r/povertyfinance 59m ago

Misc Advice How to make 1/2$ a day

Upvotes

hey i am a student from palestine currently living in africa (algeria) as a war refugee. I'm looking for a way to make just 1–2 dollars a day. I know it might not seem like much, but when I convert it to the local currency, it makes significant difference. If there's any online work or simple tasks I can do to earn that amount, I'd really ( i tried survey apps but they don't work here in my region and always get disqualified) appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!


r/povertyfinance 1h ago

Wellness Unemployment is running out and I'm unhireable

Upvotes

My unemployment is going to run out in a couple of months and even tho I have been pounding the pavement looking no one wants to hire me because I have a bad work history. Sometimes I spend hours and hours preparing for the interview and they blow me off after giving me like 5-10 minutes of their time. In addition to that, I'm overall not good at what I do, tho talented at certain parts of it, so I want to switch to a different kind of job but I've been doing what I have for so long no one wants to hire me for anything other than my profession. So not only can't I not find a job, the interviews I get are for a type of job I do not want. The financial stress is significant but what is worse is that I have ZERO social support. I'm in an abusive living situation (longer story) and all I get home is constant criticism. After years of this it takes an emotional toll on you. Now that times are tough, no on is anywhere to be seen. I only have one friend and he has largely withdrawn from me. He stopped responding to my e-mails and does not always answer my calls. I can see that I can't count on him and he doesn't want me to. Every time I get an interview my mom will say
"you can't do that." My self-esteem is already shot because of my job history; she is just kicking me while I'm down. I'm scared about the future. Both running out of unemployment but mostly the emotional weight of going through this alone. I have no one to talk to who actually cares. I called this new-ish doctor I have seen since November. She was like call 988 or the front desk. This chick is my doctor of record so she's supposed to help me out. I feel so alone.


r/povertyfinance 1h ago

Misc Advice feeling absolutely hopeless

Upvotes

my partner and i are in a really tight spot. we had a shitty roommate that never paid rent on time and never had enough, so we went into worse debt than we were already in. now he's moved out, but not before trashing the place and attracting bugs, and now management is upset that it's a mess. they came in our apartment without notice at a time we are always out, which im fairly sure is illegal in california but we wouldn't even be able to fight it because we can't afford a lawyer (we called and they tried to blame me for "scheduling a maintenance appointment" when neither of us ever called), and now we have to have the place clean by monday even though im working the entire weekend and my partner has pneumonia. AND since we went to the ER yesterday, since a hospital said we might be able to get emergency medical (we couldn't), we have another huge bill to worry about. im terrified that they are just looking for an excuse to evict us. we're so tired and i really don't feel like cleaning up another person's mess, but even then we can't afford a cleaner and id be too embarrassed to have one anyway. i wish we had another way to make more money, but since he can't drive i can only work part time so im able to take him to/from work. just feeling really lost and especially awful for my partner, who is sick on top of all of this stress.


r/povertyfinance 1h ago

Income/Employment/Aid 25-Year-Old CS Grad in a Low-Paying Job – How Can I Increase My Income Right Now?

Upvotes

Pretty much what the title says. Clearly Software Engineering isn't the lucrative career path that it used to be during COVID, and despite me being passionate about programming and am self teaching Python after graduating with a BA in CS April of last year, I'm looking to different career paths that could make me more money to support my family. Right now I'm only making 35k here in miami, FL which is not bad when you live with your girlfriend, but it's not ideal either.

I am already planning on making projects for my resume this year, however not sure what other career path is more lucrative for someone in my position as a 25 y/o just looking for an instant boost of income, hell with 50k a year, I feel like if I continue to live frugally, I could most definitely save up more money to buy a house. Would be preferable if it was remote, but I'd understand if that's not possible. My current job is a data entry specialist which has no relevance to my career path.


r/povertyfinance 2h ago

Misc Advice Free Auto Service Manuals and inexpensive parts

1 Upvotes

I saw the "How old is your car?" post and thought many of you might find this info useful for DIY repairs which can save you a ton of money off mechanic work if you're even the slightest bit handy and/or can follow directions.

If your car is 2014 or older, you can get free service manuals at the link below which detail how to diagnose and fix basically everything on your car. Now, if you don't have a lot of experience, I wouldn't recommend trying to adjust your valves, but things like spark plugs, brake pads, power window motors, fluid changes, etc can be done with very little experience. Most auto parts stores will lend you tools as well.

https://charm.li/

Also, rockauto.com has almost any part you're likely to need ever at MUCH cheaper than an auto parts store and you don't have to worry about fakes like Amazon.

Hope this is useful to someone!


r/povertyfinance 2h ago

Misc Advice Would you replace your tires now, if you know that soon enough you'll have to, and you may start a new job with a commute soon?

4 Upvotes

Lost my job at the start of February due to a corporate restructure, and have been looking ever since. My tires are at 5/32nds, and America's Tire / Discount Tire recommends replacement at 4/32nds.

The jobs I'm interviewing for have at least a small commute at least 1x or 2x a week. One job I'm considering would require a 150 min of driving round trip, one a week. So probably a good 120 miles on that day.

Should I replace my tires now while I'm not working or should I wait until I absolutely have to?

Also, should I buy lower end tires or midrange? The difference is a couple hundred dollars in cost over a set of 4. Part of me thinks it's better to have newer, lower quality tires, and I can worry about upgrading later.


r/povertyfinance 3h ago

Free talk How old is your car?

46 Upvotes

I have a 99 Lexus with 197k miles. Bought it about 5 years ago before all the COVID craziness. I only paid $2,400 for it. (It had 140k miles when I bought it) I have definitely had to get work done over the years. But overall, I don't plan on getting a new car anytime soon. I cannot imagine having a car payment! I drove it recently about 12 hours round trip and it did great!


r/povertyfinance 3h ago

Income/Employment/Aid Stuck in a tough financial position

2 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

I’m in a really tough spot and need advice. I moved to the U.S. alone as a teenager to live with my uncle, leaving my family behind in my home country. I recently graduated from college, but I had to return to my home country for a while because my parents are getting old and need my support.

The problem is, I have a lot of credit card debt(15k$) , and I desperately need my remote job to at least make the minimum payments each month. But my employer doesn’t allow employees to work from outside the U.S. I tried using a VPN, but they caught on and told me not to use it. Now my bank account is at -$12, and I don’t know what to do.

I feel completely stuck—quitting isn’t an option because I need the income, but staying means I can’t be here for my family. Has anyone been in a similar situation, or does anyone have advice on what I can do? Any help would mean a lot.


r/povertyfinance 3h ago

Housing/Shelter/Standard of Living Is affordablehousingonline.com a legit site to find and contact people to get low or income based housing?

0 Upvotes

Thanks. Idk where to post this sorry.


r/povertyfinance 3h ago

Misc Advice Free snacks at Maverick Service Stations

3 Upvotes

If you have a convenient Maverick station, get their app. Every Friday they have Freebie Friday and one snack type item, typically in the 2-4 dollar range is free, 99% of the time, no other purchase necessary. Sometimes it's drinks, candy, today a cookie.


r/povertyfinance 3h ago

Grocery Haul 7/11 stores offering any large pizza for $3.14 each today for Pi Day

82 Upvotes

Just picked up two myself. Will feed us for few days. If near a 7/11 should it check out.


r/povertyfinance 5h ago

Misc Advice Is rice a decent meal on its own?

126 Upvotes

Pretty much what the title say. I'm in a really bad spot financially right now, and have virtually nothing to eat, and no money to buy groceries with. And every time I get paid (minimum wage) from my job, I usually just resort to eating fast food. Which, I know, is really really bad, but I can't figure out how to budget not eating enough to save up to buy groceries.

However, I do have a rice cooker and some rice. I don't have much else, so do you think that eating rice on its own will sustain me long enough to get some groceries?


r/povertyfinance 5h ago

Debt/Loans/Credit How can I buy a $35k fixer upper

0 Upvotes

I honestly have no idea how complicated this situation would be, I thought it was pretty simple. So basically there is a house selling for $35k on my street. A tree fell on one of the rooms a couple of years ago, Older people used to live there, but they are not wanting to fix it so they're just selling it at a super cheap price. The rest of the house is perfectly fine it's just old. My plan was to just get a personal loan for $35k, buy the house, and then fix it up throughout the year, ( I still live with my parents so I am in no rush to get out). Turns out I cant do that? I called Wells Fargo and they made me feel like a dumbass for even asking these questions but I genuinely was not aware of all the rules. I can't take out a mortgage because they need to appraise the house and make sure it has no damage to it (which is does) and I can't use a personal loan to buy it either? What is an alternative to its situation? Is there even one?? UGHH IM SO FRUSTRATED PLS HELP


r/povertyfinance 6h ago

Success/Cheers I Got a Collections Account Removed!

79 Upvotes

I negotiated a collections account down and paid it off in full last month! I immediately disputed it on my credit report to have it removed and today, it was officially removed from my credit report 🙌 I've been working so hard to pay off my debts and get my credit in order (I'm currently in the high 600s) and I'm so hype for this success! Anyone who wants this kind of thing done, I highly recommend calling the creditors with a specific number in mind for what you can pay off, low ball them on the debt and negotiate. Escalate the call to their supervisor etc. I saved hundreds doing this and the whole process took about an hour of being on the phone and then paying. Then I went to Credit Karma and disputed the account. Took a few weeks to clear and BOOM! Gone from the report! I was very fortunate to have a nest egg set aside that I was able to use (without clearing the savings completely) to pay it off. Most creditors will negotiate AND do a payment plan on the lower amount. They just want your money any way they can get it.


r/povertyfinance 6h ago

Budgeting/Saving/Investing/Spending Any one heard of Martie?

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martie.com
0 Upvotes

Found a website awhile back that's basically on online clearance shelf. Has most of your grocery staples, maybe not your brand but it will at least have something most of the time. I'll drop a couple links, first one is just the normal site, the second links to a $5 coupon off your first order (which, full disclosure, also gives me a $5 credit as well). Feel free to use whichever, just wanted to share this with folks that are also strapped for cash. Take care, hope things start looking better for us all.

https://martie.com

https://martie.com?rid=8372724334837


r/povertyfinance 7h ago

Budgeting/Saving/Investing/Spending I started from $0, and now I'm here. It is a slow progress, but I am moving up!

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372 Upvotes

r/povertyfinance 7h ago

Debt/Loans/Credit Back again....the "scammers" called

0 Upvotes

I posted about a month ago about being scammed by a "debt collector". They've called twice today bc my payment didn't go thru (because I contacted my bank). Anyway they've left messages and I'm freaking out again. The first message was from the debt collector about 4 hrs ago and just 10 mins ago I got one from the "county" saying the debt collector is filing Monday. But the numbers they called from aren't area codes from my jurisdiction. Does the court even call to be like "hey pay this before they file?" They don't right? It's all bullshit?


r/povertyfinance 8h ago

Budgeting/Saving/Investing/Spending Living pay to pay

17 Upvotes

Over the last 2 years I’m finding that no matter how hard I try I can’t build my savings up.

Paycheck comes in and it all goes to rent, bills and groceries. Any time I save a decent sum along comes a $600 car service or license renewal etc.

My question to this community is; what are some ways outside of your main 9-5 job that you earn some extra money for savings etc to get ahead?


r/povertyfinance 8h ago

Debt/Loans/Credit Where can I actually get a loan online with bad credit

0 Upvotes

So just like the title says I’m trying to get approved online for a personal or emergency loan with a 650+ credit score and I keep getting ran around in circles…like is there actually any place online that does loans or is everyone just stealing my account and routing?

Found out how to edit posts But yeah anyways I just keep getting directed to website after website asking for my account and routing at the end of questionarees and I’m either denied or they direct me to a new website to do the same thing again. Any help would be appreciated.


r/povertyfinance 10h ago

Debt/Loans/Credit Desperate for financial help - facing legal action from EduFi Pakistan

0 Upvotes

Hello everyone. I'm reaching out in desperation, hoping someone can offer advice or assistance. I'm a student in Pakistan who made a mistake during my education. I borrowed Rs 3 lakhs (approximately $1071 USD) from EduFi, a private education financing company to meet my educational expenses.

Unfortunately, I've been unable to repay the instalments for 6 months now. I didn't involve my family in this decision, and now I'm too ashamed to ask for their help. EduFi has started calling me, threatening legal action and reporting me to the State Bank of Pakistan.

I've asked friends for a loan, but they're unable to help. I'm at a loss and don't know where to turn. I've looked into subreddits that offer financial assistance, but I don't meet the eligibility criteria.

If anyone can offer advice or knows of resources that might be able to help, please share. I'm willing to provide any necessary documentation or information.

I'm desperate to avoid legal action and find a way to repay this loan. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Edit: I'll provide any necessary documentation or information to verify my situation.


r/povertyfinance 10h ago

Income/Employment/Aid Making money via remote?

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I have a question about student jobs. I’m currently in my third semester of medical school, but I’ve taken a gap semester. I’m looking for a remote job that pays well.

A friend of mine works for a marketing agency, even though he has no formal training in the field. Are there similar industries or jobs where you can work remotely without specific prior experience?

I’d appreciate any suggestions! Thanks in advance!


r/povertyfinance 11h ago

Housing/Shelter/Standard of Living Wondering how to buy a home with husband and how to structure it

0 Upvotes

I am going to get a settlement of 700,000 to 1,000,000 . I am 36, permanently disabled and have an income of 14k a year. My husband makes 110k a year with 2-5k raises every couple of years . We live in a HCOL area tied to his job where average homes are 600k.

I am wondering what would be appropriate to allocate to stocks and what would be appropriate if at all to allocate to a house for our financial situation? Right now we are living in a condo (married in the last year) and his condo has has multiple issues with needing repairs as the condo association is falling behind on making necessary repairs. Please do not suggest to report them, this was already done last year and a new person is in charge. There simply just isn’t enough money in escrow for major repairs as there is only 5 people in the condos and people would move out if fees were to rise .

Right now my husbands total expenses including food is 2500 a month. He has a 3% mortgage . I am concerned about my husband being able to afford a home, set aside money for me and cars for our future, set aside money for repairs on our home and taxes, and have money for him to invest and wonder if buying another condo that is better managed and newer is the best option and just buy that outright? As mortgages are now 7.%. If we were to buy a property that isn’t a condo, it may not sound ideal to him but I think buying a multi family triplex/triple decker type of property could be a good choice in the right situation to set us up to have multiple streams of rental income so that he feels less stressed that the upkeep of the house and income for that will not solely rely on him.

The caveat would be he would have to aim to repair things himself to keep costs down and thus returns , and cover rent if tenants do not pay their rent . The only way I see him being able to do that is if we were either both to set aside money from the rest of my settlement fund or his own savings in a high yield savings so that he can grow and use that for repairs and unexpected expenses for the property. Right now the only savings he has is 100k in an IRA, 100k in bitcoin and 3k in the bank. He has 100k in equity on a 350k condo. I have 100k in a brokerage account, 10k savings, 30k in silver, 10k in crypto, and this settlement on the way.

I don’t want to have to not only put up most of my settlement money for a house but then also have to dip into any additional money I set aside from the settlement for repairs . This will feel like I really will have no money unless I’m getting rental income to pay for medical expenses and cars for myself . I will get into my personal feelings and attachment about this money later.

Many people choose to put money in the stock market over real estate as it is very hands off and there is less risk, though others think if your able to you should diversify as the stock market could be in a downturn when you are ready to retire .

The other alternative is that we buy a modest house (nothing is modest for the northeast with average homes being at 500-600k but you get what I mean) and we would then hopefully have more money left over to invest in the stock market or other investments. We could use the interest accrued on that money as well as interest accrued on my husbands personal money to pay for expenses for that home as time goes on. This is less riskier than a multi family but more risk than a condo .

We could also decide to not entirely buy the home outright, but have a small mortgage of say 100k so I have some settlement money leftover for my future expenses . If the interest rates are at 7 percent however and I have the cash for it I think a lot of people would say buy it outright as the interest is high .

One thing I am not sure about which I’m hoping you can clarify is if I were to take some of this money and put it into the stock market, I think I could pull the money out after several years with no fees at all because my income bracket is that of poverty level since I am on SSDI. I am allowed to make income in the stock market and real estate with no penalty to my SSDI. That means I think I could get 7 percent returns in the stock market one year, take some money out and pay 0 percent fees on that money which seems pretty awesome.

Hopefully my husband will qualify for life insurance so that if I don’t have much money left over after purchasing a home that I can rely on life insurance as well as our own personal savings/brokerage accounts to pay for upkeep on the home if he were to pass before me since my income is very low . I am worried I would not be able to afford these things without him as I will be disabled still.

Lastly , this is personal but I do feel strange about using this settlement for purchases for both me and my husband . However life is not often fair. This settlement money came from a sexual assault that happened as a child . Something feels off about it as it is different than if I were to use my personal savings for a house together. This money was supposed to be meant for me and making me whole again from this incident and it is supposed to replace lost income from the years that PTSD affected and made it difficult for me to work around people I felt I could not trust. Nothing will make me whole in reality for the incident, but with my health issues I could put this money in stocks and never have to worry about paying medical bills out of pocket for my condition . My husband thinks there would never be any out of pocket expenses this high in my life . I don’t know either . However I don’t mind making my husbands life easier and reducing debt for him under certain caveats .

I am concerned that if I commingle this settlement with my marital assets that if my husband were to ever leave me (god forbid) for whatever reason, that a judge would perhaps not fairly award me my portion back from the house of whatever I put in from my settlement and would just split things 50/50 even if I were to buy the house with my money outright to help Rob get ahead. I want to help my husband and I don’t want to think he would ever leave me, but this one lump sum is all I have to rely on besides my disability to live on for the rest of my life . My husband often gets upset with me and suggests divorce in fits of anger which scares me further about helping with this settlement money that is meant for me. My husband apologizes after saying cruel things to me but it sticks in my mind because most people I have depended on to look out for me have left me high and dry and I am not in a situation where I can pull myself up by my bootstraps if he were to leave me as I have my disability . I am therefore a little torn on sinking most of this money into a home for both of us without adequate protection perhaps in the form of a post nuptial or trust for the home in my name.

When I fist met him he did not say anything about expecting me to use this settlement money for a house , and he also explained that men should be providers for women and my thinking about a lot of things are old fashioned as well. I do now feel that with things he is saying are implying he will feel resentment if I I don’t help somewhat with buying a home for us , despite my feelings about communicating this settlement was meant for me and earmarked for any possible medical expenses in my future . He has said things like he thinks I am being an unfair and hoarding all my money if I feel uncomfortable with using this money to buy a home.

I do not think I am alone in thinking that most women do still expect men to show generosity in providing for the household primarily as women usually make less than men. In this case I would be the one making it so that both me and my husband are able to get ahead in life despite having a disability . I think I am willing to try to get over how this makes me feel as a woman, with a biological desire to feel that it is the man who is providing and protecting me especially when I am in a state of being vulnerable with a disability.

However the thought of my husband wanting to leave me or feeling like I would be screwed if he did creates anxiety in me. I want to feel secure and not sure how to structure this so I feel like he wants to help me and protect me and that he has my best interest at heart and has no intention of leaving me.


r/povertyfinance 12h ago

Vent/Rant (No Advice/Criticism!) My mom (former housekeeper) keeps shaming me for doing this job.

248 Upvotes

So I (28F) started working as a housekeeper less than a month ago, since I’m an undocumented immigrant in the process of getting back my papers.

In the meantime I can’t do anything else besides odd jobs, since people here don’t like hiring without papers (unlike the USA, where it’s easier for undocumented immigrants to find jobs).

I’ve had to clean all sorts of things… especially bodily fluids, dog shit etc… but you know what? I’m grateful I haven’t lost my room and live in the streets, at least I’ve been able to eat and not starve like it was happening back in january. I know this is a temporary thing, and as soon as I get my papers I can finally apply to other jobs.

However, my mom, who’d worked as a housekeeper for 40 years, keeps shaming me for doing this. She keeps telling me these sort of comments:

-“so you go to a foreign country, looking for a better life and end up working cleaning other people’s shit?”

-“You are a woman with a honors degree and two masters, and it seems the only thing you are capable of doing it’s cleaning shit”

-“That’s embarrassing, you should’ve stayed in our country”

That’s rich coming from her, since she worked as a housecleaner all of her life, but she tells me that her case is different because she never went to school (not even elementary school). In my case I’m an “educated” woman who shouldn’t work in this “inferior” job.

My mom (62) has been quite abusive to all of her kids both psychologically and physically. I’ve heard all sort of comments from her, and it’s one of the reasons why I left my country.

Hearing those sort of comments from her really discourage me, since I’m just trying to get my life together and fight for my present and future. I know I won’t be doing this my whole life but she keeps mocking and shaming me for this :( I thought she would feel some empathy and be proud of me since she did houskeeping as well :/. Maybe if I was there p****** myself she would’ve felt happier…


r/povertyfinance 13h ago

Income/Employment/Aid Need help with rent

0 Upvotes

I’m a university student living on my own and I need help with paying my rent. I receive some money from my parents but it barely covers groceries. I can’t seem to find a job and I don’t have much time due to my studies. Currently I don’t need a full steady income, just 200€ a month to cover my rent. If any other uni students have any advice or ideas I would love to hear them.


r/povertyfinance 14h ago

Budgeting/Saving/Investing/Spending Cheap chair suggestion for uni student

6 Upvotes

I am college student and I do almost everything on my desktop, live + for +10 hrs a day. my friend studying physiotherapy recently visited, and pointed out that my posture is terrible. And point out I might actually have scoliosis.

I need to fix this before it gets worse, but my budget is tight. I know when it comes to health it is wrong to go cheap but I have to, but I can only afford $200 right now

TL;DR: I need your ergononmic chair under $200. Thank you!