worked adjacent to healthcare for a while and it genuinely bothers me how much people overpay just from not knowing the system. none of this is advice for emergencies, thats always the ER. but for the normal stuff:

1. In like 35+ states your pharmacist can straight up prescribe birth control now. no doctor visit. a few states (idaho especially) they can even test and treat UTIs at the counter. nobody announced this, just call your pharmacy and ask

2. the same generic antibiotic can be $4 at one pharmacy and $100+ at another in the same zip code. always check a goodrx price before paying, and literally ask the counter “whats the cash price with a coupon”. they’re allowed to tell you now, the gag rules got banned in 2018

3. online doctor visits for simple stuff (UTI, pink eye, sinus infection) run $25-60 cash at a bunch of services. compare that to $150-200 walk in at urgent care. anything needing hands on you obviously still needs the real thing

4. community health centers do sliding scale based on income. hrsa site has a finder. people sleep on these hard

5. if a telehealth site “guarantees” you a prescription, close the tab. thats not a doctor, thats a vending machine with legal problems

6. AZO does not cure a UTI btw, it just numbs it while the infection keeps going. learned this is shockingly not common knowledge

add yours below, this system only gets survivable when people share what they figured out.

I always see people ask on Reddit how are people getting by in this economy and the truth is we’re not. I’m a nurse and on the outside looking in I don’t seem any worse off than I was last year and being a nurse many just assume I’m rolling in money. To my friends, family and others I look fine but I’m in 50k of debt, can’t get work in my field or full time work period and at the moment have just enough money for my bills and nothing else until my next pay check which won’t come until a month from now in mid November. The extra money to keep me afloat will come from me selling my laptop and shoes I have.

The only indication im doing bad is my weight loss from skipping meals and not hanging out with anyone cause I can’t afford it but people just think I’m on a diet. I’m drowning financially and there is no real light anywhere but my only option is to continue repeating the process until somthing gives. Either I’ll run out of stuff to sell, or I’ll get sick again and miss out on pay which is essential to my survival. I’m not alone though plenty of people are doing the same, treading water and doing just enough to make it to next month in the hopes that something will change or give.

It might sound stupid being September now but I’m genuinely waiting until next spring for my tax return as that’s the only time in the foreseeable future I imagine getting any type of money to mske a dent and improve my situation in the slightest. So no we’re not surviving we are doing what everyone else is doing which is just enough to make it to next month.

Edit: may as well just add due to the comments Ive tired to find work in other cities no offence but I’m not stupid. I’ve applied for jobs all over the province, including jobs I’d have to go and stay with other family for. I’m in Ontario Canada and nursing jobs are scarce here.

I’m also a new grad and can’t just travel nurse. You need experience to do travel nursing, I know for many it’s just a job but I’m taking care of someone and incharge of their life, I can’t just be thrown on any old unit or do any job in another country with no prior experience it doesn’t work like that. I’m eligible for mainly entry level roles which are super competitive and having no experience i will never be a top candidate. As for relocation given my financial situation it’s obviously not an option.

I know, I know, middle class is an increasingly confusing and obsolete topic. But I've been seeing it come up a lot on Reddit and it's made me think.

There's no one view on what "middle class" is. Everyone and their mom thinks they're middle class. From people making $15k USD a year to those making $300k.

But, some popular metrics are:

- Those who make $200k USD a year

- Those who can afford multiple vacations a year, a car, possibly a house

- Those who can have an emergency and not need to break bank

I've come to the conclusion that dreams of middle class are beyond me.

Not... everyone can have much money. That's a feature of our society. Some jobs and careers just don't pay enough. K-12 teachers, social workers, service workers, and retail workers are never gonna make six figures. These jobs are necessary but the pay just isn't there.

I don't know anyone who makes over $120k a year. In all honesty, most people I know don't even make $40k a year. I grew up in a family and area where most made $10k to $25k a year. I didn't know I was poor, though. I thought I was a middle class kid.

In my mind as a child, "poor people" were the ones who needed to thrift, go to food banks, have coats donated, could barely make ends meet, etc. I had a PS2 and a Gamecube, so how could I be poor? I helped poor kids when I donated cans of food and Box Tops For Education. I wasn't poor myself...

Of course, as I grew older, I realized things were not so black and white. Others around me didn't, though. I had to recently break it to a family member on SNAP and Medicaid that he was not what the media considered "middle class".

Thank goodness for government assistance and disability. I can't imagine what my childhood would have been like without them.

I'm not gonna spend my time "hustling" to try and maximize my profit. That's a drain, and not everyone is gonna make much money. You spend so much time and effort chasing the Almighty Dollar that you lose any free time. Your youth will pass you buy.

I many know chronic workaholics who make $100k a year, and I know many people who do side-hustles or sell stuff online for cash. It's a hard life.

Generational poverty is a bitch. But, maybe any future kids I have (if I have any) can break out of this cycle.

I've learned to make due with being working poor. My goal is to make $50k-$70k a year on my own ideally. But, anything above that? It's a pipe dream.

Hey everyone.

Found these unopened in the trash (presumably tossed by another dormer). No leaks, no dirt, but they are dented. They're canned sardines, so I wouldn't even need to cook them.

Since I'm planning to make these my meals for the next three days, I want to double-check if it's actually safe.

Any advice would be awesome. Thanks!

I'm in the DFW area and desperately need advice on finding housing for myself and my four children before November 1.

I have a monthly income of about $6,000 and currently have $4,000 saved for housing and moving expenses. Unfortunately, I have two prior evictions on my record, and that has become a huge barrier to getting approved for a rental.

Over the last two months, I've applied to approximately 201 properties through Zillow, Apartments.com, private landlords, and traditional apartment complexes. I've spent around $1,900 in application fees and still haven't secured a place.

I've tried private landlords, but I'm finding that many use the same screening criteria as apartment complexes, and some are even stricter.

I've also contacted family shelters in the DFW area, but the ones that accommodate children have told me they're full. I was also turned away from a motel because their room occupancy rules wouldn't allow all five of us to stay in one room.

I'm trying everything I can think of, but I'm running out of time, and I need to find a safe, stable place for my children.

I'm hoping someone in DFW might have advice or know of resources I haven't found yet.

Specifically, I'm looking for:

• Housing programs that help working families facing homelessness, including programs that assist with deposits or landlord placement.
• Landlords or property managers who genuinely consider applicants with prior evictions on a case-by-case basis.
• Affordable extended-stay options, furnished rentals, or other temporary housing that legally accommodates a family of five.
• Any local organizations, housing navigators, or lesser-known resources that could help us before November 1.

I'm not looking for anyone to pay my bills. I have income and some savings. I need a realistic opportunity to get my family housed despite my rental history.

If you've been in a similar situation in DFW, especially with children and prior property debt, I'd be incredibly grateful to hear what worked for you.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. Any genuine leads or advice would mean a lot to us.

I understand that this advice will only apply to a small handful of people, but I give it anyways in hopes it might help even a few folks this winter.

If you use K1(Kerosene) to heat your home, provided that you have a standard furnace and not a K1 specific monitor heater (please check before taking this advice), you DO NOT need to burn K1, you can burn standard #2 heating oil (or even onroad/offroad diesel if this is cheaper in your area).

Why burn #2?

Because K1 is consistently $1-2 more per gallon, in my area it is currently over $7 per gallon, whereas #2 is $5.79.

The main difference between these fuels is that K1 has a lower gelling point and is typically used in outdoor tanks, very common for mobile homes, where if temperatures reach below freezing, especially in sub zero, standard fuels may gel, fail to pump, clog filters and fail to burn.

Go to your local Walmart or auto parts store and buy a jug of diesel anti-gel additive (Howes, Lucas, and DieselTreat are a few common brands). This is what they add to diesel pickups and big rigs to prevent gelling. A jug of this goes for $15-20 and will treat your entire tank of fuel. A standard home heating oil tank is 275 gallons. By doing this you will save anywhere from $200-400 per fill.

I hope this reaches and helps someone in these tough times.

Source- I'm an Oil delivery truck driver and technician.

TLDR: If you heat your home with K1(kerosene)please just read it, it will be worth your time.

Edit: Be sure to put any fuel additives in BEFORE filling the tank, otherwise they may not get mixed in sufficiently.

Calling all people in Wisconsin. Located at FVTC dental clinic in Appleton, WI. I’m looking for someone who hasn’t had their teeth cleaned in years to pass a requirement for my last fall semester in the dental hygiene program!!! The more tartar the better. No insurance needed! $30 for a cleaning as well as x-rays, exam, oral cancer screening, and fluoride treatment. I am only taking screening patients currently. If you do not meet the criteria I need, I am happy to clean your teeth in the spring or pass you on to other classmates! PLEASE reach out if you are in need of a cleaning!

For context I lost my job about six months ago and i have another one now but it's only on weekends and i make a decent amount on the days i work because im a wedding bartender but literally ONLY enough to get by, i don't have any extra for any type of luxury's at all, no special stuff at the grocery store, no eating out, no new clothes, no experiences, nothing. i'm a person who doesn't find joy from most things you can do in the house, i don't have hobbies like crafting or reading or video games i find that type of stuff mind numbingly boring, the types of thing i like to do are physical outdoor activities or more extroverted things where lots of people gather but 99% of those things cost money and usually a lot of money. i do like to go to the gym and at times it feels like that's all i have (besides my amazing boyfriend) to keep me holding out but i've recently had to cancel my membership because wedding season is ending and despite applying to dozens of jobs i haven't been able to find another one. i guess my point in making this post is just to see if anyone has any ideas on how to try and combat this depression because it's starting to really get bad again, i lost 130lbs a year and a half ago and with the last month i gained 15lbs because i just don't want to leave my bed (i know it's only going to get worse since the colder months are coming up and i live in an area that get in the double digit negatives regularly)

I’m so over being poor, I’m a minor and my birthday is soon. Every single year it’s like my mother is getting poorer and poorer and that’s not issue, I 100% can stake it out. That’s not the problem. The problem is, she’s always gonna promise a new outfit and hair done. In my family I’m considered spoiled and I know that, I had incredibly little expectations (like just some takeout) for my birthday and have for the past four years. But I rather her just TELL me she can’t afford anything rather than keep telling me to pick a new outfit or tell her what I want to do for my birthday and then when I remind her I picked the outfit and such she starts cussing me out and saying how stressed she is. At this point, I hate my birthday. I don’t even like talking to her anymore because she’s just gonna cuss me out later if I even show her something and EXPLICITLY SAY “oh yea I don’t want this mom, this girl is just wearing it cute” she still says “and you’re always asking for shit!”. I understand being a single mother is incredibly difficult, far more than I would understand. I’m just tired of being hyped up when I’m this old just to get cussed out.
She said when I first born she thought about giving me up for adoption to this rich family (it was going to be a closed adoption), but she didn’t want me to question my identity. Either way I hate my life, I would’ve chose the money over this.

So I’ve had some medical issues and have been out of work on FMLA. The problem is that it’s unpaid. I’ve run through my savings and have no money left and no incoming coming in. All short term programs I’ve applied for takes time. Is there anyway to earn money, ideally a couple hundred dollars, quickly? I’m in a bad place and need to earn something ASAP.

Thank you in advance for any advice or suggestions.

I’m a lurker in this sub and definitely helped with the McDonald’s monopoly hacks last year and I figured I’d give back.

I would prefer it go to someone with kids but I ask you say claimed if you use it.

Honestly , I just checked new phone prices and they are ridiculously overpriced for the specs they offer and looks like my old phone cant be repaired too ! Ahhhh

I am in need of a new mattress (almost desperately, I'd say) and I am striking out trying to find a mattress that isn't the price of a beater used car. Most of what I have seen online from the large home furnish stores toting "sale prices" are still easily 2k and above. I would prefer not to go used as well but definitely cannot be spending thousands. I remember years and years ago Goodwill used to have mattresses for sale that were new, is that still the case?

M 30, I have had many different jobs, most of which paied well. What I dont understand is how making 55k to 60k a year, has still left me unable to financially survive. I rent as cheap as possible, live and carefully as possible, and then you add in the cost of health insurance.. im bearly left with enough to eat. My wife can't work due to her health, and we really have gotten rid of our non-essential bills.

Its impossible to buy a house with this economy, im already down to 25% of my life savings (7k left) and can't seem to save a dime.

With as careful as I am with money, I dont understand how anyone else is doing it!

Are the guys who are active on this sub mostly American?

I was reading a post about a guy venting and suddenly he mentions he has 2 cars ( one of them broken down). I guess every country has it's own definition of poverty.. 🙂‍↕️

Edit : After reading all the comments i have realized that us public transport services is basically non existent .. 🫥

Card company offering me to settle a $1500 balance for $480. Should I just settle? I can’t make payments anymore and i fell behind 3mo. I had two cards with them but I can’t pay them both. I caught 5/6 cards up but I can’t budget to catch this one up. 😔

I was ahead on everything and splitting rent in my own system, and then I lost my overtime and plummeted straight into dire poverty.

I started using the Livble app to split my rent - and then a payment failed because it takes 3 business days to pull and it was literally short by a dollar because I didnt know it took that long. That made my payment on the 1st of October late and I had to pull together $800 instead of the $325 I prepared for.

So this week, I went to pay the modest payment of $170 leftover for the week. And its showing it failed. My bank says it has no history they even tried to pull it, Livble says funds were insufficient.

So I linked the account to another bank account entirely - one i keep for tax refunds and larger amounts and savings (which sre now non existent) . That account usually sits around 0. Im afraid that when the 1st rolls around, with the new bank account and the failed payment, I will owe $800 again. There is no way to know ahead of time.

Does anyone have any idea how to make my odds of a lower payment better, or what to do if it does ask for a payment I cant afford?

Tl;dr : what do I do to prepare for if my rent splitting app asks for a payment I cant afford ?

You know how every time you break a $20 bill it’s gone forever? Well, I decided at the beginning of this year; every time I break a $20 bill, all of the paper change goes into this jar. So far for 2026 I’m up to $261. It may not seem like much, but it is to me. It’s been a helpful little savings tool and I thought maybe it would be worth sharing! Stay strong yall!

I've been developing nearsightedness for I don't even know how long. Driving at night sucks because I also have astigmatism so I'm essentially driving blind (when I have no other option not to drive). I've heard Walmart has an eye center and they take insurance, has anyone had experience with this?

Edit: Vision isnt covered by insurance, fantastic.

How can I hold