You’re not far off from reality….except I’ll own my part first and say that yes…I could probably budget my money better but depression is fucking rough and makes it hard to be financially responsible among a long list of other things. Here’s a quick summary….prior pandemic, recently divorced, working two jobs. Full time maintenance tech for the apartment complex I live at so that I can get a discount on rent. second job part time retail so I can actually afford to eat food and feed my dogs. I lose my second retail job due to pandemic, continue to work maintenance as an “essential” employee. Picking up after disgusting residents, unclogging their toilets because they’re too lazy to use a fucking plunger, who sat at home playing video games while collecting checks twice the size of mine while they abused the system. The only thing keeping me going was working for my direct supervisor who I considered a mentor (seriously one of those movie characters that are an angel disguised as a fucking janitor). Taught me about investing in a 401k and the stock market. If it wasn’t for him I would have probably killed myself after the divorce.

Pandemic restrictions lift…I quit the dead end maintenance Job, and pursue a career in an industry I actually love and am good at so I don’t feel like Im wasting my life away. Discovered this community, moved my stagnant 401k into GME…

Now Making more money than I did in maintenance and even at 40+hrs a week I’m now faced with rent potentially being close to 50% of my take home pay. Currently waiting for a new apartment complex to be finished being built so I can move in and work a second job as a maintenance tech (again) so I can afford a place to live. I’m 37, have zero in savings. This is America…it’s late af and I may or may not be intoxicated…rant over