Senior teen with job and struggling parents for back to school.
Im African American and 17 years old and I’m starting my senior year of high school on August 3rd. I have three younger brothers who are also in school (one in elementary, one in middle school, and one who is a sophomore at the same high school as me). I live with my mom and my dad lives elsewhere but is still present and helps when he can.
I got my first job at Walmart a few weeks ago making $15/hour because I wanted to pay for my own senior year so my parents could focus on my brothers. We got evicted last year and even though we’re back in an apartment now after sleeping on couches and floors for 7 months. most of our clothes are still in storage or in trash because the bill wasn’t paid. My wardrobe is small, and my 15 year old brother barely has clothes that fit anymore. My mom recently got paid for her job which is her last check before school starts and half of it went to rent and the rest I’m not so sure but she mentioned this morning that she has nothing for them for back to school. Hearing that and knowing what I know led me to sharing this.
When I got my first paycheck I ended up spending most of it helping my family instead of myself. I bought groceries because we didn’t get our EBT this month, helped with our phone bill (4 lines T-Mobile), and paid for rides home from work at night. I get public transportation on the way to work but not at night since it’s dark and I am in metro Atlanta and odd people roam the streets. There has also been Marta incidents taking place at those times. My mom also used money from my card for Lyfts to go see a man without asking me first and didn’t tell me until I checked my balance and realized it which made it even harder for me to save.
I also earned a $1,000 stipend from a summer program healthcare program. After buying one back to school outfit, groceries, and helping with other expenses, I only have about $300 left. Tomorrow I’m going to ross and tj max to buy myself a few basic shirts and jeans because I don’t have much to wear. My next paycheck is $500 but about half of it is already going to my back to school hair appointment and hair. 175 for the appt and about 50 for hair ( 3 packs of braiding hair and for a ride there) I am an African American girl and my hair is hard to manage. Whilst I usually do it myself, I have no time as I work and go to school and have extracurricular activities to attend and manage during the school year. The style is also small knotless braids so they’ll last me longer and I’m not spending extra money.
The problem is…my brothers don’t have ANY new clothes or shoes. My sophomore brother doesn’t even know what he’s wearing yet and he doesn’t even know he has nothing for school. and I’m not sure if he’ll even get a haircut before school starts, any of them. And I know how it feels looking at everyone at school and comparing yourself because they have things. I don’t want him to feel embarrassed or less than especially since we’re at the same school and I know how they are up here. I want to buy him atleast one outfit, a pair of Air Force’s and a simple shirt and shorts or something but with how much that’ll cost I’ll barely have anything left. Along with their haircuts which I’m not sure if they’ll get.
I love my family and I don’t mind helping at all but it feels like a heavy weight is being put on me and I’m taking on responsibilities that aren’t mine and barely have anything left to help myself. Has anyone else been in a situation like this? How did you balance helping your family while still taking care of yourself?
If anyone knows of back-to-school resources for families that need help with clothes or shoes, I’d really appreciate it. I also have an Amazon wishlist with items for my 15 year old brother since he’s the one who really barely has anything. I also have a cashapp and PayPal and Apple pay if anything else is offered.
Thank you all for your time, god bless :)! I posted this in r/advice and a kind woman reached out to me and told me to post it here!
I’m really trying my best and I don’t want my brothers to feel down when the time comes and they realize. We’ve been through a lot and everything keeps piling up and if I’m tired, I know they are as well.
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/28E3I95VU1H9P?ref\\\_=wl\\\_share