
Help me get (mostly) debt free
Hello, my name is Bree and I'm asking for help.
I'm an artist in my free time but work retail to pay the bills. I would like to be able to work more on my art from a professional perspective, but if you've ever lived on a retail worker's paycheck, you'd know that it doesn't leave a lot of free time to yourself. Compound that kind of working schedule with social anxiety that seems to grow in severity by each passing day, and you have a recipe for a mental disaster.
There's days where I have to use all of my energy to literally pull myself out of bed, only to come home from work so emotionally and mentally exhausted that all I can do is crawl back in. But I do my best to keep going because about four years ago now, I had hit a series of financial hardships that left me in serious debt. From an expensive emergency vet and hospital bill from my dog and I being attacked to my car being totaled when a deer ran into the side of it on the highway - merely days after I spent $1000 so I could visit my family out of state - I had been drowning in credit card debt and now a necessary car payment.
As a result, I was granted an interest-free loan from my roommate's grandparents in order to keep my head above water. It felt like a humiliating defeat in the shape of a life raft. Now, I am roughly a year away from getting everything paid off, but even though the light is at the end of the tunnel - my own stability feels more off kilter than ever. Due to my work schedule, I won't be able to visit my family this year like usual. I lack motivation to do a lot of work that needs to get done just day to day, let alone work that I actively enjoy.
What I am hoping is by paying off the rest of my debts, I will be able to concentrate that money towards building up a financial safety net before I request to lower my hours to something a bit more manageable for my health. Then I can put a bit more focus on my art. It's hard for me to ask for help, but sometimes you have to show a little humility to try to get stable.
If you can offer anything, I will be grateful. Thank you.
Organizer
Bree L.
Organizer
Columbus, OH