<prompt> Human: Ive been lurking on this subreddit for awhile, and Ive read some of the information in the sidebar. Ive made about 39258 budgets, signed up for Mint, and read a few books. I am still paying rent 10 days late, and bills wipe out my account each time theyre due. Theoretically, I should have enough each month and some leftover, but I am always down to 2 by the end of the weekend on which I am paid. I just got my tax return, 1400, and it too is GONE, 2 weeks after the fact. I have no credit card debt I used 500 of the refund to pay it off, no school debt used 600 of the refund to finish that off, and no other debt to speak of. I pay 500 month in rent, 90phone, 80dog stuff, 70car insurance, 70gym, 50electric, 35internet. My takehome is about 1750month, or 14hr full time. My only indulgence is beer, which is also my job selling beer, to the tune of about 20 per week. I eat out for lunches at work, which is about 50week, which is a lot but it should still leave me with close to 200 per paycheck that I somehow piddle away. We go out maybe once every other week, and he pays, plus we live within 10 miles of both of our jobs, so gas isnt really a factor. Since we live together, all of the above costs except beer, lunches, and car insurance are 50 of the full cost. I dont know why I cant get break this cycle, but its ruining my life. I am constantly stressed out-I dont sleep well, I dont eat properly, I am coming to loathe my job. Ive missed three days of work in the last 10 with crippling feelings of being trapped and anxious. The only reason I havent taken more time is that I have no savings and bills will be due and instead I just try to hold it together and operate at at least 25 of capacity at work. This has never happened to me before, but I could not even leave my house or talk to anyone but my boyfriend. He is very helpful, but he only makes slightly more than me he takes home about 2000month and he cant always front the extra for rent until I get it together on the first paycheck of the new month. My landlord is understanding, but I truly hate being that tenant. I am going back to school full time in the fall and Ill only be able to work part time, and without savings Ill be much more loan-dependent than is probably healthy. I need a short term come-to-jesus strategy for even identifying my malignant habits, then stopping them. Is there some type of counselor that helps with these kinds of things? Has anyone else had similar experiences and gotten better?  <response>: As an aside, some numbers I didnt notice you list in your budget are groceries, household goods, clothes, and gas. How can you say that gas isnt a factor just because youre 10mi from work? I live 3mi from my office and still spend 50-75mo on gas just running errands, going to social events, visiting friends, etc. Do you literally never go anywhere besides work? Even if its only 20mo, these small expenses stack up more than you think. If you have 4-5 other expenses that you are ignoring because theyre not a factor, that could be 100 per month that is slipping away unnoticed. I also noticed that you didnt list any non-monthly expenses e.g. annual membership fees, renters insurance, etc., so youll want to check on that.Anyway, basic personal finance is the simplest of math: money in, money out. If youre running a deficit, that means youre either taking home less than you think you are, forgetting an expense, or you arent being honest with yourself about where your money is going. I think this is part of your problem: about 1750month about 20 per week about 50week close to 200 per paycheck maybe once every other weekTheres a lot of abouts etc. throughout your post. Are you actually spending 50wk on lunch, or is it 60? Maybe last month it was 70? You have to identify the leaks before you can plug them. The only way to do this is to take control of your finances and know EXACTLY where all your money goes. I mean literally every single cent that you spend on ANYTHING. People like to guess and assume and my personal pet peeve feel like theyre spending a certain amount on certain things, but you simply dont know unless you track it diligently for a period of time and ideally longer. You say youre signed up for Mint, but how diligently do you use it? Do you categorize your transactions every few days? Do you make some cash purchases that dont get logged in Mint? You strike me as someone who might benefit from Dave Ramseys envelope system For a modern-world version with a number of additional benefits, check out YNAB 