throwaway account for protection of my child.
hello, im not sure where to start. im 23 years old, i have a 1 year old daughter, and I am struggling terribly. I have 37k in debt (mainly student loans). I only have 1 secured credit card. I only make 23/hr. I have a degree, and pursuing my Bachelor’s atm. I work for an aerospace & defense company from 3pm-2am (4/10s). overtime is not an option as we lost a contract with a military branch.
my daughter’s father watches over her as i do not have childcare expenses or get financial help from him (job market is very bad. mcdonalds rejected him. he was at a hardware store before the layoff. he hasnt had a job in 5 months)
My expenses are as follows per month:
- Rent: $1650 (we are about to be evicted i am 2 months behind)
- Electricity: $400 (it SKYROCKETED in Tampa Bay)
- Water: $300 (we are on a water restriction rn)
- Car note: $300.87 (i may have to voluntary repossess it as im months behind the delinquent balance is over 1k)
- Car insurance: $289 (no accidents—this is just because of my age)
- Groceries: ~400 (if we can afford to eat.. i buy $100 of groceries every week and it isnt sufficient)
- Diapers/Wipes/Baby necessities: ~150
my credit score is absolute dog water (probably 400s now? was 520 last i checked) i dont even check it anymore. i have like 6 things in collections right now, and a personal loan i cant even pay off. i dont care for credit right now as im trying to survive the day as is. i will let it falter until im able to be comfortable. it is what it is in that aspect.
im just trying to figure out a budget.
I DO NOT QUALIFY FOR FOOD STAMPS! I make too much according to the state of Florida. So it is not an option. I make too much for any financial assistance. I still breastfeed my daughter because I am so afraid of her going hungry.
i dont know what else to add.. anything helps.. i just dont want to repeat the poverty cycle i grew up with. the hurricanes of 2024 destroyed the home i was living in completely. i lost everything and had to start over. i never breathed properly since that day bc of the financial depression.
TLDR: i am on the verge of poverty and i want to get out of it. what can i do?