<prompt> Human: Edit: Not sure exactly how I got 18k. Excel says 16900 the second time I ran the numbers, but when I account for holiday pay and overtime, sometimes its closer to 17600. Its in that ballpark.Im a 28 year old guy supporting my partner of four years because shes physically disabled and cannot work traditional jobs or drive a car public transit here is very inconsistent and costs quite a bit. She had a job in the area for a little while working for a friend and eventually the transportation costs bus and uber were greater than what she was actually making. Weve also looked into transcription work from home companies and they tend to be sketchy and dont always pay. Im mostly wondering if theres a separate legal component to supporting her, possibly claiming her as a dependent, that were not seeing the whole picture on. Her mom hasnt been claiming her for the past two years so I can if I choose to, but Ive been worried about getting wrapped up in some kind of legal battle, like if the IRS or the benefits department doesnt think shes actually a dependent. Right now were living in a small home owned by my family, they have a bunch of small homes all in various states of decay and disrepair, but this one is livable. Its also probably worth pointing out that were kind of in the middle of nowhere. Im going to attempt to post our monthly budget. ---Rent: 0 would be 800 if we had our own apartment Utilities: 25-45, unless we seriously fuck something up HealthDental Insurance: 60 was 550 before my state benefits kicked in Car Insurance: 95 Gas: Usually around 60 Cell Phone: 40 General Household Goods: 30 Food: Usually around 200-240 for both of us Entertainment: 65 Credit Card Payments: 75 I owe around 400 but Id like to pay it off ASAPAll my student loans are paid off as of two years ago which is great. Whatevers left goes in a fund I have set up in case my folks decide to sell the house were currently living in, which they plan to within the next six months, currently 3500. --- On top of this there are usually some larger fees coming into the picture, but not every month. This past month I was billed 650 from a hospital visit and Im attempting to pay it off in installments because I cant afford to lose 650 right now. About seven months ago I had to pay 700 for a similar visit. I was recently diagnosed with a degenerative condition so the hospital visits will eventually have to be worked into my monthly budget, either that or I need better insurance. About three months ago I had to replace my alternator 450, and Im currently having another issue with my car partner thinks its the rotors, I know nothing about mechanics because the car is 20 years old. This is probably pretty stupid but because of all the other expenses in my life Im considering just driving it until it dies and hoping I can use my tax returns next year as a down payment on something newer. I can get something pretty decent from a dealership for around 7-9k total, and my credit score is actually great, and Im ok with paying a little extra for something roomy enough to sleep in in the event of an emergency. Ive been putting off going to the dentist for years because while I can afford the visit thanks obamacare I wouldnt be able to afford any actual procedures and my teeth hurt pretty badly sometimes so I know theres something going on there. What are our options here? Ive been able to save about 50 monthly to my emergency fund and I also have a Roth 401k from my company, contributing 5 matching, but I feel like Im drowning. Edit 2: This is already a novel so Im going to try to be brief, but Ive applied for over a thousand jobs in the past three years, mostly helpdesk jobs but some clerical work, some parks and rec, some government jobs, some generic tech jobs, and some library jobs. Ive had maybe a dozen interviews as a result, and at least eight of those have been with companies that took the interview in a weird direction, I can provide more detail if necessary. One for a somewhat dream job seemed like I had it in the bag but they ended up hiring someone internally instead interviewer called me back to personally apologize and I sent her a thank you note.  <response>: I feel like this should be the top post on almost every asking for advice post, but thank you for coming here, posting your story and getting help! You are already well on your way to success simply because you are not afraid to ask. So many more people are doomed because of stigmas around money. 