Quote (Manaburn @ Dec 17 2021 07:03pm)

You definitely need to get out of debt first and then live within your means, debt-free for the rest of your life. A girlfriend is a money pit so you could start by getting rid of her first, and you want to propose? So you want to waste more money on a girl? Yeah, you are bad with money. To get out of debt you need to make sacrifices, some easier than others. When I was in High School I wasted 10s of thousands of dollars on girlfriends thinking it was love lol. Now I'm living my best life, single-life, debt-free, mortgage-free and stacking digits with crypto/stocks at 27. Girls are a waste of time and money, you'll figure it out eventually. Also it's just pitiful to be emotionally-dependent on somebody else, you'll eventually learn that too. Get a dog instead of a girlfriend, you'll be better off financially and emotionally lol.

Quote (ChocolateCoveredGummyBears @ Dec 29 2021 08:09pm)

Assuming after taxes: 35k a year, is roughly 2.9k a month. Your total rent is only $1500, where is $1400 going to?

If your market is good: Try uber/doordash. There's a guy on youtube called Uber Lyft Phoenix, and he does $2k a week, but he does it full-time. You have a job, so you can easily scoop up $560 a month just by spending 2-3 hours during dinner rush two times a week.

Get rid of your personal trainer, that's just stupid. Track your calories yourself using the LoseIT app, eat your greens, and go to the gym. You already said you have a routine, you don't need to pay $150 for that

Quote (NetflixAdaptationWidow @ Dec 15 2021 04:28pm)

You aren't in a bad position really. This is pretty manageable.

See if you qualify for a zero interest promotion on a balance transfer card. You can usually get a 3% transfer fee then no interest for 12-36 months. Get that, and split your monthly payments so you pay it off 2 months early. Can also do this for part of the consolidated loan depending on how much you qualify for.

If not, sell your car and get a cheaper car that suits your needs and put the difference towards your higherest interest debt. If you are struggling for money there's absolutely no reason to keep equity locked up in your car.

Next, remove expenses. Don't have a room mate? Get one. Can shrink your apartment? Do it. Live within your means in a way that you can save and invest, no matter how low that is. You're sacrificing comfort now for comfort in the future. As your income rises so can your standard of living, but for now if you're having money trouble the answer is to shrink.

While you're doing this, go online and create a high interest savings account. Personally I use Marcus.com. It's only 0.5% interest, but it's not there to make money. It's there to be a cushion. Put $500 a month in no exceptions. This is your emergency fund. Additions stop being made when you have enough for 6 months of expenses, and restart when your expenses increase to stay at that number.

Any leftover money you have goes into retirement accounts. If your work has a 401K they contribute to then you contribute to it to get that match. Most places have a percent system, where they match up to like 5% of your wage. This is leaving money on the table if you aren't doing it. Go up at least to the point where your work stops matching, and go further if you can afford it.

After that, start looking to maximize your income. 35k a year isn't that much. Identify a field you can go into or move up in and start working on it.

Quote (Erodish @ Dec 29 2021 12:21am)

Hey Guys ,

Quick update. I have picked up several extra shifts at a second job to augment some income.

Spoke to the bank and consolidated CC debt into a lower interest loan. Took out a clean minimum CC for emergencies only now.

I did not sacrifice my gym and training, In fact I hired a trainer/nutritionist and justified the expense by, Well 150/month for my trainer and she made me a monthly meal plan. Cutting out fast food etc. Girlfriend going to help with sale hunting and groceries shopping properly using flyers and apps for discounts around town. Lots of home cooking. After using a budgeting spreadsheet, holy shit did I spend way more than I thought on food and booze.... big wake up call.

I sold an old 3ds on FB market place and some other random stuff like a leather jacket and a kureg coffee maker I don't use.
Gave me a bit of cash in hand to stock up on foods for prepping etc.

Have a good plan in place and some really good support.

Now just need to add time and consistent effort to the equation.

Thanks everyone, Nows the hard part.

Quote (Ergot @ 30 Dec 2021 03:55)

You don’t need a trainer, you’ve got the internet.

Quote (ChocolateCoveredGummyBears @ Dec 30 2021 03:38am)

Quote (SBD @ Dec 30 2021 06:18am)

Fast food and a personal trainer.

Quote (ChocolateCoveredGummyBears @ Dec 30 2021 11:38am)

Quote (SBD @ Dec 30 2021 03:18pm)

Fast food and a personal trainer.