Hi--I'm in my mid-late 20's and I make about $1400 a month after taxes. My job isn't especially good or high paying (obviously), but I do get full coverage health insurance, dental and vision for $35/month, which I'm very grateful for.
My expenses every month, all the bills, gas and food come to about $920. I should have a little left over, but of course something always comes up and somehow by the end of my two week pay period, I'm barely afloat.
I have about $900 of debt (credit cards, utilities, Verizon) from when I was 22 and an idiot. I have about $3,000 of student loan debt that I pay very very little on every month. It did go to collections at one point, but I started paying on it around February of this year.
I know my debt is nothing compared to a lot of people's, but I don't even know where to start, or how. I'd really like to go back to school to find a better paying job, but I think I won't qualify for more student loans until October (I think I have to pay them for a certain number of months before I can get assistance). And I'm terrified of more debt.
I'm really struggling to get by every month and I don't want to be like this forever. Can anyone offer me advice?
EDIT to add more info about my job: For ref I make $13.35/hr and get a 60 cent an hour raise every six months. I've had this job for about a year and I took it for the benefits.
The only work experience I have is in customer service, retail and writing. I do actually have a traditionally published novel out in the world, but haven't had much time to write in the last year or so, and--not to surprise anyone--being a novelist isnt a well-paid gig. I don't know of another retail/customer service job in which I can get health coverage.
Submitted June 14, 2017 at 01:06PM by berimbolno http://ift.tt/2ssQYlM
