Ok listen I’m 29, single parent. I’m HORRIBLE with money. HORRIBLE. The minute I get my paycheck I spend it all. It’s overwhelming, it’s demoralising and definitely takes a toll on my mental health.
I need help but how? Who do I ask? I got paid today and I’m so behind on my payments and in so in debt, I paid my overdue balance on my phone bill, some medical bill payment and another $60 bill.
I pretty much blew the rest. I don’t even know if I have enough for tomorrow.
It’s a problem, a big one. But who do you ask for help in managing your money? I don’t have a cent saved. To make things worse, I make decent money, and live at home. I just spend it all on stupid unnecessary things. Restaurants, shopping, things I do NOT need. I’m desperate for help.
My brother and his wife suggested I hire someone to manage my money and it sounds so stupid to me. But then I look at my situation and maybe its what I need. This money situation is affecting me bad, I’m always moody, negative, sad.
This wasn’t me. I never cared enough until my child turned 8 and asked why we couldn’t go for holidays like his other classmates. I am desperate for help.
Netizens’ comments
- If you’re really comitted you have to do it yourself. A money manager isnt going to stop you from spending irrationally. Set yourself a payment plan for each bill and see whats left. Then save 10-20% and spend the rest on your kids and yourself
- What are you spending your money on? You cannot rely on hiring someone to manage it for you. That in itself would be wasting money. You need to gain control. I’d say therapy might be your best starting point. Learn what’s driving you behavior and strategies to manage it so you can develop discipline.
- No one can fix it for you. It’s you. Make a budget. List every bill that you have for a month. Tick each payment off as you pay it. You can’t spend any money that month until you pay them all. Whatever you have left is yours to fritter away as you please. Do this every month. This works for me.
- I am also a compulsive spender. One, emotionally. Two, for the dopamine. I’ve done a lot I’m not proud of and every week is a struggle. Two things helped me: one, I laid out all of my expenses, debts, and took a look at my bank balance for once to parse out how much i actually literally spent on stuff. Avoidance is big thing when you spend like this. You don’t want to see it. But you need to. Two, I created a budget and then began to hide and move my money from myself. I created an account for bills accessible only to my bill provider accounts, savings, and one for my necessities and allowance. Give yourself a set allowance. Make a separate account for it if you need to and only carry the other cards on the specific days you’re going to buy groceries or whatever. Make it as hard as possible to access most of your money.