Ask HN: How can you save money while living on poverty level?

That's not a living wage (or a full time job). There are lots of job search sites.

Spending some time on a good resume / CV / portfolio would probably be a good investment with positive ROI.

Is there a nonprofit that you could volunteer with to increase your hireability during the other 158 hours of the week?

Or an online course with a credential that may or may not have positive ROI as a resume item?

Is there a code school in your city with a "you don't pay unless you land a full time job with a living wage and benefits" guarantee?

What is your strategy for business and career networking?

From https://westurner.github.io/hnlog/#comment-17894632 :

> Personal Finance (budgets, interest, growth, inflation, retirement)

Personal Finance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_finance

Khan Academy > College, careers, and more > Personal finance https://www.khanacademy.org/college-careers-more/personal-fi...

"CS 007: Personal Finance For Engineers" https://cs007.blog

https://reddit.com/r/personalfinance/wiki

If you can do programming now, and you have a remote gig... then I'm guessing you can get more work.

You have a lot of potential to earn more income to do more of the same work you're doing already. That's probably the easiest and most efficient way to get (and save) more income.

How did you get the gig that you're working now?

Start with a budget to see where every penny goes. You need to make sure you're not wasting money on frivolous items. Going out and entertainment should be cut. You can have some on special occasions but you really can't afford it. Get a second job. Does not have to be in tech but you need to continue to look for a job that's in tech so you continue with your career. Goto to tech meetups to MEET contacts. Do not stay on the side by yourself. You need to make sure you make contacts.

Rethink the car, seems to me like you really can't afford it, now. You will in time.

Don't be afraid to be cheap. People criticize cheap people but those critics aren't ready to help with cash. They just criticize and never help.

Determine how much you can save and make sure you put that amount in the bank the moment you get your check.

Your best bet is to stay where you're at right now and put all your effort into finding a job. A full-time job in tech will earn you a good living. Don't move out until you have a full-time job.

I assume that you're healthy and you have a vocation that is in demand. Poverty is not an absolute but it can become a mindset that overpowers you. I strongly suggest you start reading self-improvement books that will let you see alternatives. Also, biographies of people you admire. I suggest Benjamin Franklin's. His autobiography is online. It's free. It's easy to read even though it was written 200+ years ago and it opens one's eyes as to what a person can accomplish, if you have the right prespective.

You are eligible for hud housing and Medicaid it is worth looking into that.

Looks like you are pretty resourceful and smart about your situation.

I like to checkout goodwill every time I go grocery shopping to see what they have. I usually find a pretty nice shirt or pair of dress pants. If you go often you can be selective. Sometimes I find cloths that still have price tags on them. One time I found a dollar bill from a pair of pants I bought.

At restore I picked up 7 cds for twenty five cents each. New they must have been more than 8 bucks each.

Thrift is how I do most of my “retail therapy”

Then when I get tired of it I just donate it back if it is in good shape.

When I had money I blew a ton of it on online shopping. So many times I would order something forget about it and four days later say wtf is this package. I could not remember what I ordered. Proof I didn’t need it.

30 usd a hour is not a fair wage for a programmer (considering 10 hours a week, 40 hours would be a different story) - you need to increase it. Please note your employer benefits from having an employee with decent living conditions. He knows, you know. If he's not willing to increase either your hours or rate I suggest to find something new.

You can't.