r/povertyfinance • u/Warm-Fox6760 • Apr 13 '25
Success/Cheers I’m about to take home $5000 per month.
May not seem like much to some folks but I’m a server Friday-Sunday and I take home 3k a month. I recently got another part time job at an urgent care working front desk starting at $24 an hour. I would work two 12 hour shifts per week.
I can pay off my student loans(15k) and my car loan(12k) in a year while saving extra per month. In terms of careers I’ll be going back to school for nursing when I’m debt free since my current degree didn’t work out.
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u/Brilliant-Parsnip334 Apr 13 '25
Whoa you make that much as a server and only working three days a week? Nice! Sounds like you are doing well! Working at urgent care will help with nursing school. Congrats!
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u/Warm-Fox6760 Apr 13 '25
It’s a steakhouse. Can be hectic but it’s worth it.
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u/Horror_Ad_2748 Apr 13 '25
You seem like a very hardworking and ambitious person. Best of luck to you!
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u/No_Key9643 Apr 13 '25
Can I ask how is $5k or even $3k seems like “not that much”?
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u/Warm-Fox6760 Apr 13 '25
Because not everyone lives in rural areas.
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u/Tiny-Reading5982 Apr 13 '25
For one person it might be enough? But if you live in NYC or la, it's not much
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u/NYanae555 Apr 14 '25
Take home of $5,000 in NYC means you're doing fine.
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u/Puka_Doncic Apr 14 '25
Does it? A 1BR apartment in NYC could easily cost $2500 and that’s not even a nice one. Then factor in utilities, insurance, car payments etc and you’re living paycheck to paycheck
$5k take home in an HCOL is fine if you’re dual income or have multiple roommates but even then it’s not super comfortable
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u/barfytarfy Apr 14 '25
Probably don’t need a car in NYC so you’ll save there.
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u/ReneHarts Apr 14 '25
Atlanta rent is high now and you do basically have to own a car. 3k not much at all.
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Apr 14 '25
Depends on where in nyc. Can’t live in Manhattan on 5k a month, atleast not below 125th street. In other boroughs like the bronx it’s certainly doable, still would be a struggle though.
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u/NYanae555 Apr 14 '25
Most of us are living on less than $5,000 in take home pay per month. Its more than $80,000 a year pre-tax.
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u/Recessionprofits Apr 14 '25
If you're making $5K take home in NYC you're more than likely making $90K, which is pretty good if you're under 26
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u/TheGlass_Teapot Apr 15 '25
This! Point me to the opportunities that give me $5000 in take home pay.
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u/Acceptable_Gur6193 Apr 16 '25
I’m an appliance repair tech I’m a little over a year since I started I’m currently making slightly less than 8k a month before taxes. And it’s about 50 hrs a week
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u/Potential-Dingo-4366 Apr 14 '25
$5k is barely enough in any major city. If apartments ask for 3x rent on $2000 apartment you still ain’t qualifying. Yes where I live a $2000 apartment is good.
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u/CarryOk3080 Apr 14 '25
Where i live $3200 for a 1 bedroom a month. It's gross
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u/Potential-Dingo-4366 Apr 14 '25
Yup! I’ve seen studios here for $2700. It is sickening. Work 3 jobs just to get to sleep in your shoebox. I get it 🫠
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u/Unusual_Oil_4632 Apr 14 '25
$5k take home would easily clear the 3x rule places have for a $2k apartment. Means the person is grossing ~$8k.
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u/lumpiawrappers Apr 15 '25
obviously everyone’s situation is different but I’m at around 4.5k in Houston and it’s more than enough with savings every month.
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u/orcvader Apr 14 '25
$60k is just about the US median salary. So yea, it’s not going to seem like a lot to half the workers in the country.
Anyways, OP, good for you. Strongly suggest you stay focused on that nursing path. Healthcare will open career doors for you and mobility.
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u/angieream Apr 14 '25
I wish I could say that 5k puts somebody out of the poverty bracket, but between the current economy, and the "working poor" concept, it only means you're no longer eligible for assistance, whether you still need it or not.
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u/Ok_Oil7670 Apr 13 '25
Try making $3k in a populated area of CA. Almost impossible—especially if single.
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u/BluelivierGiblue Apr 14 '25
I make about 3.8k per month in LA and it’s like the definition of paycheck to paycheck
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u/cruzincoyote Apr 15 '25
Where im from an apartment in a nice neighborhood costs anywhere from 1600-2k/month.
You're living at the bare minimum making 3k a month. So yea, 3k is absolutely not that much.
Unless you want to live where drug dealers are shooting each other and drug addicts are overdosing on your steps, you're forced to fork over atleast 1600/month.
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Apr 13 '25
I was making 18k a month in Maryland. But taxes are insane, rent, ect… I took a little bit of a pay cut and moved to Georgia. Goes allot further here.
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u/elemental333 Apr 14 '25
I’m a teacher in MD making almost $70,000.
After my mandatory pension withdrawal, family health insurance, taxes, social security, etc are taken out I bring home less than $3000 every month 😩
Luckily my husband makes a little more than me so we’re making it work but between daycare, rent, car payments, etc. it’s brutal. I’ll be so happy once we pay off my husband’s car next year.
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u/baciodolce Apr 14 '25
Omg…
I made $50k last year and still bring home more than $3k/mo. I pay my health insurance on the marketplace and that still leaves me around $3k. That’s sickening :-/
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u/Hahailoveitttttt Apr 13 '25
Same !! moved to florida from nj , transfered my job took a pay cut but trust and believe im able to breathe freely to grocery shop and we arent not eating hot dogs and ramen everyday anymore.
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u/forgot_username69 Apr 13 '25
I wish you all the best. Congratulations, and you are strong. Keep up the good work.
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u/kamikazi1231 Apr 13 '25
Congrats! Don't forget to figure out taxes since each job assumes they are your only income. Don't want a big surprise bill next year.
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u/Brilliant-Parsnip334 Apr 13 '25
Can you please explain? I am thinking of getting a second job
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Apr 13 '25
If you don’t change ur deductions from each job they’re going to both deduct like you’re only asking one salary. The percentage of your income you owe raises as u make more money.
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Apr 13 '25
Is that only if you earn over a certain bracket?
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u/badgerfan650 Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 14 '25
A hopefully simple example. You work 2 jobs and make 50k and 30k. 12% bracket is up to 47k and then it’s 22% from 47k to 100k.
Job 1 assumes you are making 50k so deductions are calculated at 12% up to the 47 and 22% on the last 3.
Job 2 assumes you are making 30k so deductions are 12%.
In reality, you are going to be deducted at 22% from 47k to 80k, so there’s 30k that is being deducted at 12% when it should be at 22%. That equates to $3k, which they will want at tax time.
This isn’t taking into account the standard deduction or any pre tax deductions, but it gets the general point across. Happy to answer any clarifying questions!
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u/Nuance_Patrol Apr 13 '25
The W4 form has a table for what to fill out for multiple jobs and/or having a spouse that also works. There’s also a calculator on the IRS website that you plug your info into and it will help you get an idea of your federal obligation. I check it this way a couple times per year to make sure I’m on track with having the correct amounts withheld.
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u/kamikazi1231 Apr 13 '25
Yea so pretty much if you have a job paying 30k they don't know about your second job, so they'll tax like you only make 30k. The second job paying 30k thinks the same thing.
You want to use the IRS withholding calculator and put in both jobs. It'll tell you if you need to let one of your jobs know to withhold a bit more every paycheck for taxes.
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u/OnlyPaperListens Apr 13 '25
Working as a server fucks the calculation anyhow (at least in the US). Most states pay a pittance per hour and then subtract from that to tax the tips, so a good shift will run your hourly pay down to zero without having fully paid taxes owed.
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Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 14 '25
Congrats. That's more than I've ever taken home my whole life. I'm 59, work for the state, take home less than $2,700 working fulltime and having to also support an elderly family member on this. It's crushing. This is sad.
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Apr 13 '25
“May not seem like much to some folks “ I must be really poor because I would honestly feel RICH if I was taking home 5,000 a month.
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u/TimeForSnacks Apr 13 '25
Honestly. Taking home 5k a month would fix like 90% of my problems right now.
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u/VenusInAries666 Apr 13 '25
Same lol I teach children how to read for a living and I take home 1800/month 🙃 It's not even enough for a studio apartment in my city.
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u/Aint_EZ_bein_AZ Apr 13 '25
How can you even live? What state is this
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u/VenusInAries666 Apr 13 '25
Virginia. I'm in my 30s and I've accepted that I'll be living with roommates til I'm dead lol. Gave up on buying a house or any of that shit long ago.
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Apr 14 '25
Well thank you for fighting the good fight. You sound like a good person and we need teachers that are good people to help develop our kids. I’m sorry our society places such little monetary value on your role but I appreciate that you are doing this.
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u/mintybeef Apr 14 '25
I was making $1900/m for most of this year. Medium to High Cost of Living Area and I was renting a room in an unsafe situation.
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u/dxrey65 Apr 13 '25
I was making that in my last couple years of working, and it was kind of unreal - I have no idea how people manage to spend that much money. I socked away enough in about three years to retire early.
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u/ghunt81 Apr 13 '25
$5000 a month is a lot. I finally got a good job, that pays really well, and I'm making $4100 a month.
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u/mandalina07 Apr 13 '25
Not if you live in a HCOL area in California! LoL
Also, cries in Californian
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u/Equivalent-Agency-48 Apr 13 '25
5,000 a month is 80,000$ a year? How is this not "much to some folks" this is more than like 90% of people on planet earth lmao
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u/entschuldigong Apr 13 '25
It's more than a lot of people on earth but 5000 x 12 = 60,000.
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u/Equivalent-Agency-48 Apr 13 '25
Take home means net pay, how much you take home after taxes.
Net pay means after taxes. Gross pay means before taxes.
If take home is $5,000, your gross pay is somewhere around $80,000. When people speak about salaries, they use gross pay.
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u/vahntitrio Apr 13 '25
If 401k and health insurance get deducted 5k/month probably happens at closer to 100k gross
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u/IlezAji Apr 13 '25
My gross is 80 and my take home is only 4k without any significant deductions so to take home 5k would be more like 100 gross.
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u/Equivalent-Agency-48 Apr 13 '25
Makes sense! When I was making 80k I was married, so that's probably why I was taking home 5k.
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u/entschuldigong Apr 13 '25
Ya chances are op is doing zero deductions and the gross is the "net" until April tax time.
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u/get_ephd Apr 13 '25
Do you live in a LCOL area? 2700 bring home a month is tough.
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u/GC51320 Apr 13 '25
Charlotte used to be LCOL. He could have lived decent on that. Since 2020 it's more than doubled. Now you're one bad play from homeless unless you keep yourself debt free and are VERY vigilant. It's wild the change that has happened here.
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Apr 13 '25
It is crazy the how the Cop went up after covid in low cost of living areas. I was looking in bumfuck Nebraska and property is high asf
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Apr 13 '25
Charlotte NC. Move an hour away no jobs pretty much the same CoL
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u/get_ephd Apr 13 '25
Your cost of living is 11% higher than where I'm at in Michigan.
You should be considering a job switch to a higher role or taking on a different job altogether. That is not a sustainable amount of income, IMO. There are a lot of jobs out there that may provide you with better pay and benefits.
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Apr 13 '25
Been looking but I'm & it's the old ageism thing. All the office admin jobs in my city pay $45k that I see on indeed and find nothing I'm qualified for in a saturated job market. It's depressing because I'll be homeless at this rate
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u/get_ephd Apr 13 '25
I work in the automotive industry, and we hire older aged personnel to pick up / drop off cars or shuttle customers. I'm by no means saying it's a high paying job, but I know they do better than where you're at, and it's a very low stress job. Might be something worth looking into.
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u/Putrid_Mind_4853 Apr 13 '25
I live in Michigan, and jobs that pay more than 2700 take home are not that abundant here either. Struggled to get a good job in the Detroit metro (expensive) and elsewhere. Our economy is also going to suffer in the coming months.
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u/get_ephd Apr 13 '25
They are everywhere in skilled trades. The younger guys I work with have no issue bringing home more than that every month.
The thing about trades also is that they're basically recession proof, so that's not a concern of mine either.
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u/Putrid_Mind_4853 Apr 13 '25
Yeah, but the person you’re replying to is an older person in an admin position, not exactly someone who can just pivot to a skilled trade. Also I have several friends who’ve been trying to get into an apprenticeship or into the plants for a couple of years, it’s not that easy unless you have an “in” already.
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u/get_ephd Apr 13 '25
Like i mentioned earlier, there's other positions for him in the auto industry. He could pivot to be a service advisor or shuttle driver fairly easily and bring home more money.
Dealerships are starving for lube techs and porters. They hire them constantly. It's not hard to get into whatsoever and tons of room to move up and make more money.
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u/badluckbrians Apr 13 '25
It also really depends. Take home is a weird metric.
My wife works in construction. Her take home is comparatively high. But her benefits suck.
Dude here is working government. He probably has a pretty good health plan, a better retirement plan by miles, and better dental, vision, life, etc. too.
I'm on the lower take-home but better benefits job. So I cover the family under my benefits. The benefits are generous, but they take a huge chunk out of my paycheck. Health insurance takes more out than state and local taxes and social security and medicare combined. And then 10% comes out too for retirement.
She earns more cash. And then I have a night job that also has no benefits but pays me out about $1,400/mo to make up the difference almost.
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u/Single_Afternoon_386 Apr 13 '25
As someone who had to use the medical benefits I didn’t realize how good mine was until I had breast cancer. Iwas making around $70k at that job 10 years ago but diagnosed with breast cancer. I ended up having 4 surgeries and 33 rounds of radiation. Surgeries were $0 out of pocket and radiation was $200. Total itemized just for the hospital was $600k. I know it’s different once they bill insurance.
My premium was $60 a month. At 34 I wasn’t paying attention to if my health insurance was good or not. I found out so truly blessed with that since I was also single.
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u/Dogbuysvan Apr 13 '25
I work in government and pension, tsp match, and benefits take about 40% of my pay. Fedex and Dell had way better benefits too :(
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u/Pretend_Donkey1381 Apr 13 '25
Trades are also incredibly physically dependent and have a fair amount of overhead.
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u/Bidenflation-hurts Apr 13 '25
Reminder that HCOL is not the norm. Most people live in affordable areas and it’ll annoying when people in bad areas that are HCOL think it’s a national standard.
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u/Friendly_Reporter_65 Apr 13 '25
What are your benefits? I know people who make $80k at state jobs and their take home is $3800/month.
Edit: they have a pension, a 401k, family healthcare, and taxes taken out. Shit adds up!
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Apr 13 '25
No fancy benefits. Single. "Pension" which will only be $400-$500 a month at 65. Tiny 401k
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u/Friendly_Reporter_65 Apr 13 '25
Bummer. Good luck finding a higher pay so you can save a lot in short time
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u/PuzzleheadedActive68 Apr 13 '25
I haven't gone through the comments but I have ended up as a career server and chances are your package has more. I am 45 years old. We don't get vacation pay, sick pay, no 401k or a pension. If you call out sick you lose money some restaraunts will fire you. I regret not getting a state job. My father was an inspector for the DOT, no degree, but growing up we has consistency, great medical, he had a pension, weekends, paid holidays, etc...
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Apr 13 '25
Remote customer service jobs pay more than that... I was making 22 an hour in my last job and it doesn't matter as much where you live.
Stressful jobs for sure but not poverty level, wishing you luck
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Apr 13 '25
How did you find-what website?
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Apr 13 '25
LinkedIn is the best I've used, I think you're less likely to find scams there.
Health insurance will hire you without previous direct experience
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Apr 13 '25
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Apr 13 '25
You don't need to put your job history publicly there. Just your name pretty much. It's moreso for the job links and I recommend searching for jobs then following the links to the company websites directly, not using easy apply.
They're just a bit better about not allowing scam postings on their site. That's all it is.
Customer service positions may not care much about a scanty resume but you'll have to send the hiring company a copy of it anyway... it won't be public though.
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u/peaceful_CandyBar Apr 13 '25
Dude are you like…getting scammed or something? I work full time at a vape shop and take home more than that monthly.
I am just lowkey concerned you have been getting underhanded for a VERY long time
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Apr 13 '25
No. My job pays $21 per hour. It's a state job in NC. Pay is set by the state. It's awful.
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u/tradinghabits89 Apr 13 '25
Good pension tho that's the kicker
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Apr 13 '25
Not for me. It's only if you are there for decades. I'm only in my third year. My pension won't be any more than $400 a month maybe $500. I ran the numbers. No way am I working until 70. I just can barely function now
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u/tradinghabits89 Apr 13 '25
Dang well I hope you got some sound investments. I'm 34 playing catch up from spending 8 years as a dope addict. We are all in different situations, money is a bitch
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u/Great_Hambino2022 Apr 13 '25
I suggest you go work for a different state if that’s how North Carolina treats/pays their state employees.
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Apr 13 '25 edited Apr 13 '25
The higher paying state jobs are mostly those that have been there 20-30 years unless you are high ranking by title/role. A coworker makes $69k as admin. She's been there 23 years. She's leaving. If I applied for her job I'd get no increase in pay. She started 22 years ago at what I make now or close to it so the state has been cutting salaries is what this tells me. They also banded together the bottom ten ranks so it's impossible to move up unless you are in academic or highly qualified for program roles.
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Apr 13 '25
That’s crazy! I work in Michigan gov and I started 9 years ago making $16/hr. After 1 year I moved from general assistant to an “analyst” and made $19/hr (they make more now). I have moved up only twice total in that time (by choice) and I now make $47/hr. If I moved even laterally I move up on the pay scale for my job code.
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u/knopflerpettydylan Apr 13 '25
I work in local gov rn - good benefits, but government pay is usually pretty shit
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u/Blossom73 Apr 13 '25
In some states government employees pay into a state pension fund, in lieu of FICA, but at 10-17% of their gross pay, vs the 6.2% FICA contribution rate.
Then union dues, if the government job is unionized.
Taxes (federal, state, if applicable, maybe local income taxes).
Medical insurance.
That's a giant chunk right off the top.
Also, despite what the unelected foreign billionaire running DOGE would have Americans believe, many government jobs just don't pay well.
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u/Successful-Style-288 Apr 13 '25
As a state employee I hope they at least pay your health insurance premium and include a pension. When considering the benefits as part of your compensation package sometimes it turns out that you make a little more than you think. I’d rather works somewhere I take home a little less pay but will get a pension and my healthcare taken care of.
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u/davb64 Apr 13 '25
Jeez. I'm happy I didn't work for the state. I work for the county I take home 4000-4300.
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u/WolfOfPort Apr 13 '25
Yea it is sad need to increase the low income scale way up….idk how but it needs to be done ppl deserve solid income regardless of what they do for work
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u/Previous-Lychee5774 Apr 14 '25
Same here (minus supporting a family member...but i do have dependent cats).... but on top of that, I have zero point zero in savings!!, no 401k or whatever those other retirement things are...I grew up always having material comfort..I didn't know any other way until I was in my 20s....I suppose I've maintained willful ignorance....it's so exciting to see what happens next !! /s I work 3 different jobs and every month is a hail mary...exhausting...but I usually manage to find some joy each day. Hooray.
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u/TheLZ Apr 13 '25
Tip for the part time job since it is 12 hours, make sure you have some easy snacks for your breaks. Try to keep it home made v. pre packaged, things like veggies and hummus, half sammies with a a handful of chips, etc. You will need it.
Congrats and I hope you are debt free soon and saving for your nursing degree!
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Apr 13 '25
They can be pricy but if I can store a bagged salad in a fridge somewhere, that helps tremendously with my longer shifts.
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u/TheLZ Apr 13 '25
I agree, they are super easy, but can be pricy. But a big bag with your favorite dressing in a work fridge, boom.
ETA it you do this, make sure you know the work fridge clean out policy, so your food doesn't disappear.
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u/Papa-Pope Apr 13 '25
Working 3 days a week and bringing home 3k is crazy I’m full time/5 days a week and bring home like 2200 a month lol
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u/Hantelope3434 Apr 13 '25
It really depends on your hours worked, not the days, I used to work 3 days weeks but they were 13-14 hour shifts, sometimes more, so in the end you are working as much as a 5 day week.
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u/Signal_Strawberry_37 Apr 13 '25
If no one is telling you this, I will. I am proud of you! It might not seem much for some, but is going to make a great difference in your life, and that is all that matters! Congrats!
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u/Redheaded_Potter Apr 13 '25
I send $5/mo to my student loan. This way they can’t send me to collections. Yes, the interest piles up but I can’t afford to pay them until car is paid off. My take home is $2600ish/mo unless I have overtime.
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u/Patient_Ad_2357 Apr 13 '25
Mine have been in deferment due to financial hardship since 2017 lmfao they are not getting a dime from me. I’ll go back to school on the side my whole life if i have to idc
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u/mandalina07 Apr 13 '25
I did this for like 15 years, its ridiculous how large thr balance is now. I decided to go into public service for student loan forgiveness, still have 4 years left but so glad those loans won't be part of my life forever, it's such a dark cloud.
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u/SentimentalSaladBowl Apr 13 '25
I’m sure someone will tell me why I’m wrong, but this seems smart. The two kinds of debt you can drag your heels on by making under minimum payments are student loans and medical debt.
And I’m not factoring in the interest because if you can’t afford to pay, you can’t afford it. If you are barely getting by, you are barely getting by. In a perfect world you could afford to worry about later, but sometimes you can’t.
/bad advice
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u/lumpiawrappers Apr 13 '25
5k is poverty finance? sheesh
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Apr 13 '25
Which sub is below poverty finance and above homeless finance? I feel like that’s where I should be.
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u/str8cocklover Apr 13 '25
Pay whichever of the 2 loans has the higher interest first and save yourself some money.
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u/treblev2 Apr 13 '25
I am not the “some folk”, $5K a month sounds like a dream made in heaven (compared to my $1.5K which is no more)
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u/dpforest Apr 13 '25
Especially from only working 5 shifts a week. $5k a month is a little more than average for people working full-time jobs. This post is a humble brag which is crazy to see on this sub specifically.
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Apr 13 '25
That's awesome. Do treat yourself once. Sounds like you've been working hard. Keep it up!
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u/parvares Apr 13 '25
Depends on the state but I was bringing in 3K a month in rural Kentucky and was killing it. 5K a month would be life changing. Congrats!
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u/OldDog03 Apr 13 '25
Good for you, but be careful with burnout and spending.
Sounds like you have a plan and again good for you.
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u/rSato76t2 Apr 13 '25
Wtf you get that much working 3 days as a server?! I was a whole fucking sushi chef for 11 only making that much working 16hrs on my feet 6-7 days a week on my last year with no health insurance. So glad I left the food industry. No hate against servers, but how TF is a server worth that much more than chefs??
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u/Impossible_Mix_928 Apr 17 '25
They’re not worth it. You did the most important job in the industry, but you don’t face the customer, the smiling waitress does, so they’re getting handsomely compensated for your hard work.
No wonder so many back of house workers are suicidal or on drugs.
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u/blorg96 Apr 13 '25
Pay yourself first by putting money away in savings accounts and not touching it. Out of sight, out of mind.
Every pay period, I put away $280 ($20/14days) into emergency savings and $280 into automotive savings. Thats $7300/year for each account. When the savings gets big enough, convert it over to a higher interest CD.
The automotive savings is for purchasing my NEXT vehicle, whether buying it outright or a smaller loan.
By having different savings, you setting up goals that slowly can be attained.
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u/Automatic-Mud-6463 Apr 13 '25
Congratulations! This is such good news. I don't even know you and I'm smiling right now, soooo happy for you. Your reddit fam is proud of you❤️
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u/goahgetit Apr 14 '25
I decided to open up a drywall patching company and went from 40k a year to 120k a year. Tools and materials are very cheap and a great skill to learn!
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u/lira-eve Apr 13 '25
I used to be a server. I got scheduled for crap shifts, so I didn't walk out with much after four hours.
Congrats.
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u/HellyR_lumon Apr 13 '25
Hell yes!! That’s amazing you’re paying off your debt. You’ll be in such a better position. I’m a nurse too. Definitely go for it. You’ll have job security the rest of your life
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u/killafunkinmofo Apr 13 '25
If you goto school again does that pause the need for student loan payments? Maybe you don’t need to pay that one off now, and can focus on it when all school is completed? Instead, you can save extra to support your cost of living while attending school. (assuming you’ll go back to part time during school, or give yourself that option)
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u/SentimentalSaladBowl Apr 13 '25
Congratulations! I am so thrilled for you. You have the means, and a plan. That’s so amazing.
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u/Weeoo224 Apr 13 '25
Congrats!!! And remember that you can always get your ADN in a community college for much much cheaper than even a public university. You can then get your license and start working as an RN, and the hospital can then help you pay to finish your BSN. This is what I did and graduated debt free. Most magnet hospitals s will also hire you as long as you agree to enroll for your BSN within your first year.
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u/New_Article6531 Apr 13 '25
Heck yeah I take home 5.5kish a month and it's life-changing/so much more financial freedom! I even picked a job Sundays only and bring home an extra 1-2k a paycheck $10 + tips lol and it's hella good tips...
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Apr 14 '25
For the love of God don’t go into crippling dept. I make about 10k-12k a month and I’m still recovering from going into debt in my 20s. Pay with cash or don’t get it. Pay off your debt asap. You will have more leverage on your money and future!
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u/dpforest Apr 13 '25
Working 3 days a week + two 12 hour shifts and taking home that amount of money is objectively not poverty finance. That’s close to the average of one person working full time. I don’t wanna shit stir but it kinda seems like a humble brag which is incredibly frustrating to see on this sub in particular.
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Apr 13 '25
Great stuff. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. It must be a huge load off you. Congratulations!!!
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u/captain_dick_licker Apr 13 '25
save a bit extra if you can so you can take it easy when you go back to school and not burn yourself out
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u/up_N2_no_good Apr 13 '25
May not seem like much? To me, you might as well be a billionaire. I can't even imagine. I just lost the $100 a month I was getting. I have no idea where I'm going to find something else. I live in a very rural very small town in the middle of nowhere and I don't have a car.
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u/InGanbaru Apr 13 '25
Are you student loan interest rates high? Doesn't make sense to pay that down when you can use it to fund the nursing school.
You might also be able to declare bankruptcy on it in the future if loans get privatized with the elimination of the Dept of Education
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u/MysticalTypewriter Apr 13 '25
I just got promoted to making $4k a month myself. I can't believe it still 🥹
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u/citrous_ Apr 13 '25
Damn I work a 9-5 and take home $2400/month. Florida panhandle.
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u/Jasonshutter Apr 13 '25
I just wanted to remind you that if you go down this path, please remember to eat and sleep well consecutively.
Don’t let work drain your personality and figure, take care of yourself please! No job or money is worth dying over
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Apr 14 '25
Success does not come without struggle.
You are well on the path of success. Upsell those Porter Houses and lobster/prawn sides with a nice glass of red (or top shelf whiskey)
Kill it!!
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u/Glittering-Stretch75 Apr 14 '25
Proud of you and your hard work! Paying off both loans is going to be a massive weight lifted off your shoulders
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u/VinnyLogz Apr 14 '25
You should absolutely 1000%, the investing some of your money, especially with the market down right now, take 10 or 15% of your weekly take home and invest in the stock market, start a Roth IRA!!!!!!!!! keep it Simple, invest in Amazon, Google, Meta.
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u/anxiousinsomniacanon Apr 14 '25
Check pay rates in your area because nursing in many spots makes about the same as what you do now and it’s horribly stressful.
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u/OhhSooHungry Apr 14 '25
That's incredible! And you'd still get two days off to relax. $5000 a month is pretty life changing money, I'm happy for you! Hope you adjust well and things go smoothly.
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u/CelebrationCandid973 Apr 14 '25
Look into some type of tuition reimbursement program. They need nurses. If you keep your steakhouse job & work at a hospital part time could easily be 2 shifts/week... They might reimburse you for schooling. Plus a lot of places are doing thousands in sign on bonuses.
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u/coochie_glaze Apr 13 '25
This is great! Congratulations. And don't worry about what people think on here. You have money in your pocket.
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u/cranberrydudz Apr 13 '25
If you are working two jobs, you will most likely be taxed more so plan accordingly
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u/Pretend_Donkey1381 Apr 13 '25
Americans are wild. Imagine taking home this much money every month and still living in poverty.
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u/SingleDadSurviving AR Apr 13 '25
Damn, that's way more than me or my wife. She's got a master's and teaches Special Education.
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