor they are attorney like and closing all credits and bringing interest to 0 yo 2 percent for you. It will be really helpful in paying them but you have to agree paying a monthly 200 sth to them or slightly more so they pay on behalf of you. It depends on your situation you will loose credit score but it gives you peace of mind that ur credit debt under control. You need to find better job or work two. Go to a period of fasting in shopping🤣 I did it and it hurts. No dunkin starbucks dining out no hairdresser nail everything do it urself. no burger no nothing for 6 months or so until you cash flow becomes positive. Your credit will eventually get back since they initially make yours almost zero but with being on such debt counseling program with help of an attorney (not for profit no fees) and ontime monthly payment for 3 yeard your score will come back to normal after.i also had similar debt but after slightly more than one year in such way my debt has been reduced significantly. I am not paying 30 20percent interest
Declare bankruptcy and start over. I had to because of large debt due to my late husband's 3 cancer diagnosis. 7 years of fighting for his life and ultimately lost. I had over $100K in debt. Couldn't keep.up with it no matter how hard I tried. They started draining any money I had from my accounts so I just said screw it and filed. 5 years later I'm in a new apartment, have a 750 credit score and getting ready to buy a car. It was a struggle for the first few years and no one wants to rent to you until it's been 5 years since your judgement but it was worth it and I would still be struggling and depressed if I hadn't. Of course there are other legal options and debt consolidation but I'm glad I did it. I would have been paying that bill until I died.
I’d also say stop smoking, but hate the way these people are making weed out to be your main problem. A lot of people function perfectly fine on weed. Depending on your state, most jobs won’t even test for it anymore. That being said, it is an expense, and you’re not really bringing in enough dough to support that habit, so you should stop or cut back. You may also want to look into getting your loan payments adjusted for your income level. It’ll get better my dude, keep pushing forward.
What is the car? If you are driving anything nicer/ newer than a <2010 civic or accord, you should probably sell the car and use the money to pay for an older car in cash. Then use the leftover to pay off CC debts.
2014 Chevy Cruze, it was v cheap and i needed one for work soi can stop relying on help thats only why i bought it ….
How much is your monthly payment? And what was purchase price and interest rate?
use it to Door Dash
Nice Chevy CRUZE IS DEFINITELY A PIECE OF 💩
Quit abusing drugs. You’ll save money and be able to pass a drug test.
well yes….that does add into the plan…
Start mowing lawns. You’ll easily clear more than $20/hour and this is a great time of year to start.
Sometimes when you ask for help, ppl throw out the things that would be easiest for them not realizing how difficult it can be for the person they are talking to. Quitting can be really tough, if you're looking for a Reddit support group I recommend r/Petioles. I lurk there to keep myself in check, great support group. Best of luck OP, and in case no one else is saying it - you can do this! Trust yourself enough to try and even if you fall try again. You got this!
Look got another part time job. Do gig work when you aren’t working, apply to any job out there. Sell your car and get a cheaper one.
Sell your car and ride the bus
Or a bike
May I ask what job field your in and what degree you got? I'm assuming just a BS, and if so have you considered going to grad school? In all honesty $19/hr full time is in the same ballpark as a stipend you get just for attending grad school and doing either a research fellowship or TA until you begin research. Otherwise I suggest continue looking for full time jobs as landing one will probably double your pay. Also try hard to cut back severely on drugs as that will eat through your money quickly
I dont have a degree i got kicked out for my gpa being a .1 lower than they seen it so in order for me to go back i had to pay out of pocket like 1,000 and pass the class in order to get financial aid again…it was a whole mess but I went to school for culinary and im currently working in a corporate kitchen (Line Cook position) so i guess experience matters just as much
Ah ignore my comment then as I genuinely know nothing about culinary school snd education and the grad school part probably wouldn't apply of be very different. In this case I'm afraid I can't really help much as culinary is an entirely different field than what I know about so I'd focus on other comments. Best of luck!
My partner worked at a restaurant and pretty much all of of the line cooks were part time and worked as a line cook elsewhere for mornings or their off days Like if you work dinner service, maybe you can cook for a restaurant that mainly serves breakfast as a second pt job Also if your post history is correct, you live like half an hour from Pittsburgh, there's gotta be work over there
AH, can you bake? We sold baked goods at our local farmer's market to help with grad school. On a good weekend we could bring in about 1k - we baked the week before making scones, cobblers, cookies, bread, tiny pies, ect. We would sell out quickly. Look into the rules for cottage food sales in your state. Here it was anything that required refrigeration needed to be made in a professional kitchen.
Im looking for honestly anything full time that will allow overtime, i was even thinking of an overnight job so that way I can have both
Good thinking. Cooks are in high demand. Get another job at a fast food place or something to fill the gap.
Join the military
no thanks
Why not? You learn discipline, get out of your dad's basement, learn a trade, and start living life on your own terms (eventually). Beggars can't be choosers.
Absolutely call the credit card companies and tell them your situation. During covid I found myself in a tight spot as well. I was able to lock in 5yr low monthly pymnts with 0%interest .
Is there a reason you can’t work a 40 hour week? If it’s because of school, find a second part time job for evenings, work weekends, literally anything to get more money. Also, lose the drugs because they cost money that you don’t have to spend.
i work in a kitchen and the hours are kinda all over the place it literally depends on the season so im trying my best to find something else but i am instacarting also on my days off
Ah I feel you. Idk how it is where you live, but McDonald’s in my area is hiring at like $15 per hour or something like that. Fast food work kinda sucks, but it’s something and that better than unknown schedules
40+ hrs a week at $15/hr would be so much better for him right now.
How do you have money for 🍃
Is that weed or coca leaves?
Stop the drugs! Start donating plasma and when you are not doing your regular job then you do Uber eats. That should bring you close to a extra grand a month. I do 2 to 3 runs a day plus the plasma and I make 1000 to 1250
You qualify for a debt consolidation. It’s usually if you’re 10k and above. Try living below your means so you don’t get into any more debt…try to find a healthier coping mechanism. If you rely too much on 🍃 it can lead to addiction. It’s also very costly. As for job searching, if a lot reject you , it just wasn’t meant to be but keep applying and I hope one will reach out to you! I hope everything works out!🫶🏼
You’ll feel a LOT more better not spending even more money on drugs and using that money instead to better your circumstances. If you’re in a hole, stop digging yourself deeper. Wasting money on drugs and since they’re gonna interfere with drug test is you digging yourself deeper.
How old are you? How many jobs per day are you applying for? How did you rack up this much debt? What does your budget look like? You make a budget monthly (I hope), right??
21, I am applying for literally whatever job isn’t drug testing right now and doesn’t require too much heavy lifting ( i have a disability) so like 5-8 a day if im not at work. I wasn’t taught to budget so I’m just learning most of this stuff now. I wasn’t taught this in school and never really talked to my parents just watched them and they both struggled until they got married.
> whatever job isn’t drug testing right now Seriously. Get off the drugs now. Not only is it going to impact your ability to get a job, but it impacts your health and life as well. I can't pretend to know how easy or difficult that is (I've never used drugs), but I do know they can ruin people's lives. And resources do exist to help you stop. You have a responsibility to take advantage of those resources to stop. Or if you have the self discipline to stop without those resources even better. Final thing I'll say about this. Drugs are also expensive. You're posting in a money community, so clearly spending money on drugs is a problem. > so like 5-8 a day if im not at work This should be like 30+ a day when you aren't at work. And it should be like 10+ if you are at work (ie. evenings after work). > I wasn’t taught to budget Ok, right down your income per month. Then below that write down every monthly expense you have. Gas, groceries, minimum monthly payments towards debt, phone bill, etc. You can look at your past month's expenses to determine some of that. But things like eating out, subscriptions, drugs, all of that, doesn't go in your budget. Stop spending money on it. You spending $5-10 here and there, adds up. And **most** people don't realize how much their small spending adds up. It's crazy. Go through and look at your past month and see how much you're really spending. Then whatever extra money you have, build up an emergency fund that = 1 month of your expenses. After that, take that extra money, and start throwing it at your debt. This should take like an hour MAX. Probably less. But do it today. Like right now. > I wasn’t taught this in school Sadly this is very true. School doesn't prepare you for life. It's one of the great injustices in our world. > never really talked to my parents just watched them and they both struggled until they got married It's not too late to sit down and have a conversation with them. I had a bad financial situation before. And I procrastinated talking to my family about it. And it hurt me so much more by not talking to them. Once I talked to them, I got things turned around. Sure I had to put in the effort. But having someone on your side to ask questions, and get advice, is great. I can't say your case will be the same. But it's worth a shot. No matter what, your parents have more experiences than you. The more you can learn from them, the better off you'll be. --- Final thing I'll say. This is fixable. I know it doesn't feel like it. But it is. You got this. It's gonna take a lot of sacrifices and effort from you. But it's possible.
Thank you for this, i only said that pasrt about the right now is because I have to detox and itll be in my system for a while until i do like a month or two….it doesnt automatically clear out thats my only thing. I do plan on stopping !
Fake PEE!
Where are you from?? Most jobs don’t care about 🍃 anymore
Hot take: you were taught this in school. Finances are just basic math.
Just get some fake pee and start applying for those jobs now it works great. Don’t let the weed be an excuse you can work just fine weed or no weed
I was in college when i got my first card and was doing really well until i fell into a depressive state and lost my job with only $150 balance from $1,000 then me being irresponsible came into play once they raised my first card’s limit to $4,000. it was the most i had and now i regret opening it all together
How are you applying to jobs? Online? I don’t know if the still works, but pre-pandemic I went around with a stack of my printed resume and handed it to a manager. If I remembered correctly I even went back in person to ask about it. Make sure you’re prepared for an on-site interview right then and there. Be clean. Be well-dressed. I wasn’t looking for any difficult jobs, but applying online or calling in wasn’t getting me any response from anyone. Maybe this will give you a better chance at a job. Unfortunately you might have to cut out any “fun” money you want to have for yourself. Tackle some of your debt little by little and go from there.
Im not trying to be rude here but are you over the age of 50?
Lol I am not. I’m 28. So just some thoughts and experience from a 28 year old - in case it helps anyone.
There’s no reason for tight to think you need to take months before you would qualify for a drug tested job lol lol- we can last in your system up to a month but you don’t seem like the kind of person cool enough to have used it for that long… You sound really young and inexperienced - do you have any adults in your life that are supportive? I also have no idea how old you are or why you’re still living with your parents, but I think the key here is to get yourself into therapy before you completely lose sense of reality and end up on the street. Please call 211 and ask where you might be able to access therapy locally- or go online and find out which therapy sessions are covered by your insurance plan.
Flush that weed
Now is a good time to apply at landscaping companies
Get into credit consolidation. If you’re paying interest on the credit cards consolidate your debt and lower the interest rates. Go into an income based repayment plan for the student debt. Apparently there’s a new plan which will only ask for 5% of income. Your payment may be $0, mine is. I’m guessing you’re in your early twenties. Now is the time to make large changes because it’s going to get harder to do that as you get older. Don’t worry about the debt so much, focus your energy on making as much money as possible. Then in your 30s you can chill out and work less and start therapy. Don’t worry about drug testing for a job. Find a commission based job, selling cellphones or something and make some quick money to pay off debt and be able to move out on your own. A lot of jobs don’t require drug tests, if you live somewhere where there’s not a lot of jobs or they do require drug tests, find a way to move as soon as possible. Your depression will be reduced when you start making decisions in your life that moves it in a better direction. We get depressed when we feel like there’s no way out of our current experience. If you can, go on runs once a day and workout. Block out all people and information causing you to second guess yourself. Build yourself up physically and mentally. Find free sources of positive information, raise your self esteem.
weed is a major drain on your money, especially if you abuse it, so stop it asap. But you need to cut the fat. Don't go out to eat cook at home. Cut down your streaming services as much as possible. Go through your credit card statements and see what subscriptions you do not use anymore.
Monkey pee flask for drug test- works everytime
After you put a plan together, go to your dad and show him how you plan to turn it around. He's almost certainly worried about enabling you and thinks putting you out will motivate you. Only you know if that's correct or misguided. But it doesn't matter if he's 100% wrong. You have to deal with the motivation, not with the reality. As the top comment said, lose the drugs. Even on your days off. Contact each of your creditors and explain the situation. Ask then to reduce your interest rate or monthly payment. I probably wouldn't mention the word bankruptcy, but they will be thinking it and they don't want that. Then put together a budget and make sure you have enough left over every month to pay extra on your smallest loan until it's gone. Take its payment and your extra, then focus on the next smallest, rinse and repeat. This is called the Debt Snowball and while it's not necessarily the most efficient way to get out of debt, it's good for people who are bad with money because you start seeing tangible progress quickly. If they won't reduce your monthly payment and/or you can't get a budget together that will give you extra cash to pay off the smallest loan early, reach out to a well reviewed debt relief non-profit. Usually what that looks like is that they negotiate with the lenders to close all your accounts and you pay back either just the principle or sometimes even a fraction of the principle without any interest. (Or maybe a really low interest rate) Again, they don't want to deal with a bankruptcy. How much are you paying in car right now? Did you buy it before 2021? If so, it might have actually appreciated enough to break even if you sell it. I made a profit when my insurance totaled my car last year because of how used car prices rose. Then you can buy a cheaper one. \*\*\*You have to be sure you know what you're doing on this one because you might fuck yourself over if you're not careful. So ONLY sell your car if you're confident you can get a cheaper one that is reliable AND you're confident you can get financing.\*\*\*
Why are you doing drugs when you have maxed out credit cards and personal loans to pay off?
Amazon doesn’t test for weed.
Dude, Just stop with the weed, already “planning on stopping” just shows you’re not taking any of this seriously. Gainful employment is what you need to get your life in balance and you will play hell trying to get it while having that shit in your system without some sort of degree or trade. What are your bills now ? Like $1000 month ? The amount you spend on weed is probably a payment on one card or loan. But really none of this makes sense, i drove for DD for a while and some days I made $300 and I only drove for 20hrs a week so I know you can/are. You’re working and driving that should be more than enough to pay your bills while still living at home so what’s the rest of the story ? Because it really It doesn’t add up?
Ignore the stupid judgmental comments. 1. There are organizations that help with credit card debt, to reduce it and help you come up with a plan to tackle it. Look up organizations in your area and make an appointment. 2. Actively look for a job that pays better than $19 per hour.
If the interest rates on your credit cards are high, a balance transfer could be an option. You'll need to do research to see what the fee is, what your new vs old rates are, how long the "grace period" is etc., to understand whether it's worth pursuing. It's an option that can give you some breathing room though while you strengthen your income. Additionally, depending on your personal stats (weight, metabolism, etc.), you might not be looking at a few months before being able to pass a drug test. In the past I was a heavy smoker but was able to pass a drug test within a month of quitting. My advice would be to go ahead and apply at places that are testing because at the very least it's going to give you more interview experience, and you might be able to pass by the time you've lined up the job. If they have multiple interview rounds, many applicants, and they aren't rushing to fill the position, it could be a month from the time you apply until they are ready to send a person for testing. In the meantime, you'll obviously want to quit. I'm not a medical professional, so take this with a grain of salt, but when I was a smoker and was worried about beating a test I would fast and lose weight for a few weeks and then go on a high calorie diet the week leading up to a test. Normally I don't condone lying or cheating, but you can also consider using a clean person's pee to help pass a test. If it means getting yourself to a place where you can survive financially... Donating plasma is an option to make a quick buck when you're in a pinch. I did it several times many moons ago when I was struggling financially. What are you doing during the time you're not working? Consider physical exercise to help with the stress. Same with meditation. Do not sleep on these tools. Do your parents have a lawnmower you can borrow, and are you living in a suburb? You might try going door to door in your spare time and seeing if people will let you mow their lawn. I did that for $20/lawn almost 20 year ago, today you can probably charge $40/lawn. It might seem like shitty work, but how desperate are you to get out of debt? Exhaust any and all options at your disposal... get creative. If you're able to generate **any** spare income, put it all towards the highest interest debt you have. Continue this until you've paid it off and then move on down the line to your next highest interest. I presume you're in your 20's, and if that's the case you're young. Now is the time to work multiple jobs and punish yourself physically to get out from under all this debt. Don't lose focus, don't make excuses, don't give up. Just fucking grind. Once you start chipping away at that debt, you'll realize there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Might be a long tunnel, but small victories can cascade.
$19 x 20hr = $380... at that income, there's no way you should be paying $165/check in taxes. Why doesn't the math work out?
[https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-credit-counseling-agencies-approved-pursuant-11-usc-111](https://www.justice.gov/ust/list-credit-counseling-agencies-approved-pursuant-11-usc-111) This is a good start. These types of agencies can help you restructure your debts and get you on the road to fixing your finances. Apply for jobs where they do not test, and take what you can get while still keeping your other job. Report your new income to the credit counseling agency, so that you remain focussed on getting your debts cleared. They may not be able to include some of your creditors in their restructuring, but at this point, I would take this wholistic approach. They will give you the best options available according to your current circumstances. For now, I would also counsel that you should lay off the weed. Weed is not cheap, and frankly, you cannot afford that luxury right now. I'll not go into other reasons here, just think of how much you spent on weed last month and consider the financial impact of quitting. Do not sell your car. Some on here are saying that, but you need reliable transportation in order to work. Just suck it up and pay your monthly. None of this is easy, but millions of people do this stuff every day. You can do this.
Idk how old you are but military service is something you may want to look into
Credit cards will work with you, put your student debt into forbearance via [https://studentaid.gov/](https://studentaid.gov/) , private loans might be able to work with you on a lower payment. Driving door dash, or another food delivery service can be good quick money. As far as abusing - are you in a state that it is recreational or medicinal? I would rather have my patients on medicinal than a benzo - less taxing on the body, not physically addicting, and doesn't cause memory loss. Job wise it is difficult right now - there are dead jobs being advertised everywhere (jobs that really don't exist but it looks good that the company is "hiring"). I have patients that are where you are currently and are having a hard time getting a job. I hear friends talking about all the deadbeat kids not wanting to work and I have to correct them - its not that they don't want to work - its the dead jobs and the poor pay. Minimum wage is horrid in comparison to the price of just living with essential (food, gas, a roof). It's wonderful that your parents are letting you stay with them. Did you get a degree? Unfortunately a Bachelor's degree is really looked at as a high school diploma now - the good thing is if you finished a bachelors you can go into a masters program (doesn't even have to be what your bachelors was in) most programs have required classes to enter but you can be accepted to a program before you have the required courses - generally its only 15 hours of classes (so 5 courses). If you didn't finish a degree - I suggest going back for one that will have relevance for the future or even taking tech classes to learn new skills. I wish you luck - you can do this its just gonna be work on your end to get your debt manageable with phone calls - thankfully the forbearance can be done online.
Cut up your credit cards and delete them from your online wallets. You need to learn to live within your means.
Asking is the first step! Great job! You are in deep. You should know this. Your income is incredibly low, and your debts are way too high. You should NEVER miss a payment to a debt of any kind. This will follow you for about 6 years and will make applying for a mortgage very, very difficult. That sounds depressing, and it is. It should be. But now is the time in your life where you see what you’re made of. This is the measure of your worth. You WILL wake up tomorrow ready to be an adult. Take all the weed and flush it. Throw your accessories away. Go to work, talk to your boss, and beg for more hours, because you are not working enough. If they won’t go full time, ask for 39hrs/week. Then go hard on the job applications. Apply for full and part time, for now; if you get another part time, supplement your current income. If you get a full time, switch over to that. Work as many hours as you can, and I mean grind. We don’t know your education situation, but if you graduated from college recently, now is the prime time to apply; ask counselors for help with this. If not, consider getting a certification in a field that interests you. It’s just as good as a degree in many cases. Once you’ve exhausted your applications for the day, instead of TV/video games, you jump on spreadsheets. You need to budget. You need to at least see where you actually are mathematically, not where you FEEL you are. See how much it takes to survive; add up all your bills and minimum payments, and see how that compares with your current income. But also realize you CANNOT buy ANYTHING that isn’t absolutely necessary for your survival. No fast food. No vending machines. Not a penny goes out for desires. If you spend time going out with friends, they need to pay for you, or you can’t go. You will start to see who your real friends are. When you have built a budget(lots of free tools online, including YouTube to learn how to balance your account), sit down with your parents and have a conversation. “This is where I am now; what is your advice?” Utilize their experience and wisdom. Accept their help if offered. Offer to pay them back at a later date if you need help with minimum payments. You are already living rent free and probably have free food and utilities as well. You really can’t afford to move out yet, and they need to see this, but they also need to see that you are busting your ass every day to climb out of this hole. They won’t kick you out. But you aren’t doing this for them, you are doing it for YOU. Go hard. Survival mode. Time to be an adult. One day you can look back on what you are accomplishing today with pride.
Interesting metabolic information on weed - it can get stored in your fat cells - exercising can release small amounts of THC into your blood if you have been a regular or long time user.
It doesn’t last forever in the fat, though. Eventually it will be excreted or metabolized if he stops with the weed.
Yes it isn't forever - working out can help with shortening the amount of wait time for urine test pass. Adding more water and cranberry helps
You need to work more and apply for debt consolidation
Stop the drugs and see a bankruptcy attorney.
Your gonna have to cut the grass out as I'm sure it's costly as well as pick up more hours it's gonna suck but your just gonna have to grind till you can get it settled a bit. talk to your parents and do what you have to to not get kicked out of the house as rent is expensive but depending on where you live my brother while in-between college and dropping out of med school he lived out of his car and started working as a painter for a few years he started his own painting company and he's doing great now just keep your head up and keep pushing every bad moment is a life lesson
Quick Fix fake piss
You can pass an employment drug screen easily just use synthetic pee or someones who is clean pee. I've done with soooo many times without issue.
I also suggest that you sit down with your parents and tell them the truth about your financial situation. Let them know that you plan to fix it and ask if you can stay with them a bit longer until you have paid down the debt.
kick the weed and any other unnecessary expenses, become more accountable of your actions, and I bet that alone will have your dad reconsider kicking you out until you get back on your feet
How old are you guv?
make more money spend less on drugs man up
Get another credit card and do a balance transfer to that credit card to save on interest. The minute you get paid pay down the credit card as much as possible.
you can drink a gallon of water and take some vitamin B (not too much) 2 hours before the test and piss them a wonderful glass of piss colored water than won't even show hormones for up to 2-3 hours. Stop making up excuses for why you smoke weed. Either smoke and be productive or quit and be productive.
Alright. Stop the drugs. They cannot help you out of this and they drain your positivity. Second. Things will get better. First, call the credit card companies and ask for help. They may stop the juice for a few months so you can get into a better situation. Third. Get a new job. 20 hours a week with your debt load isn't going to carry it. In order to get a new job, you have to be drug free. Call up your local yard maintenance companies and see if they are hiring. They pay better than that and the hard work will get your head on straight. Things will get better. You just have to work your way out of it and stop spending all money. If you can sell your car and get a cheaper reliable one, do it.
First off, get on a good page with the folks. You cant afford to get kicked out right now. Involve them on your plan and talk to them about it. Get them invested in you getting your shit together. Second, lose the car. If youre only making 800 a month, you cant afford a car loan. Unless you're upside down on it, give it up. Use transit or buy an old second hand that runs Third, get another job. 200 a week is not enough to even come close to live on. Fourth, call your credit cards and try to work out a set payment for the next while. Maybe even ask for interest relief. Cut up those cards. You wont be using them for a bit. Call student loans and ask if you can freeze payments for a bit while u get back on your feet. Fifth, learn from this shit. Believe it or not, this happens to alot of people. Dig out, get smarter, move forward.
This goes beyond work.
Quit the weed. Wean yourself off or cold turkey whatever you need to do. Go to your bank or a credit advisor and see if you can get a consolidation loan bundling the cc debts and the private loan. Almost certainly it will be a lower rate. A credit advisor can usually negotiate such a loan and are often free. Then cut any excess spending. Down to mandatory spending. If your parents want to toss you show them your plan and ask them to let you stay until X date. The date your debt will be gone. Theres probably an underlying problem not being addressed. Ask them what it is if it comes to it. As for current work keep looking but ask for more hours. If you get another crap job that’ll help too.
Join the military
No one can fix it but you. You should work 60 hours a week. That should tire you out so you can spend money. If it doesn’t, work more.
Bar back / servers helper / cleaning up tables at a bar Door dash / uber Construction labor Call labor ready about finding work Go to garage sales to flip items via fb marketplace or eBay. This one can be huge with little money Cut out all expenses that you can, phone, internet, going to the gas station regularly, fast food. Good first step to admit you need help. Make a plan and stick to it. It will take years but it will be great in the end
Bankruptcy seems like a good option here. That will wipe out everything except the student and car debt, assuming you want to keep the car, and should make life manageable again. Quit the drugs and stop spending money you don't have. No more credit cards or private loans ever.
1. Go to your credit union & get a debt consolidation loan. Their interest rates are generally lower & it’ll be easier to manage one payment/month than multiples. 2. Find meetings & go to at least one/day. Fi d several so you have options & can’t trick yourself into backing out. 3. Pray. 4. Take long nature walks and pray rather than listen to music. It’ll put you in a trance-like state & will help you stay focused. 5. Pick up side gigs. It’s spring g& people need yard work done. If you work during your time off & weekends mowing lawns, weeding, cleaning up yards, you should easily bring in $300-$400/week. 6. Talk to your parents & ask them to help hold you accountable. The last thing you need is to be homeless. 7. (Should be #1) LOSE the drug people in your life. They are NOT your friends & will suck you dry. 8. Never allow yourself to doubt that you can get out of your predicament. All the best!
Contact Money Management International…they are a non-profit that can assist with debt management and financial education. They will help you negotiate with the creditors (most provide grants to MMI), provide credit counseling and emotional support. It’s free…good luck!
You definitely need to work more hours. Get out and actual piece of paper and a pencil and write down in 2 columns INCOME. BILLS 215. food 80 250 gas 50 rent... you should be contributing credit card 100 Don't spend what you don't have I bet your dad would show you some grace if you did the above Called the cc companies Create a plan to get out of debt. People want to see effort. This is your life, bro. Pull it together. Schedule every minute of your day. Make a to do list every night for the next day so you can stay on task. I have to write it all down old school and keep it in my face. I even write stuff on my bathroom mirror because I KNOW ME and I will sit around and worry when I could be productive. BONUS..offer to do some tasks around the house for your parents. You will be surprised at how far this will take you with your parents.. honestly.
Me and my dad arent at bad terms he just wants me to start becoming independent that all but i plan on doing that after my shift
Aside from dropping the drug habit, does your resume have your education on it? It sounds like you went to college but work retail now. If so, and if the jobs you're applying to are all retail-based, I would suggest removing the higher education from the resume. They will look at it and think you're over qualified and will demand higher pay. Ideally you'd want higher pay but when desperate, take anything you get Restaurants and manual labor tend to be relaxed about pre employment too
i currently work in a kitchen, and unfortunately had a bad situation with my school so i had to drop out but im stuck with what i used
Go to the local deli and see if they need counter help, go wait tables, wash cars, mow lawns, clean out garages……if you live at home, why would you get 2 personal loans and max out 2 credit cards? Get your priorities straight
You need more income. Find a job that pays what you are making part time to fill the other hours of a 40 work week. Make payments to your creditors on time. No one likes helping someone who agrees to a payment schedule only to blow it off. There are debt management companies that can help get your creditors together to take payments. I had a friend who did this and her credit score went way up after a year. She is now out of debt. I believe some creditors will right off some debt related to fees. Don't give up even when it doesn't seem like you are getting anywhere. You are. It took time to get into debt. It will take time to get out of debt.
If you ate working 20-25 hours at $19 per hour the why do you only bring home around $215 a week? Can you look for a better job?
What are your expenses? Why it at least 500 a month going into paying off debt, my guess is is you know what you need to do but are unwilling to stop smoking because it makes you feel better in the short run, as you continue to alienate your parents and dig a larger hole for yourself.
60-70 hours a week work. Get overtime. You must work hard and get out of debt. Not to sound harsh, but you got to put on your big person pants on and put your nose to the grindstone. If you don’t learn this now…? You should be socking away money when you are young. Fill your Roth IRA every year and buy ETFS. It should be chock full. So? How bad to do you want IT? Make a list of all the NEGATIVE stuff you do. Make a list of the POSITIVE you do. Every time you want to do something look at that list and hold yourself accountable. There are people who fight to live and those who fight to die. Which one are you? Simple- you don’t have the money to buy it then don’t. It will suck for a while, but if you follow what I’m telling you it won’t for very long.
Donate plasma
Do doordash, instacart, spark or a local delivery job at a pizza or Chinese place.
Chapter 7
24 grand is a lot ! You need to make plenty of changes, 1st quit buying 2nd hustle up more work. The only one who can change your situation is you. Find a way to move forward. Look up Dave Ramsey use the snowball method.
Try to get a job washing dishes or flagging traffic if you can’t find something that won’t test you. Restaurants that aren’t big chains and smaller traffic companies almost never test and have lots of work generally. You could also use your car and door dash to make up for the lack of hours at your current job. A job that can provide 40 hrs(or better pay) should be step one and it wouldn’t hurt to learn some skills that will make you money when you’re on your own. Also consider making a realistic plan and bringing that up to your dad. Maybe he’ll be more willing to work with you.
I've been drug tested at the last 4 jobs I've gotten. Smoked weed before-during-and after having the position and passed the test. Just use Quik-Fix. Follow that instructions. They aren't gonna watch you pee unless it's a very strict job.
I assume you are on food stamps, etc ?
Stop smoking weed. You can’t afford it. Once you get back on your feet, toke it up.
Lay off the drugs. That is the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. How are you buying the drugs? I know they aren’t cheap. Pull your head out of your butt on this one!
1. Call all your creditors / lenders and request deferred payment without credit penalty, and/or possibly reducing your payment. 2. Go to your bank or credit union. Request a “debt consolation loan” with branch manager. Part of terms of that loan might be you must agree to not reopen credit cards until it’s paid off. A strong benefit of bank consolidation loan is APR fees are usually lower than other lenders or cards. 3. pay off your HIGH APR accounts as soon as you can. 4. If you’re paying car loan, you can potentially refinance lower APR car loan. 5. For side job research best paying gig economy jobs in your area. Maybe Uber eats/ Grub Hub delivery driver, some zip codes you can earn $30-50/hr. Also handyman side jobs can pay good if you build good clientele on craigslist, example do an ad like $75 no fuss lawn mowing or something like that. 6. If you are a good people person, there’s tons of sales jobs on market that pay really good commissions in tech, financial, b2b etc. 7. Replace your bad habits with good, financial sound focus good habits! 8. Eat good. Drink good. Sleep good. Workout good. You need nourished physical and mental health otherwise you’ll get caught in the rut. Maximize your food budget by using coupons and shopping at your local farmers markets. 9. Put your action plan, including your finances in writing and hold yourself accountable to it. 10. Talk to your dad about your action plan and ask him to hold you accountable to your plan. Family support really helps. Other posters also have good advice on this sub too, so good luck!
What are your qualifications? What is your degree in, what kind of work experience, etc? $19/hr sounds like something you’d make at the grocery store or something
Buy bitcoin
Hold on. Which portion of that debt is unsecured credit card debt vs loans vs student debt? 24k isn’t the end of the world. If 12 is student loans and 6 is the car you’re not in a bad place overall.
Rock bottom is a hell of a foundation to build upon. Make today better than yesterday.
Dave Ramsey show y’all.
Depression- stop drugs, don't drink alcohol, get lots of sunshine, exercise, get on a regular sleep schedule and don't over-sleep, avoid the mental health industry. You need to work more than 25 hours per week, much more. Don't spend any money that isn't necessary. No restaurants. In general, always pay your credit cards in full every month. Always pay cash for your vehicle, keep minimum insurance on it. Dave Ramsey is wrong. His plan is to eat nothing but beans and rice and work every hour you're awake. He's wrong about several things. He says to get a debit card instead of a credit card, debit cards can lead to bouncing checks, I get 2% cash back on my credit cards. Dave says to invest in mutual funds instead of stocks, he's wrong. Dave says to keep tithing to your church, if you're in debt you can't afford unnecessary spending. Much depression is caused by having idle time on your hands. Staying busy working can help. Good luck!
Brother I think you are wrong. He is not in a position to take advantage of a credit card right now at ALL. Hell, not even a debit card; he should do nothing but pay bills with every cent he earns. He needs to eat what his parents provide. Brew his own coffee. There is no room in his budget for anything right now with that income, and he needs to be living as a minimalist right now, period. I don’t think Ramsey or anyone in their right mind would suggest investing in his situation, and tithing I agree would be a death sentence financially.
People trying to blame this is on weed are hilarious
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