Am I asking for too much financially and are my goals realistic? (pay, million)

[TySky]

Am I asking for too much financially? Are my goals realistic?

Im so poor I cant afford much at all anymore I now have $2.60 in my
checking account and now $251.13! I cant afford my medication Im going
to have to have it on hold. Also I may have to cancel my dentist
appointment for my cleaning. I used to have $6,000 in my savings and I
was going to use it for my rent whenever I get my new place to myself.
However I have no choice I have to spend it on my tuition, I also HATE
HATE HATE asking people for money, I hate doing it so much that I
spend money from my savings account.

It seems my luck is getting bad I use to earn between 350-385 bi weekly working part time at a grocery store (I mention this before). The store closed down and they transferred me and now I worked 2 days a week short hours during
the day and earned between $125-$185 bi weekly (I mentioned this too). Now they are cutting hours well my hours and another coworker and now Im working 1 day a week now and so now I will be earning less than $100 My rent was 250 and my parents help with $200!

Now recently right when I told my parents about this pretty much my rent now including utilities is $550!
I dont know what to do now I know that Im not going to make my sisters rent for next month Im trying to look for another job and applying for school. I cant stay with my parents they kind of make it clear that I
can move back in with them through their actions however my sister said that I couldnt move back in. I know why its because Im 23.

My mind has been wanting to win the lottery so I wont have to worry about this I would still gp to school if I won the lottery and work 1 day a week. Ive been kind of obsessing about playing the lottery when
I can. I even made 3 numbers out of 5 in May however it was on a different night, however I played Mega Millions this saturday and I had 2 matching numbers.

However yesterday after taking a bath and being in the tub. I was thinking all I really want in a place to myself, to have my own apartment either a 1 bedroom or studio, financially stable (not having any debt) and have a career that I love to do or have a job that I can do and not have to worry about getting fired do to my performance and getting a regular paycheck. Thats all I want! All I want

How can I achieve that?
Im not good at alot of things when it comes to having a successful
career all I know I could do is probably Certified Massage Therapist

1)A Massage Therapist
2)1 bedroom or studio apartment
3)Debt Free and financially stable

However my dream career is to work behind the scenes in TV production
and film production and also to be an extra in films and be an actor
for independent films. However idk if I have talent in acting.


To make myself not sad and hopeless I made a list of the things that I
do have even though I have $253 in my name.

[patsfanboston]

Massage therapy is a tough field. Not only that, but you're unlikely to love it - it's incredibly physically demanding, and you are up close and personal with people's bodies, including all of the interesting aromas, skin diseases, etc. And you need to worry about "getting fired [due] to [your] performance" in any field.

You need to slow down and figure out one thing at a time.

First of all, stop playing the lottery. If you'd saved $5 a week for the past 2 months instead of blowing it on gambling, you'd have $40 more than you do right now. Stop giving your money away.

Next, talk to your parents. Explain your situation. Tell them that you have goals and that while one of your goals is to live independently, that goal is not compatible with pursuing your degree full-time and paying for tuition. Give them a timeline: "In 2 years, I will have my Associates" or "I will take classes year-round and take an extra class each semester and graduate with my B.A. / B.S. in 3 years."

Enroll at a community or state college and start taking your gen-ed classes. You don't need to have it all figured out right away. Talk to an advisor and someone in career services during your first semester. They can help you choose a good field with good local prospects.

Get good grades. Take an internship - better yet, 2 or 3. Excel in your internships. Then, in 3 or 3.5 years, you can have your own place and be financially stable.

[flyingsaucermom]

Originally Posted by patsfanboston

Massage therapy is a tough field. Not only that, but you're unlikely to love it - it's incredibly physically demanding, and you are up close and personal with people's bodies, including all of the interesting aromas, skin diseases, etc. And you need to worry about "getting fired [due] to [your] performance" in any field.

You need to slow down and figure out one thing at a time.

First of all, stop playing the lottery. If you'd saved $5 a week for the past 2 months instead of blowing it on gambling, you'd have $40 more than you do right now. Stop giving your money away.

Next, talk to your parents. Explain your situation. Tell them that you have goals and that while one of your goals is to live independently, that goal is not compatible with pursuing your degree full-time and paying for tuition. Give them a timeline: "In 2 years, I will have my Associates" or "I will take classes year-round and take an extra class each semester and graduate with my B.A. / B.S. in 3 years."

Enroll at a community or state college and start taking your gen-ed classes. You don't need to have it all figured out right away. Talk to an advisor and someone in career services during your first semester. They can help you choose a good field with good local prospects.

Get good grades. Take an internship - better yet, 2 or 3. Excel in your internships. Then, in 3 or 3.5 years, you can have your own place and be financially stable.

Wonderful advice. You are not yet ready to be independent, but you are ready to work towards it.

[harrisce4]

Originally Posted by TySky

Now they are cutting hours well my hours and another coworker and now Im working 1 day a week now and so now I will be earning less than $100

My rent was 250 and my parents help with $200!

Now recently right when I told my parents about this pretty much my rent now including utilities is $550!
I dont know what to do now

Advice #1) Since your employer is cutting your hours to the point where you are only working 1 day a week and earning less than $100 I would say the first step is to find another job. There are plenty of flexible jobs out there for young people who are in school. I worked at a jewelry store (f/t though...) and was able to work week days and weekends and take my course load week nights. Can you work at a restaurant where the hours will not interfere with your schooling? I feel as though many restaurants are open all the time- holidays, late nights, weekends. As a server, depending on the restaurant, you could easily make $100+ per night.

Advice #2) Can you go on Craigslist and look for additional side gigs? One of my roommates is trying to look for some extra side money and I recommended some focus groups. One focus group I participated in was for acne care. It paid $100 cash, offered free dinner, and $175 worth of acne medication! These focus groups can be found under the 'ETC' section of Craigslist. In the 'Event' Gigs section, you can look for certain events to help people with if you are not looking for anything steady.

Advice #3) Place the independent apartment dream on hold... at least for a little while. You will need first and last month's rent up front most times so with a few hundred dollars in your account that will not suffice. Focus on building your checking/savings account first.

Advice #4) Move in with your parents so you don't have to keep paying $550/month in rent to give to your sister and her family. Even if your parents are hard to get along with you will likely be too busy with work/school to notice! Freeing up $550/month will come in handy with adding to your savings goal.

Advice #5) As patsfanboston said, stop playing lottery. Don't get me wrong, if I have a few extra dollars in my wallet, I will play here and there just for fun but my rent is only 16.6% of my gross monthly income (not including all of my side gigs) so I have a few extra dollars to spend. If I were in your position, I certainly would not chance it. It is fun to dream about all the things you would do with the money if you won. I understand completely but you have to be realistically. $1-$20 on each lottery ticket adds up real quick! That could be spent on buying food, or towards your rent.

[Gandalara]

patsfanboston, flyingsaucermom, and harrisce4:

I applaud you for your patience.

To the OP:
I'm not patient.
Grow up. By age 23 you should have more common sense.
Get another job, move back in with your parents no matter what religious differences you have.
Yes, I've read your other thread.
Quit complaining and DO something.

[stoutboy]

Join the Army. The GI Bill will solve all your problems as well as give you time to figure out what you want to do with your life. Save as much as you can during your enlistment: TSP until it hurts.

[TySky]

@harrisce4

Yeah your right about the lottery I dont play it everyday but I do need chill out with it. I tend to not do craiglists I dont know where you live but where I live there is a problem with robbings and murders in my city to craigslist.
I was thinking about a temp agency! I think that might give me an opportunity to see what my skills are and what career I would succeed in. For fast money I was thinking of was washing cars or sell my plasma.
I thought about being an office clerk or and receptionist. For a little while, it probably doesnt pay that much but probably better than $9.50 an hour

As for my parents Im with you on that one on a financial sense but they are difficult to deal with not even by living with them but they would make it difficult for me to ask them if I can move back in with them to make and save more money. They want me to ask for help but when I ask for help the opposite happens. Its just a mess.

I thank you for your advice

[Lowexpectations]

Don't chill on the lottery stop playing all together

[TySky]

@patsfanboston
I was thinking that all career has the ups and downs. I get what your saying with the skin disease, it doesn't bother me touching people, as long as they don't touch me, Im fine.

Your right about me playing the lottery, I dont play a lot maybe 3 or 4 plays a month but you're still right that I could have a little extra money in my pocket.

Last week I spoke to my career advisor from school she gave me a website to take a test to see my potential careers would be. Im scheduled actually this week to meet up with her and discuss things on that matter for me having a career in, when she comes back from vacation.

Since you mentioned internships, is it true that companies give people internships if they aren't in school?

[stoutboy]

Why not the military? Sounds like it would answer all your questions.