<prompt> Human: Disclaimer: this is a throwaway account because I will disclose some very personal information. I am not looking for a hand out or pity. Just looking for advice and guidance.First off I grew up in a pretty messed up family with drug addicts, my mom stole my identity and I had to declaire bankruptcy at the age of 24. I am 36 now So my credit history is and always was shitty at best. And I have no real idea what to do with money or how to handle it.2nd: and in this order things happened Im only explaining this so I dont have to answer it later on. I got into a horrible car accident, had to relearn how to walk, got addicted to pain killers and eventually harder stuff yes, heroin. About 2.5 years ago I was sent to jail for some serious felonies Theft. Did my time, been out for over a year now and clean the entire time. yes it is super easy to get drugs in jail, and I stayed clean. I dont want pity or good cheers etc. So after almost 20 years of totally fucking up my life in all sorts of ways, I am left with a good solid 100k worth of debt. 58k of that is actually restitution for my fines from my charges. I managed to pay off 17k of it, sorta, through seized assets. I am doing well now, have a decent job for an ex felon. I make about 26k a year. Not a whole lot of expenses, have it whittled down to 1000 a month. 200 a month that I have been paying against the restitution and past debts.I really suck at money, dealing with money, managing money. I want to pay off of my restitution so I can get off of probation, maybe be able to travel somewhere and move on from that whole mess. But I have no idea how. So Im asking for help on how I can make this work out. What decisions I can make now, to hopefully have a better future, because I guess I finally accepted the fact that I wont be dying anytime soon, so I need to plan for a future for myself. And well I dont really know how to do that.  <response>: Congratulations on your practical attitude and lack of self-pity. That lack of self-pity is crucial to creating a better life for yourself.The first thing you must do is not create any more debt. That seems obvious, but debt can be an insidious thing.The second thing is to build an emergency fund. This is very important to your long-term financial resiliency. Your immediate goal should be one months expenses, expanded to three months worth, over time. One of the most common reasons people cannot escape poverty or slip into it is the lack of an emergency fund. I grew up poor, and saw this first-hand. The third thing is to address your most immediate financial concern, which is paying off your restitution. The only way to do this is to throw every extra cent you have on it. After your living expenses and emergency fund, that is.Its hard to get a job with a record, and so asking you to look for a second job seems tough, but that is probably the best thing you can do to get that restitution paid and finally be able to walk away from your past.I dont know what your trainingeducation situation is, but you are not too old to enter most fields. And you have the advantage of maturity and perspective to help you succeed. So if you are interested in something you need more schooling for, look into it. Having something new to work towards will make the tough times easier.If you are determined and willing to dedicate your life for the next four years to clearing up the mess left from your past, you can look forward to a new life. 