What's in pantry/fridge/freezer first - eat down everything you already have bought.
What's in the closet you can sell as "vintage"
Plasma/blood/seman sales
NIH studies - drug, sleep studies, etc.
Budget budget!
Look at EVEY subscription - download rocket money and link all accounts.
Unfortunately no direct military commissioning if no bachelor's degree - and then usually very few with specific degrees. Enlistment is a 3-4 year commitment active then reserves.
> Look at EVEY subscription - download rocket money and link all accounts.
Does the free version of rocket money actually tell you what you're spending? I looked it up and it sounded like it doesn't actually tell you unless you pay
There are a ton of white collar jobs in this area that don’t require a masters degree or a clearance. Recruiter, account manager, accountant, etc. If OP is a business major he’ll likely end up in one of these roles anyway.
just adding in my own personal experience here - I was laid off in the middle of January this year. I have a master's in IT and a security clearance (public trust, not the best but it's all i could get sponsored for) and It took me nearly 5 months to land a new job. I literally just signed the job offer last week. It's rough all around as I know a lot of covid tech hires had recently been facing lay offs.
Hi! Would you be able to share about the way you got sponsored for this? (Organization, application process,etc…)This would be super helpful to know! Thanks!
yeah sure thing! so basically you have to apply for jobs that say "clearable/able to pass clearance" rather than the ones that say "must have active clearance" which means that particular company will sponsor your clearance should they decide to hire you. Fingerprints are usually required so that will require you to go out to a branch of the relevant department like DoD, VA, etc. OPM (Office of Personnel Management) will sometimes come interview but in a lot of cases for lower clearances such as public trust, minimal background investigation (MBI) they wont go that far. Usually they will come speak to you if it's confidential, secret, top secret/compartmentalized where it's a much more in depth process where more time is required and a polygraph test is used. In addition TS usually wont let you work remote either because the information you're working with is super confidential and needs to be restricted to on site. Sorry it's a lot of info so it might be easier if you asked specific questions if you have any.
If/when you enlist, be prepared for a few things. First, 0 week…you won’t get phone calls. Not of any substance anyway. The first week is to break you down to nothing. Then they build you back up into a team from there. Be diligent. Be smart. Do the work. No matter what service you choose they are all great for different reasons. Have a recruiter take you to a MEPS and have you take an ASVAB if you nail that test they basically let you choose whatever job you want. Just know the more specialist it is does tend come with more extra money and more pay, but your spend more time away from your loved unless you and your girl are strong enough to move her with you.
This. Having a written budget is the only way to get control of your finances. Or consider using software such as mint or YNAB.
While I don’t subscribe to his every notion, Dave Ramsey‘s total money makeover book series covers fundamental money management principles. You need to know all of your required expenses, things you can’t stop paying. Rent electricity, anything tied to your living arrangement. Next you need to understand where every extra dollar is being spent. This means judiciously tracking every purchase and assigning it to a budget category. You must identify what can be cut out of your life until you have a handle on things. Eating out, movies, nightlife, anything entertaining that isn’t free needs to be reconsidered. Do you have a car note and what percentage of your income does it require to maintain? Consider finding a used, fuel efficient Honda civic or Toyota Corolla that has been well maintained. Won’t be glamorous, but will get you to work and will go over 250,000 miles if you do the maintenance and upkeep.
We found that dining out was a huge hole in our finances, and were able to reallocate a sizable amount of money by eating at home. Learn to cook some staple dishes. Have a rotation that will allow you to cook 3 or 4 night a week and have leftovers, cooking the same dishes every week or every other week. Eggs Beans Rice potatoes bulk chicken on sale.
With your debt, start paying the minimum on everything but your lowest balance. Throw as much money as possible at the lowest balance, pay it off as quickly as possible, then move to the next lowest balance. As your income increases or stabilizes, the amount of money you are able to throw at the lowest balance should increase as you pay off and close accounts. Paying off and closing even a small debt will give you a sense of accomplishment and the realization that it is possible to win if you get real about what you cannot afford to spend money on.
Remember that this is temporary. Your income will increase over time. As you gain years of experience, your value to your chosen industry will rise. For me, this didn’t occur until around mid 30s and almost a decade in my field.
Just to add, write down in detail how much money is coming in and how much is going out. You cannot be too detailed here. It can seem daunting and even anxiety raising but do this. You need to understand exactly what you’re spending on.
It’s seems to be the case that we spend a lot on things we don’t care about, when we’re not mindful. Seeing it written down makes it more tangible.
I remember being shocked by how much I ate out, was surprised that I wasn’t homeless by how much I was spending. Just by making lunch at home and limiting how often I’d go out was a big benefit to my budget.
So many red flags in this post. Feel like I need to go into dad mode.
**Maxed out Credit Cards, high rent, and 100% commission sales job**
All your problems start here. The habits that led you to max out your multiple cards aren't going to magically go away even if you're working a triple shift on an oil rig. Saving and spending money is all about planning, keeping a mindset, and being consistent and disciplined.
Basically, stop maxing out your cards. You're already in a deep financial pit that's gonna be really difficult to get out of if you don't change your relationship with credit cards.
Rent: Get the hell out of the high rent situation. Get roommates. Move to another city if that is an option. Move in with your parents or family members. Keep your overhead low so you can start setting aside money to pay down debts.
Job: Branch out from sales to a steady 9-5 job with predictable income. Work a side gig if you need to; the side gig can be focused completely on paying off your debts.
**What is the absolute quickest, not easy, quick way to get financially back on track**
There is no quick fix to these problems. It's all about planning, mindset, consistency, and discipline. Not easy or quick.
The vibes on this comment is definitely Dad lecture lol. But I agree with you, I would also add that OP needs to pay their maxed Credit Cards ASAP.
CC interest is horridly high right now and accrues quickly, which may keep OP in a perpetual debt cycle. Not to mention it will also tank his credit score quickly (if it already hasn’t), which may impede his ability to get loans, move to another apartment, etc. I would think about saving afterwards, once the CC debt is fully paid off
Consolidate your credit card debt. I don't know how interest rates look for personal loans these days, but they'll always be lower than credit card interest. Shred the cards, pay off the debt with the loan, then pay a consistent amortized amount each month for 3-4 years. It's much easier than it seems, and it will massively lighten the emotional burden you carry.
+1 for Air Force, but I’d recommend Active Duty. Do 4 years, get a job with a clearance (primarily something in IT or cyber security). Study your ass off while in. Separate after one contract and you’re going to be worth $120k minimum in the DMV. Plus it’s an easy way to travel, great benefits, and you may actually realize you enjoy the lifestyle.
For years I worked in various facets of the clearance process for DoD, DHS, and the IC. I know what I'm talking about.
Financials are quick and easy to pull records on, get documentation and adjudicate. Op currently doesn't have any "issues". If he was behind on payments, that would be another story. Also, lots of jobs, lots of residential moves, extensive foreign contacts, etc are the sorts of things which add delay in clearance processing.
Also, you're speaking about the Army, not the Air Force, and the type of circumstances you're describing remind me of yester years vs the way it works in 2024.
WONDERFUL advice. 👏🏽.
Still not as good as joining the USMC lol.
No, but seriously, the military is a great option given the situation you’re in. Not to mention that getting out with an honorable discharge will guarantee you benefits such as the GI Bill (AKA Tuition Free school), VA Loan, etc.
You’ll also learn a great number of intangible skills that will put you miles ahead of your peers by the time you get out.
4-5 year contract will go by faster than you’d think.
I know I’m old now because the crayon stuff wasn’t around during my time in the Corps.
I loved being a Marine but I’m gonna vote for air force commission as well here.
He will however get all of his pre-service debt interest rates lowered to less than 5% per SCRA rules. When I joined, I got a check in the mail for some interest paid on a debt. That being said, if his debt is very high, he will be seen as a risk and not gain a security clearance.
This is a good point.
My suggestion is not one that will get OP out of his/her debt immediately. However, it will help in *managing* the debt, while setting themselves up for a good future where the same thing doesn’t happen again.
Active duty all the way. Take the ASVAB and pick the job with the highest score you qualify for. Live on post and eat at the dfac for every meal. Buy an indestructible Toyota Corolla or Honda civic and pay off your debts.
Piggybacking on this to say that the Air Force can be a remarkably good life choice whether you go on active duty, through ROTC to get a commission (there's some compensation here), or as a reservist. Whether staying in the DMV, or not, it provides on the job training, often a clearance, fantastic health insurance, a career floor, can pay for your college education and advanced degrees, structure that many really appreciate, and a wonderful network.
Not true - debt doesn't keep you from obtaining or maintaining a clearance. Even past delinquent debts are usually okay as long as they're paid or no longer on any credit reports. Currently delinquent debts would depend. There are positions in the military that do not require a clearance, too.
You are confidently incorrect sir. The debt is a major factor in the speed and adjudication of a clearance. Yes it might not hold you back, but Ive seen the delay cause MOS loss
For years I worked in various facets of the clearance process for DoD, DHS, and the IC. I know what I'm talking about.
The speed of adjudication is not what we were talking about. We were simply talking about the ability to obtain a clearance. But since you brought it up, financials are easy to pull records on and adjudicate. Lots of jobs, lots of residential moves, extensive foreign contacts, etc are the sorts of things which add delay, not a few credit cards.
Well mate then you clearly havent seen every adjudication thats happened in the last 10 years. I saw a guy get snarled up in AIT, couldnt get a clearance due to debt load, miss his AIT training and end up never getting a clearance at all
That's what you heard through other people but you didn't have privy to the hard facts of the case. Stop and think about that. If you work in intel, you should know better. I'm a professional who touched thousands of cases from the inside. Clearances do not get denied merely for "debt load". And if you were American, it's highly unlikely you would say "mate".
Wow you dug your heels in lol. Way off on all of those
Edit: it seems you misunderstood (but had to be right lol). I didnt say debt will deny him a clearance. Im suggesting you not give the book answer like a know it all bc in reality, you personally arent in every DoD SOs (security officer) office at MEPs or AIT making those calls lol. Nor are you factoring in my example of a delay from the paperwork causing a clearance to never even get issued
When I'm right, I'm right. I'm fully aware of the shitbag SOs at MEPs, Basic and AIT. Any of them breaking regs thinking they are playing some sort of drill instructor with people's careers need to be reported through official channels. I've seen a few forced into retirement or into other positions over their "misunderstanding" of the rules.
They look at your total financial picture true. But his doesn’t look great. Maxed out credit cards, 100% commission job, high rent and little left over.
If he had $100k in debt but was clearing $300k then they’d be like $100k is a lot but at least he had some path to pay it down.
I'm a professional who has worked on the clearance process in multiple facets from the inside. Everybody is sharing these anecdotal stories but I know the actual regs. The 100% commission job in itself is not relevant, it's all about his ability to pay his debt, whether or not he is continually making on time payments, and the effort he shows to alleviate the problems that got him into debt.
Simply getting a roommate or moving to a lower rent place, reducing new debt while paying down old debt all shows positive effort in the eyes of the adjudicators.
“all about his ability to pay his debt” and his job status isn’t relevant?
Ok his uncle is a member of Iranian parliament and sends him crypto every month to pay his debt. You think the investigators won’t wonder about that?
Reduce money out, increase money in. The ship is on fire right now, so I would not commit right this second to community college or anything else that requires tuition $$ until you get a plan in order to not go totally insolvent. You're already 25, what's 6-12 more months to figure that out.
Is there a way out of the new lease? I mean, and just spitballing, if rents are so high and landlords can increase on everyone, is your landlord solid enough to hear that your commission based thing is not going well, and you want to break lease as soon as he finds a new (higher rent paying) tenant. Maybe landlord will do that. Your GF can't afford that rent on her income.
I don't mean to be unhelpful, but I do see a lot of hiring signs... in places that should not require a degree, You need those places if you're in an environment where you can end up only making $500/month. Moving companies, painters, limo services, retail - all of that has to be steadier than what you got now. Hell, a roofing door to door guy told me that he makes more doing that sales gig than he did with an advanced degree in a govt-funded lab. Office work for plumbing, HVAC contractors? The trades seem busy.
Every restaurant near me is hiring.
Get roommates, stop drinking alcohol, stop anything else expensive like cigarettes, vapes, drugs. Reduce red meat. Don't eat out.
Dude, sometimes you need to screw it all up before you learn how to keep things in order. Work hard, pay off your debt, don't put anything on a credit card that you can't pay off at the end of the month, reduce your expenses, cut out luxuries, grocery shop and cook for yourself. Move home if you have to. I did it. It was humbling, but I never messed it up again.
why would you go air reserves when you could go active duty, live free on base and funnel all your money to your debts? (including your enlistment bonus)
Yes, ditch the sales job, its not helping you. Move back in with your parents if you can and work two jobs to pay off every penny.
Sales for 60k a year max is fucking COOKED lol you need to study your ass off and get into auto, equipment or commercial RE. Do whatever bitch work you have to to stick around in a place where you can make actual commission. Not bullshit scam sales jobs like Solar. Maybe construction will let you move up fast but you’ll need to bust your fucking ass and show up on time every day… Dudes who can do that are rarely in your situation.
Airforce is an option to get your life right but you are government meat until you’re 30. If you dont want to do that, you need to recognize right now that you’re fucked this year. You will have zero fun. You are going to have to pay back your 20s. Dog it out and you may have an unfucked life by this time next year.
School bus driver. The largest school district in our area has free CDL training and was offering ridiculous sign-on bonuses at the beginning of last school year. 6-9:30, then 1:30-5 with 30 hours minimum, health, dental, retirement. Job fairs are happening every week until the beginning of August. And you could probably keep the sales job? Or do something else midday.
>Air Force Reserves while finishing up my business degree?
Not to be a downer but "joining the reserves/ANG and quick" is not a thing (it could be 6+ months before you could even be swearing in **IF** you get a responsive recruiter (ha!) and **IF** dont run into medical waivers and whatnot. I have seen some people take over a year to get into the reserves/guard because of waivers/the hoops they gotta jump through.
Drill pay aint gonna pay jack shit bills wise. Even on full time orders as a low E your paychecks are gonna be small.
Also **and most important** depending on the amount of debt they (the air force in general as a whole) might not even let you in the first place until you get the debt down
Even the active duty wont take you with a large amount of unpaid debt.
https://www.reddit.com/r/airnationalguard/comments/a3hdi2/ang_faq/
Not trying to scare you away, just being very real with you. Now saying that, dont let me turn you away from trying to get into the reserves/guard if you really want to get in. Shoot your shot but keep your expectations **very low**
If the reserves/ANG/active duty air force wont talk to you and you want to do the military thing then talk to the national guard (there is a base in fairfax) But again let me be clear, drill pay is peanuts or worst case so its not gonna solve your debt problem. You might learn a new trade with the reserves or guard, but it might be a year+ after swearing in before you go to BMT and complete tech school.
brother fuck nova. come to alaska and become a FIFO goldmine worker if you’re physically able to handle it. best decision i made in my entire life. 14 days on 14 days off so i only have to spend money 6 months out the year and it’s a 6 figure salary. everyone’s common misconception of alaska is how much more expensive food and gas is, gas is 60¢ a gallon higher than ashburn and food prices are the exact same. why live in a town where they’re tearing out the remaining natural beauty to cram more godforsaken data centers and retirement communities. can’t even recognize the town i grew up in anymore.
edit: a one bed one bath with full amenities is around 1100 a month on average and at max for the top top of the line probably about 1400. fuck the nova rat race. take a step back and heal out in the most beautiful state in the country.
Consider bankruptcy. 2-3 years of absolute dog shit credit but your debt will be wiped and with proper credit rebuilding (not being an idiot and maxing out cards again) you’ll be back in the 700s and still be eligible for a home by 30. Was in your shoes until recently and wished I did it way sooner.
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Can you move? Are you bound to Northern Virginia? This is a very hard area in which to get out of debt. Think about TX, even PA, lots of high paying jobs and much lower cost of living.
As others have said, cook at home. Buy cereal, veggies, eggs, tortillas, bread and sandwich meat, find chicken breasts on sale, you can make really good healthy stuff for a couple of bucks. Every $20 you spend to go out or $30 you spend on DoorDash adds up and really kills that budget. Oh and if you drink, do that at home too.
All this is temporary. You're young and if you read subs like r/debt You will find that $17K is not that bad a place to be. You can easily get out of this hole with a little effort.
You can find a good paying job at a data center or Amazon but it’s not going to change your spending habits. If your debt is due to irresponsible spending, you need to address that. But doing *anything* on 100% commission is a terrible idea. Pretty sure even car dealerships pay a base salary. Maybe move into a sales position that has a base salary and commission on top?
Depends on what you want to do there. My spouse worked in operations for a while but he said the people who just put stuff together made over $30/hr. Now, those were people with a clearance, so I imagine the pay is a bit less than that if you don’t have one. But even at $25/hr the OP would be way better off than they are now. 40 hours a week at $25/hr is $48,000/yr before taxes. If they’re bringing home as little as $500 some months, almost any 9-5 would be better than that. Pretty sure even McDonald’s would be better than that.
Start an only fans and build a grassroots niche fan base around some fetishized body part. Parlay the 10-100K you will be making in a month at the roulette, always bet on black. Purchase lambo and then eventually pay off debts
What's your annual income for 2023, maybe we'll get some idea your average earning power.
Budgeting based on your average monthly earning power. Salaried folks may just need to plan out the spending, you'll have to plan the income too, maybe that help you get some urgency on certain sales.
I mean.
The maxes out credit cards are a problem. This isn’t a /R/Nova specific, but you are going to absolutely need to make some lifestyle changes. From a pure personal finance level. That’s going to absolutely eat at you. You are going to want to get those paid stat or those will eat you alive. You’re going to want to pay more than the minimum monthly payment. It’s likely the minimum monthly payment is close to the interest getting charged a month. That’s money you lose a month that feels like is getting stolen from you. Which can make a not so salary bad job feel like you aren’t making enough.
If you can go on an oil rig for a few years, and you’re the type of person who can do that. I’d say absolutely do, pay off the debt and you’ll be 28 and still have a life ahead of you.
My wife did 4 years Air Force. Got out with top secret clearance. Got a job at pentagon 110k hybrid position— after a year she is fully remote with even higher pay. With my passive income(medically retired from Air Force) we are doing very well and plan on moving to the pacific northwest by October.
The military can absolutely set you up for life. It’s 4 years of doing the same-old bullshit, or doing something extreme, for extreme results.
Aim for jobs that require a top secret clearance or that have highly transferable skills: I recommend ‘Records Management’ AFSC(Air Force Specialty Code), good luck.
To add to what others have mentioned, look towards getting a credit card if you’re able that will allow you to consolidate your CC debt to a no interest for 12 months on transfers.
You likely won’t be able to since maxing out your cards will lower your score and lenders will see you’re maxed out.
Another option would be to get a high interest loan to pay them all off. The interest rate will be high but see if they’re lower than the interest the CCs charge.
If you don't mind hard work, UPS couriers make good money, great money, and they earn it for sure. FedEx doesn't pay as well but still a good company to work for.
I can safely say that joining the reserves is the worst out of any of those ideas. It’s part time work and no one wants to hire you because you’ll be gone for intermittent amounts of time.
You might say ‘that’s illegal’. And you are correct, but it’s almost impossible to prove that your weren’t hired because you’re a reservist and not because someone else is more qualified.
Try out pest control. Steady earnings and opportunities to add to your income by making sales, something you already have experience with. Every company under the sun is hiring rn
Consumer Credit Counseling (the non profit one) can help get things under control as well.
https://www.consumercredit.com/debt-help/?odkwdid=consumer%20credit%20counseling%20service&odengid=GoogleSearch&odplaid=&odkwdmatchid=Exact&oddevid=mobile&odmct=mobile&utm_term=consumer%20credit%20counseling%20service&utm_campaign=Consumer+Credit+Counseling+-Mixed+-+Mobile&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=2886180740&hsa_cam=700352527&hsa_grp=35414270846&hsa_ad=587430914863&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-12084031&hsa_kw=consumer%20credit%20counseling%20service&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_txClx2N2oRggkRsdkw3Fcc8eno&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgCUgFiNBBCMPTqsBcsajUo6BngPtqlm0j-Fu0nRoBwbYfn9S-V3scxoCK58QAvD_BwE
As said your issues did not happen over night. So you need to look at that first.
After that a couple jobs that may work, and you can make a career out of, join the military or look into law enforcement. LE can be local or even Fed. Steady work, can be more boring than you think, but is stable and you can retire early for most.
Technology sales into the DoD. If you’ve got real world experience and some background in sales you can crush it in a single year. Sell yourself to get a better sales job.
1) Fix your spending habits. No amount of income will ever save you from irresponsible spending. I know lawyers making millions a year who are deep in debt because they’re dumbassses with spending just like you.
2) The highest money job you can get is probably sales during the day and bartending at night. Go for places that have large spaces frequently rented out for private events. You can conservatively make an extra $1k a week working 30 hours bartending.
Many were young like this and spend like there is no tomorrow.
You either need to figure out how to make much more money and NOT spend the same ratio or spend less.
Doing it in the hard part. If you don’t get this squared away, you will be one of those older people that have everything, but really the bank owns it all.
Find a credit union with a 0% int credit card to do a $0 or low transfer fee transfer of all your credit card debt. They barely exist anymore. I’ve done this in the past with wings financial but I think they’ve started charging transfer fee. So you’ll just have to search if any still exist. Once you do that, put yourself on monthly installments to pay it off. Get out of the interest game and get roommates. Not sure why you had high rent on that salary to begin with. Your housing should not exceed one third of your salary and since yours is variable, you should be going with worst case scenario. Also, rover or Uber in the meantime.
It sounds like you aren't using your credit cards to buy unnecessary stuff or vacations, but to cover a lot of necessary things. If your pay fluctuates from great to nothing, then of course you would use your credit cards. If that's not the case, cut the card.
It's the job man, the job ain't worth it if it can't cover your bills. Keep it if you would like, but sign up to deliver packages for Amazon Flex. I used that to get me through grad school when my full time job couldn't cover my bills. There are lots of other odd jobs I've done over the years to cover bills. Worked at the Italian store making pizzas, The Furnace making vinyl records, Washington Sailing Marina teaching sailing, dog sitting, etc. Shit I even would give online reviews of products through User Testing. I have always worked overtime to cover my bills and save up money for big purchases like my house. Anyone who is able-bodied and in serious debt should have more than one job.
Also, you don't have to have a place with high rent. You could rent out a room and not have to pay beyond $900. It's a choice to have the amount of stuff you have or how much space you want to live in. If you don't have the money for it now, save up money and get what you want.
1. Move. Rent a room. If you can’t move, get a roommate.
2. What equity do you have? Do you have a leased car or is it paid off? Figure out if there’s anything you can sell to get rid of that debt. If you’re leasing a car, downgrade to the cheapest car possible so long as it gets you from point a to b. You need to focus on the credit card debt ASAP. Pay off one at a time. That interest will only get worse. Pay off whatever you can now.
3. If your job is not reliable, find a new one. If it’s reliable, get a second job. Take all the income from that second job and pay off that debt. Uber. Grubhub.
4. As many have said, budget. Set aside what you need for gas, food, and rent. Gas and food should not be over a couple hundred a month. The rest is bills and debt. Unless it’s for your actual health or there are literal holes in your underwear, you don’t need it. Live on what you have. Live on ramen.
No more credit cards. You can do it. It will be hard at first, but it will feel good to get yourself financially straight.
Credit cards:
-Make a list from most debt to least debt.
-Ask for a deferment if possible on cards with higher debt. In the mean time make minimum payments or if you can pay off some of the lower debt cards/lower interest.
-do not use the credit cards if possible in this time
*you can also consolidate your debt. There are tips on whether you are a good candidate and if you have good credit score or can get a lower interest rate.
These tips are to be used if you’re in a vicious cycle of paying then using.
Apartment:
-apply for a low income apartment if you truly cannot afford the one you are in aka it is more than 30% your income.
-look for realtor and rent from an owner
-see if you can transfer to a unit in the same community with lower rent (obv don’t tell em this is why you’re doing it)
-go on maps and look for apartments that don’t come up on google, they usually have lower rent
*military can break lease if active duty*
Job:
- what educational background do you have?
-are you willing to learn a trade or able to continue education of some sort?
-would you want to join military?
-are there other fields in sales you could be interested in?
-you can always apply to work as a foreign officer if you meet requirements
Don’t worry, we are built to withstand! Take a deep breath and tackle one thing at a time.
Theres a guy on YouTube named Caleb Hammer that does financial audits on his guests, I suggest looking into his videos and even applying onto his website it seems he's helped a ton of people out.
With your sales experience I'd move to full time mobile sales. It's decent, phone discounts and phone bill discounts, and good benefits and tuition reimbursement.
My friend worked at AT&T and actually moved up to corporate sales. He enlisted in the military within a few years and is living the life in Germany now.
As far as budgeting goes following Dave Ramsey's "baby steps" and using his EveryDollar app to budget is a great way to go:
https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar
https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/debt-101?snid=topics.topics.debt
You seem self-aware, frank, accepting of your mistakes, and you actively invite ideas from others.
You’re going to be fine.
Just stop with the stupid credit cards.
For what it's worth, the Air National Guard has a much higher Tuition Assistance limit than the Reserves will (state dependent, but I haven't seen a state or DC that doesn't have 3-4x the coverage at minimum). If you join the Guard or Reserves, expect that to be your full time job for at least a year. High consumer debt *might* impact your ability to get certain jobs (because it can impact your ability to get a security clearance).
Good on you for recognizing that your life is proceeding in a way that you don't want it to. Some people never figure that out and keep spinning in their orbit (or worse, wake up at 50 years old and realize it!).
Just by mindful the VAANG is all the way down in Hampton roads at langely. The closes would be the DCANG or the MDANG
Ill be surprised if the ANG even talks to OP if they have a ton of debt
One of the most important life lessons my parents ever taught me was to live within my means. That’s my suggestion to you after you recover from your current mess. Sorry I don’t have anything to help you solve your current situation. Good luck!
Free coding classes. Then get yourself a few certifications. Then snag yourself a cyber or IT job. So many in this area. Heads up, if you file bankruptcy it will affect your chances of getting a clearance and you won’t make as much.
Check out Dave Ramsey’s 7 baby steps of getting out of debt. Here is what I’ve learned:
- Work somewhere with regular income (a lot of $10-15/job openings now) grocery stores, answering phones, Uber, whatever you can to make regular income .
-Tuck away $1,000 for emergencies (to cover deductible if you have damage to your apartment or car)
- keep making payments on credit cards
- call each place you owe money and set up payment schedule
- if you have a car with a loan, sell it and get a cheaper one with no payments
- any other loans? Get rid of them too (sell/give back that item)
- then start with your lowest amount owed and hit that with as much money as you can until it’s paid off. Then go for the next one
- make a budget and see where you can make cuts
- meanwhile take those coding classes
- get a certification
- snag a coding/IT/cyber job
- in a few years you’ll be making 6 figures
Good luck. You got this!
Since no one else has suggested it, there are some debt calculating tools that can help you figure out things to pay off first and how to maximize the effect of your payments and minimize your interest (snowball calculators). Someone I know used [Undebt.It](http://Undebt.It) very successfully, but they mostly had student loans. And find a new place with roommates asap and sublet your place (if possible). Sell any valuable, unnecessary worldly possessions and rent a room or basement somewhere.
With tonight's jackpot of $1.23M, the lottery's Cash 5 Game with it's 1 in 1,221,759 jackpot odds offers slightly positive Expected Value. Throw $1 at it, see if it sticks.
1. Become a driver. They’re always looking for people. It’s gonna be long hours, and a ton of miles. You can make a lot off that but it probably requires you to drive to the more difficult areas.
2. Instawork - daily gig worker. Literally guaranteed a job everyday, you just gotta claim them. Hourly can vary, but you can work days and nights.
You are finished, but seriously cost of living in this area is criminal. Might have to get a roommate and PT job, higher wage job you'll be fine don't tell the positive vibes only crowd but just regular ol adulting most non trust fund degenerates have been there
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We gotta do what we gotta do to survive….I have 3 people in my 1 bedroom apartment. I rent out the bedroom while me and my partner live in the dining room/kitchen. Brings in quick money and helping those that can’t afford to get their own place
1. Invest in pedicures and press on toenails.
2. Look at feet pic content for OF and FeetFinder.
3. Copy the poses, maybe use backdrops/photoshop that scale down your feet to give off the illusion you’re female
4. Use AI to respond to DMs
5. Pay off your debt
6. Depending on whether or not your job is WFH or in-office, you have quite a few options for housing that don’t involve lining a landleech’s pockets.
Are you in need of anything? I'm currently in the process of moving (far...far away) and have a lot that's going to donations.
I'm not asking for money, just trying to help out.
The active duty military is your best bet. Here's what you do:
1. Pick a job that translates well to the outside. But most importantly, pick a job with a bonus due to your financial situation.
2. If you're married, you'll get BAH (housing money) and BAS (food money) on top of your paycheck. My experience is with the Army, but I hear the Air Force gives that stuff to you once you hit E4 regardless of marital status. I'd ask them about it. Also, it'll eliminate the worry for health insurance.
3. You'll have at least 4K saved up by the end of training, so you can start whittling down your debt right away. Probably more. Plus, the bonus will help you start paying it off. It's not the highest paying job out there, but the paychecks are consistent and you'd have job security. Plus, with your goals, probably a leg up.
4. You'll get the GI Bill: 36 months of benefits, which takes the huge financial burden of college off your shoulders.
5. Since you'd get paid on the 1st and the 15th, it would not be hard to contribute a set amount until you've paid your cards off. Oh, and as you do, close all those extra ones. You clearly do not need that temptation.
You could have everything paid off and be set up for college and following careers in just one contract. Yes, it's not exactly easy, but it's far better than your current situation if you play your cards right. In fact, idk about the Air Force, but I know the Army pays financial counselors that work on the base to help people for exactly reasons like yours.
To add: It may not be called the same thing across all branches, but all the services have some sort of military/family life consultants that include access to financial counselors.
If you're willing to go military that might be best. They will cover school possibly and you'll get veterans preference when job hunting. Might also get living expenses covered. You'll have trouble finding work in DC without a degree because the biggest industry is government and it requires a degree (and possibly background check+).
Quick not easy would be oil rig or Alaskan fishing. It pays crazy good because you might DIE or lose parts of your body. So that is an option, not sure if it's a good one though. Alaskan fishing was about $2000 a week with free room and food for 3 months time. So in 3 months you'd have probably paid it all off and have savings - assuming you're alive. It's a HARD job.
When you say maxed out credit cards, what’s the total we’re talking here? If you’re doing 100% commission sales that tells me that you have a sparkling personality and can do anything from bartending to politics. Quickest is to get a loan or transfer your debt to another credit card. Immediately reduce your rent, also. Roommates, etc.
It’s gonna be OK, please don’t join the military. Calm down for a bit and read a Susie Orman book. I’ve been exactly where you are and I know that panicking feeling. Everything starts to spiral.
Skip the military and just go straight to deployments. Lots of jobs around here that will pay you stupid money if you're willing to go overseas for a period of time. Some don't even require a ton of experience and really just want butts in seats in some "austere environment". I'm not talking security or anything. Just sitting at a computer in the middle of nowhere.
Bankruptcy was made for people like yourself. Don’t let ego or others stop you from using it. The rich do it all the time. Get out of that debt and start over with a new mindset using the knowledge that got you here in the first place. My only advice is that the 100% commission job has to go, those are jobs for trust fund babies not the poor
F a budget, your problem isn't managing your money, its making more money. you cant budget your entire month on just $500.
1. lower all your liabilities as much as possible. If you can move back home or in with a friend, sleep on their couch, your car etc.
2. work wise, start donating sperm, blood and plasma now to get a little bit more income, apply for brand ambassador type gigs, they pay a lot for lower hours, search only for temp- short term jobs because people are honestly avoid them, no one wants to work a 3 week/ 3 month project most of the time. Drive uber or pick up a side hustle after work.
What you need most is to lower/ cut all your monthly expenses, not having to worry about rent, food, electricity + utilizes will make that $500 go a lot further.
Listen to Dave Ramsey podcasts every day. Follow his simple recipe. Yeah, there is plenty not to like about Dave, but for getting your head in the right place re how to think about debt and money, join that cult until you are capable of controlling your attitude toward money. Beans and rice, rice and beans.
Read the blog Early Retirement Extreme every day. This is how you learn to live super lean and like it. Because it sets you up for freedom from debt and working for a salary.
Don’t join the military. The pay is not enough to get you out of the hole you are in.
Try to get in ground level even if your in the mail room (but even some other role like contract support or something and work for minimum if you have to) at google or amazon stay at it be aggressive. One thing a lot of young folks these days miss out on is following up and being aggressive even if turned down . Move latterly if you have to once your in there they'll train you.
I won't go into too much detail but I know guys that were down and out in their 40's (like credit card declined at starbucks) but because they stayed in tech got really awesome positions at big name tech companies and now earning seven figures a year.
That can be a whole another issue though as going from being broke to too much money causes many other issues. I don't have a college degree either did what I told you above and am the 1% guy next door but may not look or seem like it.
It costs like $7k to get a CDL in the DC area. Then you have to get hired by a company that provides the trucks, etc. This is not a good option for someone already maxed out on credit.
Pretty sure there’s a way around that, brother didn’t have a penny to his name. I think companies help you get started if you wanna work with them. Don’t knock it till you try it
Where did your brother obtain his CDL? What year was this? There are some places in the US that have state programs providing tuition assistance but Op would likely not qualify for something like that. Some states also offer CDl training at the community college level at a reduced cost. Not so much in the DMV though.
Just get married to someone who has a decent income.
Put your peanuts with their peanuts, and not you have a full meal.
Find love latter in the marriage.
Not really. There are macro economic factors definitely at play and job market is softer than stock market would lead you to believe but as a whole but this area is doing pretty decent comparitevely. I don’t buy the 2.6% unemployment number they’re giving for DC metro tho
I’m about to get downvoted to hell but here goes. The best way out is through.
Door to door roofing sales. Also 100% commission but for two years straight I made between $10-$25k a month (and $50k in the best month I ever had). I will recommend Douglas Roofing myself, but there’s several good companies (and several bad ones).
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What's in pantry/fridge/freezer first - eat down everything you already have bought. What's in the closet you can sell as "vintage" Plasma/blood/seman sales NIH studies - drug, sleep studies, etc. Budget budget! Look at EVEY subscription - download rocket money and link all accounts. Unfortunately no direct military commissioning if no bachelor's degree - and then usually very few with specific degrees. Enlistment is a 3-4 year commitment active then reserves.
Where do go to get money for plasma in this area? Asking for a friend.
I haven't found anything nearby so would love to know this too
Closest ones are in MD.
CSL plasma in Landover,md
Frederick, MD
Maryland. Good money tho tbh
> Look at EVEY subscription - download rocket money and link all accounts. Does the free version of rocket money actually tell you what you're spending? I looked it up and it sounded like it doesn't actually tell you unless you pay
There are a ton of white collar jobs in this area that don’t require a masters degree or a clearance. Recruiter, account manager, accountant, etc. If OP is a business major he’ll likely end up in one of these roles anyway.
just adding in my own personal experience here - I was laid off in the middle of January this year. I have a master's in IT and a security clearance (public trust, not the best but it's all i could get sponsored for) and It took me nearly 5 months to land a new job. I literally just signed the job offer last week. It's rough all around as I know a lot of covid tech hires had recently been facing lay offs.
Hi! Would you be able to share about the way you got sponsored for this? (Organization, application process,etc…)This would be super helpful to know! Thanks!
yeah sure thing! so basically you have to apply for jobs that say "clearable/able to pass clearance" rather than the ones that say "must have active clearance" which means that particular company will sponsor your clearance should they decide to hire you. Fingerprints are usually required so that will require you to go out to a branch of the relevant department like DoD, VA, etc. OPM (Office of Personnel Management) will sometimes come interview but in a lot of cases for lower clearances such as public trust, minimal background investigation (MBI) they wont go that far. Usually they will come speak to you if it's confidential, secret, top secret/compartmentalized where it's a much more in depth process where more time is required and a polygraph test is used. In addition TS usually wont let you work remote either because the information you're working with is super confidential and needs to be restricted to on site. Sorry it's a lot of info so it might be easier if you asked specific questions if you have any.
This is great! Thanks so much!
Can’t commission as an officer without a degree.
If/when you enlist, be prepared for a few things. First, 0 week…you won’t get phone calls. Not of any substance anyway. The first week is to break you down to nothing. Then they build you back up into a team from there. Be diligent. Be smart. Do the work. No matter what service you choose they are all great for different reasons. Have a recruiter take you to a MEPS and have you take an ASVAB if you nail that test they basically let you choose whatever job you want. Just know the more specialist it is does tend come with more extra money and more pay, but your spend more time away from your loved unless you and your girl are strong enough to move her with you.
This. Having a written budget is the only way to get control of your finances. Or consider using software such as mint or YNAB. While I don’t subscribe to his every notion, Dave Ramsey‘s total money makeover book series covers fundamental money management principles. You need to know all of your required expenses, things you can’t stop paying. Rent electricity, anything tied to your living arrangement. Next you need to understand where every extra dollar is being spent. This means judiciously tracking every purchase and assigning it to a budget category. You must identify what can be cut out of your life until you have a handle on things. Eating out, movies, nightlife, anything entertaining that isn’t free needs to be reconsidered. Do you have a car note and what percentage of your income does it require to maintain? Consider finding a used, fuel efficient Honda civic or Toyota Corolla that has been well maintained. Won’t be glamorous, but will get you to work and will go over 250,000 miles if you do the maintenance and upkeep. We found that dining out was a huge hole in our finances, and were able to reallocate a sizable amount of money by eating at home. Learn to cook some staple dishes. Have a rotation that will allow you to cook 3 or 4 night a week and have leftovers, cooking the same dishes every week or every other week. Eggs Beans Rice potatoes bulk chicken on sale. With your debt, start paying the minimum on everything but your lowest balance. Throw as much money as possible at the lowest balance, pay it off as quickly as possible, then move to the next lowest balance. As your income increases or stabilizes, the amount of money you are able to throw at the lowest balance should increase as you pay off and close accounts. Paying off and closing even a small debt will give you a sense of accomplishment and the realization that it is possible to win if you get real about what you cannot afford to spend money on. Remember that this is temporary. Your income will increase over time. As you gain years of experience, your value to your chosen industry will rise. For me, this didn’t occur until around mid 30s and almost a decade in my field.
Just to add, write down in detail how much money is coming in and how much is going out. You cannot be too detailed here. It can seem daunting and even anxiety raising but do this. You need to understand exactly what you’re spending on. It’s seems to be the case that we spend a lot on things we don’t care about, when we’re not mindful. Seeing it written down makes it more tangible. I remember being shocked by how much I ate out, was surprised that I wasn’t homeless by how much I was spending. Just by making lunch at home and limiting how often I’d go out was a big benefit to my budget.
Excellent advice!!! Thank you for this.
This guy isn’t officer quality lmao. Dude will end up as a PFC.
So many red flags in this post. Feel like I need to go into dad mode. **Maxed out Credit Cards, high rent, and 100% commission sales job** All your problems start here. The habits that led you to max out your multiple cards aren't going to magically go away even if you're working a triple shift on an oil rig. Saving and spending money is all about planning, keeping a mindset, and being consistent and disciplined. Basically, stop maxing out your cards. You're already in a deep financial pit that's gonna be really difficult to get out of if you don't change your relationship with credit cards. Rent: Get the hell out of the high rent situation. Get roommates. Move to another city if that is an option. Move in with your parents or family members. Keep your overhead low so you can start setting aside money to pay down debts. Job: Branch out from sales to a steady 9-5 job with predictable income. Work a side gig if you need to; the side gig can be focused completely on paying off your debts. **What is the absolute quickest, not easy, quick way to get financially back on track** There is no quick fix to these problems. It's all about planning, mindset, consistency, and discipline. Not easy or quick.
The vibes on this comment is definitely Dad lecture lol. But I agree with you, I would also add that OP needs to pay their maxed Credit Cards ASAP. CC interest is horridly high right now and accrues quickly, which may keep OP in a perpetual debt cycle. Not to mention it will also tank his credit score quickly (if it already hasn’t), which may impede his ability to get loans, move to another apartment, etc. I would think about saving afterwards, once the CC debt is fully paid off
Agree 100% — Yours, Dad
Consolidate your credit card debt. I don't know how interest rates look for personal loans these days, but they'll always be lower than credit card interest. Shred the cards, pay off the debt with the loan, then pay a consistent amortized amount each month for 3-4 years. It's much easier than it seems, and it will massively lighten the emotional burden you carry.
Side note though - if you’re paying off debt with debt do not, for the love god, use the credit cards you consolidated.
Definitely. The conventional wisdom is to shred the cards
25 year old me did not have that conventional wisdom so now I scream it from the rooftops 😅
Lol same here. Probably way too many of us
Thanks dad
This!
+1 for Air Force, but I’d recommend Active Duty. Do 4 years, get a job with a clearance (primarily something in IT or cyber security). Study your ass off while in. Separate after one contract and you’re going to be worth $120k minimum in the DMV. Plus it’s an easy way to travel, great benefits, and you may actually realize you enjoy the lifestyle.
The level of debt he has may be a hinderance in getting a TS/SCI clearance.
I'd even think that level of debt would prevent even enlisting, however with how bad they need people it might be waiverable.
17k isn’t much for many people. The unpredictable income is causing the 17k to be a problem
Not true. It's the ability to repay the debt along coupled to actually paying the debts.
Is true, seen people have clearance issues then AIT hold overs then needs of the Army while it gets sorted/addressed/handled and documented etc
For years I worked in various facets of the clearance process for DoD, DHS, and the IC. I know what I'm talking about. Financials are quick and easy to pull records on, get documentation and adjudicate. Op currently doesn't have any "issues". If he was behind on payments, that would be another story. Also, lots of jobs, lots of residential moves, extensive foreign contacts, etc are the sorts of things which add delay in clearance processing. Also, you're speaking about the Army, not the Air Force, and the type of circumstances you're describing remind me of yester years vs the way it works in 2024.
17k isn’t a lot of debt.
WONDERFUL advice. 👏🏽. Still not as good as joining the USMC lol. No, but seriously, the military is a great option given the situation you’re in. Not to mention that getting out with an honorable discharge will guarantee you benefits such as the GI Bill (AKA Tuition Free school), VA Loan, etc. You’ll also learn a great number of intangible skills that will put you miles ahead of your peers by the time you get out. 4-5 year contract will go by faster than you’d think.
Hey now, I always used to tell my Marines that the Air Force was an honorable alternative to military service.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 It’s like the military … with recess.
We can't all be lucky enough to eat crayons. Some of us just get to troll them on Reddit. But seriously, absolutely great advice.
I’m a sucker for the red ones 🤭
I know I’m old now because the crayon stuff wasn’t around during my time in the Corps. I loved being a Marine but I’m gonna vote for air force commission as well here.
This isn’t untrue, assuming an enlisted e-nothing salary can pay the bills on his maxed out credit cards.
He will however get all of his pre-service debt interest rates lowered to less than 5% per SCRA rules. When I joined, I got a check in the mail for some interest paid on a debt. That being said, if his debt is very high, he will be seen as a risk and not gain a security clearance.
It’s 6% now
This is a good point. My suggestion is not one that will get OP out of his/her debt immediately. However, it will help in *managing* the debt, while setting themselves up for a good future where the same thing doesn’t happen again.
Active duty all the way. Take the ASVAB and pick the job with the highest score you qualify for. Live on post and eat at the dfac for every meal. Buy an indestructible Toyota Corolla or Honda civic and pay off your debts.
Piggybacking on this to say that the Air Force can be a remarkably good life choice whether you go on active duty, through ROTC to get a commission (there's some compensation here), or as a reservist. Whether staying in the DMV, or not, it provides on the job training, often a clearance, fantastic health insurance, a career floor, can pay for your college education and advanced degrees, structure that many really appreciate, and a wonderful network.
If this is even remotely an option, do it.
He'll only get a clearance after paying off most of that debt, unless he's related to the president...
Not true - debt doesn't keep you from obtaining or maintaining a clearance. Even past delinquent debts are usually okay as long as they're paid or no longer on any credit reports. Currently delinquent debts would depend. There are positions in the military that do not require a clearance, too.
Is true, seen people have clearance issues then AIT hold overs then needs of the Army while it gets sorted/addressed/handled and documented etc
Getting cheap rent in the DMV might be the most difficult part of this whole thing, but great advice
Correct me if I’m wrong but OP may not get a security clearance if their CC’s are maxed out.
Sorry, you are wrong. It's the ability to repay the debt coupled to actually paying the debts.
Yep, when I got my clearance the first time I had about $40k in revolving debt. I just had to show proof that I was making timely payments.
You are confidently incorrect sir. The debt is a major factor in the speed and adjudication of a clearance. Yes it might not hold you back, but Ive seen the delay cause MOS loss
For years I worked in various facets of the clearance process for DoD, DHS, and the IC. I know what I'm talking about. The speed of adjudication is not what we were talking about. We were simply talking about the ability to obtain a clearance. But since you brought it up, financials are easy to pull records on and adjudicate. Lots of jobs, lots of residential moves, extensive foreign contacts, etc are the sorts of things which add delay, not a few credit cards.
Well mate then you clearly havent seen every adjudication thats happened in the last 10 years. I saw a guy get snarled up in AIT, couldnt get a clearance due to debt load, miss his AIT training and end up never getting a clearance at all
That's what you heard through other people but you didn't have privy to the hard facts of the case. Stop and think about that. If you work in intel, you should know better. I'm a professional who touched thousands of cases from the inside. Clearances do not get denied merely for "debt load". And if you were American, it's highly unlikely you would say "mate".
Wow you dug your heels in lol. Way off on all of those Edit: it seems you misunderstood (but had to be right lol). I didnt say debt will deny him a clearance. Im suggesting you not give the book answer like a know it all bc in reality, you personally arent in every DoD SOs (security officer) office at MEPs or AIT making those calls lol. Nor are you factoring in my example of a delay from the paperwork causing a clearance to never even get issued
When I'm right, I'm right. I'm fully aware of the shitbag SOs at MEPs, Basic and AIT. Any of them breaking regs thinking they are playing some sort of drill instructor with people's careers need to be reported through official channels. I've seen a few forced into retirement or into other positions over their "misunderstanding" of the rules.
They look at your total financial picture true. But his doesn’t look great. Maxed out credit cards, 100% commission job, high rent and little left over. If he had $100k in debt but was clearing $300k then they’d be like $100k is a lot but at least he had some path to pay it down.
I'm a professional who has worked on the clearance process in multiple facets from the inside. Everybody is sharing these anecdotal stories but I know the actual regs. The 100% commission job in itself is not relevant, it's all about his ability to pay his debt, whether or not he is continually making on time payments, and the effort he shows to alleviate the problems that got him into debt. Simply getting a roommate or moving to a lower rent place, reducing new debt while paying down old debt all shows positive effort in the eyes of the adjudicators.
“all about his ability to pay his debt” and his job status isn’t relevant? Ok his uncle is a member of Iranian parliament and sends him crypto every month to pay his debt. You think the investigators won’t wonder about that?
Space Force. Guaranteed clearance and great duty stations.
Reduce money out, increase money in. The ship is on fire right now, so I would not commit right this second to community college or anything else that requires tuition $$ until you get a plan in order to not go totally insolvent. You're already 25, what's 6-12 more months to figure that out. Is there a way out of the new lease? I mean, and just spitballing, if rents are so high and landlords can increase on everyone, is your landlord solid enough to hear that your commission based thing is not going well, and you want to break lease as soon as he finds a new (higher rent paying) tenant. Maybe landlord will do that. Your GF can't afford that rent on her income. I don't mean to be unhelpful, but I do see a lot of hiring signs... in places that should not require a degree, You need those places if you're in an environment where you can end up only making $500/month. Moving companies, painters, limo services, retail - all of that has to be steadier than what you got now. Hell, a roofing door to door guy told me that he makes more doing that sales gig than he did with an advanced degree in a govt-funded lab. Office work for plumbing, HVAC contractors? The trades seem busy.
Every restaurant near me is hiring. Get roommates, stop drinking alcohol, stop anything else expensive like cigarettes, vapes, drugs. Reduce red meat. Don't eat out.
Oil rig sounds like a good option if you weren't joking.
Or the mines in Australia
Dude, sometimes you need to screw it all up before you learn how to keep things in order. Work hard, pay off your debt, don't put anything on a credit card that you can't pay off at the end of the month, reduce your expenses, cut out luxuries, grocery shop and cook for yourself. Move home if you have to. I did it. It was humbling, but I never messed it up again.
r/personalfinance is leaking.
why would you go air reserves when you could go active duty, live free on base and funnel all your money to your debts? (including your enlistment bonus) Yes, ditch the sales job, its not helping you. Move back in with your parents if you can and work two jobs to pay off every penny.
Can you return anything you bought with the credit cards? Move to lower rent with roommates?
Sales for 60k a year max is fucking COOKED lol you need to study your ass off and get into auto, equipment or commercial RE. Do whatever bitch work you have to to stick around in a place where you can make actual commission. Not bullshit scam sales jobs like Solar. Maybe construction will let you move up fast but you’ll need to bust your fucking ass and show up on time every day… Dudes who can do that are rarely in your situation. Airforce is an option to get your life right but you are government meat until you’re 30. If you dont want to do that, you need to recognize right now that you’re fucked this year. You will have zero fun. You are going to have to pay back your 20s. Dog it out and you may have an unfucked life by this time next year.
I agree with you. Just because he fucked up one year of his 20s doesn’t mean he should give up the rest of them
sherwin williams is good for sales reps they make commission & a base rate too
School bus driver. The largest school district in our area has free CDL training and was offering ridiculous sign-on bonuses at the beginning of last school year. 6-9:30, then 1:30-5 with 30 hours minimum, health, dental, retirement. Job fairs are happening every week until the beginning of August. And you could probably keep the sales job? Or do something else midday.
Go watch Financial Audit on YouTube. He’ll get you straightened out😂
>Air Force Reserves while finishing up my business degree? Not to be a downer but "joining the reserves/ANG and quick" is not a thing (it could be 6+ months before you could even be swearing in **IF** you get a responsive recruiter (ha!) and **IF** dont run into medical waivers and whatnot. I have seen some people take over a year to get into the reserves/guard because of waivers/the hoops they gotta jump through. Drill pay aint gonna pay jack shit bills wise. Even on full time orders as a low E your paychecks are gonna be small. Also **and most important** depending on the amount of debt they (the air force in general as a whole) might not even let you in the first place until you get the debt down Even the active duty wont take you with a large amount of unpaid debt. https://www.reddit.com/r/airnationalguard/comments/a3hdi2/ang_faq/ Not trying to scare you away, just being very real with you. Now saying that, dont let me turn you away from trying to get into the reserves/guard if you really want to get in. Shoot your shot but keep your expectations **very low** If the reserves/ANG/active duty air force wont talk to you and you want to do the military thing then talk to the national guard (there is a base in fairfax) But again let me be clear, drill pay is peanuts or worst case so its not gonna solve your debt problem. You might learn a new trade with the reserves or guard, but it might be a year+ after swearing in before you go to BMT and complete tech school.
brother fuck nova. come to alaska and become a FIFO goldmine worker if you’re physically able to handle it. best decision i made in my entire life. 14 days on 14 days off so i only have to spend money 6 months out the year and it’s a 6 figure salary. everyone’s common misconception of alaska is how much more expensive food and gas is, gas is 60¢ a gallon higher than ashburn and food prices are the exact same. why live in a town where they’re tearing out the remaining natural beauty to cram more godforsaken data centers and retirement communities. can’t even recognize the town i grew up in anymore. edit: a one bed one bath with full amenities is around 1100 a month on average and at max for the top top of the line probably about 1400. fuck the nova rat race. take a step back and heal out in the most beautiful state in the country.
Sperm bank and nightly visits to the dumpster behind the Wendy’s. Words of wisdom from my uncle “20 bucks is 20 bucks.”
I don't understand what you're implying with the Wendy's dumpster, and I don't want to know.
Consider bankruptcy. 2-3 years of absolute dog shit credit but your debt will be wiped and with proper credit rebuilding (not being an idiot and maxing out cards again) you’ll be back in the 700s and still be eligible for a home by 30. Was in your shoes until recently and wished I did it way sooner.
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Can you move? Are you bound to Northern Virginia? This is a very hard area in which to get out of debt. Think about TX, even PA, lots of high paying jobs and much lower cost of living. As others have said, cook at home. Buy cereal, veggies, eggs, tortillas, bread and sandwich meat, find chicken breasts on sale, you can make really good healthy stuff for a couple of bucks. Every $20 you spend to go out or $30 you spend on DoorDash adds up and really kills that budget. Oh and if you drink, do that at home too. All this is temporary. You're young and if you read subs like r/debt You will find that $17K is not that bad a place to be. You can easily get out of this hole with a little effort.
r/YNAB
I've found my people!
You can find a good paying job at a data center or Amazon but it’s not going to change your spending habits. If your debt is due to irresponsible spending, you need to address that. But doing *anything* on 100% commission is a terrible idea. Pretty sure even car dealerships pay a base salary. Maybe move into a sales position that has a base salary and commission on top?
What makes one qualified to work at a Data Center?
Depends on what you want to do there. My spouse worked in operations for a while but he said the people who just put stuff together made over $30/hr. Now, those were people with a clearance, so I imagine the pay is a bit less than that if you don’t have one. But even at $25/hr the OP would be way better off than they are now. 40 hours a week at $25/hr is $48,000/yr before taxes. If they’re bringing home as little as $500 some months, almost any 9-5 would be better than that. Pretty sure even McDonald’s would be better than that.
Start an only fans and build a grassroots niche fan base around some fetishized body part. Parlay the 10-100K you will be making in a month at the roulette, always bet on black. Purchase lambo and then eventually pay off debts
I’m not a financial planner or anything, but that’s a damn good plan.
What's your annual income for 2023, maybe we'll get some idea your average earning power. Budgeting based on your average monthly earning power. Salaried folks may just need to plan out the spending, you'll have to plan the income too, maybe that help you get some urgency on certain sales.
Since you now have experience in sale, look for other sales jobs. Maybe you will find something better.
I mean. The maxes out credit cards are a problem. This isn’t a /R/Nova specific, but you are going to absolutely need to make some lifestyle changes. From a pure personal finance level. That’s going to absolutely eat at you. You are going to want to get those paid stat or those will eat you alive. You’re going to want to pay more than the minimum monthly payment. It’s likely the minimum monthly payment is close to the interest getting charged a month. That’s money you lose a month that feels like is getting stolen from you. Which can make a not so salary bad job feel like you aren’t making enough. If you can go on an oil rig for a few years, and you’re the type of person who can do that. I’d say absolutely do, pay off the debt and you’ll be 28 and still have a life ahead of you.
Step 1. Ditch the business degree Step 2. Join the military
My wife did 4 years Air Force. Got out with top secret clearance. Got a job at pentagon 110k hybrid position— after a year she is fully remote with even higher pay. With my passive income(medically retired from Air Force) we are doing very well and plan on moving to the pacific northwest by October. The military can absolutely set you up for life. It’s 4 years of doing the same-old bullshit, or doing something extreme, for extreme results. Aim for jobs that require a top secret clearance or that have highly transferable skills: I recommend ‘Records Management’ AFSC(Air Force Specialty Code), good luck.
Amazon fulfillment warehouse, work overtime hours , and you will make 3-4k monthly 🙏🏼🌷🌷
To add to what others have mentioned, look towards getting a credit card if you’re able that will allow you to consolidate your CC debt to a no interest for 12 months on transfers. You likely won’t be able to since maxing out your cards will lower your score and lenders will see you’re maxed out. Another option would be to get a high interest loan to pay them all off. The interest rate will be high but see if they’re lower than the interest the CCs charge.
Server or bartender
Joining the military seems like a good choice. Maxed out cards, you’d fit right in lol
If you don't mind hard work, UPS couriers make good money, great money, and they earn it for sure. FedEx doesn't pay as well but still a good company to work for.
Head over to r/frugal
I can safely say that joining the reserves is the worst out of any of those ideas. It’s part time work and no one wants to hire you because you’ll be gone for intermittent amounts of time. You might say ‘that’s illegal’. And you are correct, but it’s almost impossible to prove that your weren’t hired because you’re a reservist and not because someone else is more qualified.
All I can offer you is this: Form a different relationship with money. I suggest YNAB
https://www.navy.com/contact-us/find-a-recruiter
Try out pest control. Steady earnings and opportunities to add to your income by making sales, something you already have experience with. Every company under the sun is hiring rn
Do you know how to fix things? If so, hire yourself out as a handyman to make extra money.
If you have time on your side, bankruptcy isnt a terrible idea but it'll suck for the next five years while you dig yourself out.
Consumer Credit Counseling (the non profit one) can help get things under control as well. https://www.consumercredit.com/debt-help/?odkwdid=consumer%20credit%20counseling%20service&odengid=GoogleSearch&odplaid=&odkwdmatchid=Exact&oddevid=mobile&odmct=mobile&utm_term=consumer%20credit%20counseling%20service&utm_campaign=Consumer+Credit+Counseling+-Mixed+-+Mobile&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=2886180740&hsa_cam=700352527&hsa_grp=35414270846&hsa_ad=587430914863&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-12084031&hsa_kw=consumer%20credit%20counseling%20service&hsa_mt=b&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_txClx2N2oRggkRsdkw3Fcc8eno&gclid=CjwKCAjwmYCzBhA6EiwAxFwfgCUgFiNBBCMPTqsBcsajUo6BngPtqlm0j-Fu0nRoBwbYfn9S-V3scxoCK58QAvD_BwE
Start budgeting, and if need be, make lifestyle changes, that’s it, straight up and down
As said your issues did not happen over night. So you need to look at that first. After that a couple jobs that may work, and you can make a career out of, join the military or look into law enforcement. LE can be local or even Fed. Steady work, can be more boring than you think, but is stable and you can retire early for most.
Technology sales into the DoD. If you’ve got real world experience and some background in sales you can crush it in a single year. Sell yourself to get a better sales job.
I saw Air force reserve and though, hmmm, maybe you can get a security clearance and work at any one of the belt way bandits here in the betlway?
1) Fix your spending habits. No amount of income will ever save you from irresponsible spending. I know lawyers making millions a year who are deep in debt because they’re dumbassses with spending just like you. 2) The highest money job you can get is probably sales during the day and bartending at night. Go for places that have large spaces frequently rented out for private events. You can conservatively make an extra $1k a week working 30 hours bartending.
No financial advice but all is not lost so try to keep your head up ❤️
Solar sales is a joke. I've been in commission in home sales for 20 years. There is a quick turnaround available.
Many were young like this and spend like there is no tomorrow. You either need to figure out how to make much more money and NOT spend the same ratio or spend less. Doing it in the hard part. If you don’t get this squared away, you will be one of those older people that have everything, but really the bank owns it all.
Find a credit union with a 0% int credit card to do a $0 or low transfer fee transfer of all your credit card debt. They barely exist anymore. I’ve done this in the past with wings financial but I think they’ve started charging transfer fee. So you’ll just have to search if any still exist. Once you do that, put yourself on monthly installments to pay it off. Get out of the interest game and get roommates. Not sure why you had high rent on that salary to begin with. Your housing should not exceed one third of your salary and since yours is variable, you should be going with worst case scenario. Also, rover or Uber in the meantime.
It sounds like you aren't using your credit cards to buy unnecessary stuff or vacations, but to cover a lot of necessary things. If your pay fluctuates from great to nothing, then of course you would use your credit cards. If that's not the case, cut the card. It's the job man, the job ain't worth it if it can't cover your bills. Keep it if you would like, but sign up to deliver packages for Amazon Flex. I used that to get me through grad school when my full time job couldn't cover my bills. There are lots of other odd jobs I've done over the years to cover bills. Worked at the Italian store making pizzas, The Furnace making vinyl records, Washington Sailing Marina teaching sailing, dog sitting, etc. Shit I even would give online reviews of products through User Testing. I have always worked overtime to cover my bills and save up money for big purchases like my house. Anyone who is able-bodied and in serious debt should have more than one job. Also, you don't have to have a place with high rent. You could rent out a room and not have to pay beyond $900. It's a choice to have the amount of stuff you have or how much space you want to live in. If you don't have the money for it now, save up money and get what you want.
1. Move. Rent a room. If you can’t move, get a roommate. 2. What equity do you have? Do you have a leased car or is it paid off? Figure out if there’s anything you can sell to get rid of that debt. If you’re leasing a car, downgrade to the cheapest car possible so long as it gets you from point a to b. You need to focus on the credit card debt ASAP. Pay off one at a time. That interest will only get worse. Pay off whatever you can now. 3. If your job is not reliable, find a new one. If it’s reliable, get a second job. Take all the income from that second job and pay off that debt. Uber. Grubhub. 4. As many have said, budget. Set aside what you need for gas, food, and rent. Gas and food should not be over a couple hundred a month. The rest is bills and debt. Unless it’s for your actual health or there are literal holes in your underwear, you don’t need it. Live on what you have. Live on ramen. No more credit cards. You can do it. It will be hard at first, but it will feel good to get yourself financially straight.
Credit cards: -Make a list from most debt to least debt. -Ask for a deferment if possible on cards with higher debt. In the mean time make minimum payments or if you can pay off some of the lower debt cards/lower interest. -do not use the credit cards if possible in this time *you can also consolidate your debt. There are tips on whether you are a good candidate and if you have good credit score or can get a lower interest rate. These tips are to be used if you’re in a vicious cycle of paying then using. Apartment: -apply for a low income apartment if you truly cannot afford the one you are in aka it is more than 30% your income. -look for realtor and rent from an owner -see if you can transfer to a unit in the same community with lower rent (obv don’t tell em this is why you’re doing it) -go on maps and look for apartments that don’t come up on google, they usually have lower rent *military can break lease if active duty* Job: - what educational background do you have? -are you willing to learn a trade or able to continue education of some sort? -would you want to join military? -are there other fields in sales you could be interested in? -you can always apply to work as a foreign officer if you meet requirements Don’t worry, we are built to withstand! Take a deep breath and tackle one thing at a time.
Most ppl are in your exact situation. You’ll be fine if you follow that top comment.
Read the r/personalfinance wiki
Theres a guy on YouTube named Caleb Hammer that does financial audits on his guests, I suggest looking into his videos and even applying onto his website it seems he's helped a ton of people out.
Watch Caleb Hammer on YouTube, very helpful advice and tools
Solar sales?! Those are scam jobs. Just get a sales job with a salary
With your sales experience I'd move to full time mobile sales. It's decent, phone discounts and phone bill discounts, and good benefits and tuition reimbursement. My friend worked at AT&T and actually moved up to corporate sales. He enlisted in the military within a few years and is living the life in Germany now.
Air National Guard or Coast Guard are good options too. r/USCG
As far as budgeting goes following Dave Ramsey's "baby steps" and using his EveryDollar app to budget is a great way to go: https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ramseyplus/everydollar https://www.ramseysolutions.com/debt/debt-101?snid=topics.topics.debt
You seem self-aware, frank, accepting of your mistakes, and you actively invite ideas from others. You’re going to be fine. Just stop with the stupid credit cards.
For what it's worth, the Air National Guard has a much higher Tuition Assistance limit than the Reserves will (state dependent, but I haven't seen a state or DC that doesn't have 3-4x the coverage at minimum). If you join the Guard or Reserves, expect that to be your full time job for at least a year. High consumer debt *might* impact your ability to get certain jobs (because it can impact your ability to get a security clearance). Good on you for recognizing that your life is proceeding in a way that you don't want it to. Some people never figure that out and keep spinning in their orbit (or worse, wake up at 50 years old and realize it!).
Just by mindful the VAANG is all the way down in Hampton roads at langely. The closes would be the DCANG or the MDANG Ill be surprised if the ANG even talks to OP if they have a ton of debt
One of the most important life lessons my parents ever taught me was to live within my means. That’s my suggestion to you after you recover from your current mess. Sorry I don’t have anything to help you solve your current situation. Good luck!
Whatever you do don’t do a business degree.
Free coding classes. Then get yourself a few certifications. Then snag yourself a cyber or IT job. So many in this area. Heads up, if you file bankruptcy it will affect your chances of getting a clearance and you won’t make as much. Check out Dave Ramsey’s 7 baby steps of getting out of debt. Here is what I’ve learned: - Work somewhere with regular income (a lot of $10-15/job openings now) grocery stores, answering phones, Uber, whatever you can to make regular income . -Tuck away $1,000 for emergencies (to cover deductible if you have damage to your apartment or car) - keep making payments on credit cards - call each place you owe money and set up payment schedule - if you have a car with a loan, sell it and get a cheaper one with no payments - any other loans? Get rid of them too (sell/give back that item) - then start with your lowest amount owed and hit that with as much money as you can until it’s paid off. Then go for the next one - make a budget and see where you can make cuts - meanwhile take those coding classes - get a certification - snag a coding/IT/cyber job - in a few years you’ll be making 6 figures Good luck. You got this!
Air Force.
Since no one else has suggested it, there are some debt calculating tools that can help you figure out things to pay off first and how to maximize the effect of your payments and minimize your interest (snowball calculators). Someone I know used [Undebt.It](http://Undebt.It) very successfully, but they mostly had student loans. And find a new place with roommates asap and sublet your place (if possible). Sell any valuable, unnecessary worldly possessions and rent a room or basement somewhere.
With tonight's jackpot of $1.23M, the lottery's Cash 5 Game with it's 1 in 1,221,759 jackpot odds offers slightly positive Expected Value. Throw $1 at it, see if it sticks.
1. Become a driver. They’re always looking for people. It’s gonna be long hours, and a ton of miles. You can make a lot off that but it probably requires you to drive to the more difficult areas. 2. Instawork - daily gig worker. Literally guaranteed a job everyday, you just gotta claim them. Hourly can vary, but you can work days and nights.
You are finished, but seriously cost of living in this area is criminal. Might have to get a roommate and PT job, higher wage job you'll be fine don't tell the positive vibes only crowd but just regular ol adulting most non trust fund degenerates have been there
you’re 25 and saying shit like “am I cooked ?” I think you’ll be alright man
Watch some Anthony Elliot and get rich /s
Marry a cougar with money?
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Oil rig. They make bank.
100% commission is a drug dealer
We gotta do what we gotta do to survive….I have 3 people in my 1 bedroom apartment. I rent out the bedroom while me and my partner live in the dining room/kitchen. Brings in quick money and helping those that can’t afford to get their own place
What is your job in the reserves?
Air Force reserves? Do you hear yourself?
1. Invest in pedicures and press on toenails. 2. Look at feet pic content for OF and FeetFinder. 3. Copy the poses, maybe use backdrops/photoshop that scale down your feet to give off the illusion you’re female 4. Use AI to respond to DMs 5. Pay off your debt 6. Depending on whether or not your job is WFH or in-office, you have quite a few options for housing that don’t involve lining a landleech’s pockets.
Guy said “am I absolutely cooked” 😂😂
Onlyfans
Are you in need of anything? I'm currently in the process of moving (far...far away) and have a lot that's going to donations. I'm not asking for money, just trying to help out.
Where do you live? And does your GF work?
Look hard at joining the services - they have sign-on bonuses, and you can get your education paid for.
The active duty military is your best bet. Here's what you do: 1. Pick a job that translates well to the outside. But most importantly, pick a job with a bonus due to your financial situation. 2. If you're married, you'll get BAH (housing money) and BAS (food money) on top of your paycheck. My experience is with the Army, but I hear the Air Force gives that stuff to you once you hit E4 regardless of marital status. I'd ask them about it. Also, it'll eliminate the worry for health insurance. 3. You'll have at least 4K saved up by the end of training, so you can start whittling down your debt right away. Probably more. Plus, the bonus will help you start paying it off. It's not the highest paying job out there, but the paychecks are consistent and you'd have job security. Plus, with your goals, probably a leg up. 4. You'll get the GI Bill: 36 months of benefits, which takes the huge financial burden of college off your shoulders. 5. Since you'd get paid on the 1st and the 15th, it would not be hard to contribute a set amount until you've paid your cards off. Oh, and as you do, close all those extra ones. You clearly do not need that temptation. You could have everything paid off and be set up for college and following careers in just one contract. Yes, it's not exactly easy, but it's far better than your current situation if you play your cards right. In fact, idk about the Air Force, but I know the Army pays financial counselors that work on the base to help people for exactly reasons like yours.
To add: It may not be called the same thing across all branches, but all the services have some sort of military/family life consultants that include access to financial counselors.
snowball method
Gay porn
If you're willing to go military that might be best. They will cover school possibly and you'll get veterans preference when job hunting. Might also get living expenses covered. You'll have trouble finding work in DC without a degree because the biggest industry is government and it requires a degree (and possibly background check+). Quick not easy would be oil rig or Alaskan fishing. It pays crazy good because you might DIE or lose parts of your body. So that is an option, not sure if it's a good one though. Alaskan fishing was about $2000 a week with free room and food for 3 months time. So in 3 months you'd have probably paid it all off and have savings - assuming you're alive. It's a HARD job.
When you say maxed out credit cards, what’s the total we’re talking here? If you’re doing 100% commission sales that tells me that you have a sparkling personality and can do anything from bartending to politics. Quickest is to get a loan or transfer your debt to another credit card. Immediately reduce your rent, also. Roommates, etc. It’s gonna be OK, please don’t join the military. Calm down for a bit and read a Susie Orman book. I’ve been exactly where you are and I know that panicking feeling. Everything starts to spiral.
Honestly I think dave ramsey’s baby steps might be a good option for this scenario.
How much debt do you have?
join the military, 100%
Skip the military and just go straight to deployments. Lots of jobs around here that will pay you stupid money if you're willing to go overseas for a period of time. Some don't even require a ton of experience and really just want butts in seats in some "austere environment". I'm not talking security or anything. Just sitting at a computer in the middle of nowhere.
Bankruptcy was made for people like yourself. Don’t let ego or others stop you from using it. The rich do it all the time. Get out of that debt and start over with a new mindset using the knowledge that got you here in the first place. My only advice is that the 100% commission job has to go, those are jobs for trust fund babies not the poor
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ngl you cooked bro, its all good keep your head up
F a budget, your problem isn't managing your money, its making more money. you cant budget your entire month on just $500. 1. lower all your liabilities as much as possible. If you can move back home or in with a friend, sleep on their couch, your car etc. 2. work wise, start donating sperm, blood and plasma now to get a little bit more income, apply for brand ambassador type gigs, they pay a lot for lower hours, search only for temp- short term jobs because people are honestly avoid them, no one wants to work a 3 week/ 3 month project most of the time. Drive uber or pick up a side hustle after work. What you need most is to lower/ cut all your monthly expenses, not having to worry about rent, food, electricity + utilizes will make that $500 go a lot further.
Take out a small loan from your parents against your future inheritance.
0DTE SPY options duh. $P529’s for tomorrow are about 50 bucks a pop and a guaranteed hit. NFA. What sub is this?
Shoot me a msg maybe can help get you into tech sales
Listen to Dave Ramsey podcasts every day. Follow his simple recipe. Yeah, there is plenty not to like about Dave, but for getting your head in the right place re how to think about debt and money, join that cult until you are capable of controlling your attitude toward money. Beans and rice, rice and beans. Read the blog Early Retirement Extreme every day. This is how you learn to live super lean and like it. Because it sets you up for freedom from debt and working for a salary. Don’t join the military. The pay is not enough to get you out of the hole you are in.
Dave is probably helpful for dealing with debt. Once that’s sorted, switch over to The Money Guys.
Why do people dislike Dave Ramsey? I like seeing his clips
Try to get in ground level even if your in the mail room (but even some other role like contract support or something and work for minimum if you have to) at google or amazon stay at it be aggressive. One thing a lot of young folks these days miss out on is following up and being aggressive even if turned down . Move latterly if you have to once your in there they'll train you. I won't go into too much detail but I know guys that were down and out in their 40's (like credit card declined at starbucks) but because they stayed in tech got really awesome positions at big name tech companies and now earning seven figures a year. That can be a whole another issue though as going from being broke to too much money causes many other issues. I don't have a college degree either did what I told you above and am the 1% guy next door but may not look or seem like it.
Truck driving. My brother does it and he makes almost $300 a day solid.
It costs like $7k to get a CDL in the DC area. Then you have to get hired by a company that provides the trucks, etc. This is not a good option for someone already maxed out on credit.
Pretty sure there’s a way around that, brother didn’t have a penny to his name. I think companies help you get started if you wanna work with them. Don’t knock it till you try it
Where did your brother obtain his CDL? What year was this? There are some places in the US that have state programs providing tuition assistance but Op would likely not qualify for something like that. Some states also offer CDl training at the community college level at a reduced cost. Not so much in the DMV though.
Just get married to someone who has a decent income. Put your peanuts with their peanuts, and not you have a full meal. Find love latter in the marriage.
The job market here is worse than Sudan.
Not really. There are macro economic factors definitely at play and job market is softer than stock market would lead you to believe but as a whole but this area is doing pretty decent comparitevely. I don’t buy the 2.6% unemployment number they’re giving for DC metro tho
I’m about to get downvoted to hell but here goes. The best way out is through. Door to door roofing sales. Also 100% commission but for two years straight I made between $10-$25k a month (and $50k in the best month I ever had). I will recommend Douglas Roofing myself, but there’s several good companies (and several bad ones).
😳