God man, I feel you.
The reason I can't save is because I started dating a girl who was not in a great position.
I have literally poured every dollar and cent into helping her turn her life around.
When I met her, she didn't have custody of her children and actually ended up crying to me in a bar about it. She had started her own business cleaning houses and getting small contracts here and there on craigslist. She worked with her ex boyfriend who was at the bar with her. I gave her my number and told her to call me if there was anything I could do to help.
A few days later, she called me and asked if we could meet up and talk. I took her out to eat and we started seeing each other. After about 6-8 months of dating her, we moved in together after she got a minimum wage job (she didn't have a car, so I drove her every morning). She started talking to her kid's step mom and we were allowed to visit them occasionally on the weekends. After a few months of this, they were allowed to come over and stay every other weekend. She found a better job. Nothing amazing, but making a decent income.
Well, step mom and heroin addict dad ended up getting a divorce and the kids have since moved in with us. I rented a house with her (at the edge of our income) and she was so happy to have them back with her. Three kids... I was not ready, but didn't want to leave her high and dry. Cosigned on a car with her. Things were stressful but okay.
She has since learned she has a hernia and has been having abdominal pain every day. She's been to the ER a few times, GI, has a colonoscopy/hernia repair scheduled for a few weeks from now. I have spent most of my nights taking her to the hospital or convincing her to just try to go to sleep through the pain. The kids have been sick on and off here and there - strep throat - had to miss work to stay with both of them yesterday.
The stress has been exhausting - I keep building debt paying for medical tests and expenses; christmas is here, she wants presents for the kids - I have told her I will help get them more gifts. It's been rough.
I got into some legal trouble a year ago - going to pickup a bunk bed for the kids, I brought my handgun with me since we didn't know these people (I had my license). After we picked it up, she stopped at her sister's house (her driving) and guilted me into hanging out with them.
We all drank (we lived a block away and I wasn't driving) and I overdid it. Sadly, so did she. She stumbled to the car, so I offered to drive - took a wrong turn, got in an argument - she demanded I pull over ... a cop stopped.
Well, long story short, the police were kind enough to cite me for PI, but since I had the gun, they also gave me Unlawful Carry of a Handgun (With License) class A. The lawyer scammed my mom out of $5,000 bond money and I ended up paying him another $4,000 to represent me.
It has been a really hard year ... just a rough year. I know, though, that I could step out and go live with my mom rent free and pay off all of my debts in a year if I decided to take that option. Sadly? I don't have the heart to leave my girlfriend with her medical conditions and three kids... at least not yet. I kept hoping that she would get on her feet and be in a situation where she can take care of them.
I am planning on going back to school this semester and finishing my CS degree (I'm a data analyst and have been for 3 years).
tl;dr I, too, wish I could keep a paycheck for more than a wee.