<prompt> Human: Ive been working hard at a retail pharmacy job for 5 years while going to school. I expect to finally graduate next year. But Im always living paycheck to paycheck and it is frustrating. Tonight I was overdrawn due to being 7 insufficient in my rent payment and found out when my debit card was declined at the gas pump. Im in a course to get my real estate salespersons license too, but that job is 100 commission. I pay my bills on time and have just enough to feed myself. But the older I get, the more worried I become that one unfortunate situation will send me out on to the street. I am as responsible with my money as I can be, I never spend any money on myself and survive day in day out with rabid intensity, but the fact is that my rent is 60 of my income. If it werent for student refunds I would not have made it this far. Next year I will have my first bachelors degree, 7 to 10,000 in CC debt and 40,000 or so in student loan debt. I have long considered this my last ditch effort to build a future, but I am starting to have strong doubts about my efforts, that may have been in vain. EDIT: Thank you for all your advice and for the gold. What I gleaned from the comments are the following: cut cable, cheaper cell phone, cut food budget even further, avoid more CC debt, better paying job or 2nd or 3rd, get a roommate, spend my time immediately after college building savings and reducing debt. Pretty straightforward stuff.At some point Ill post an update on my statusAssistant: Short term.. Since it sounds like youre working as a Pharm tech at a grocery store pharmacy , or maybe a riteaid or cvs but pay seems low for that... go get your PTCB cert... Its pretty darn easy and start apply at pharmacies that do compounding or for hospital institutional pharmacy jobs. They usually pay better. If youre still using PDX or something dont play it up... But if youre using something new and swanky play itUp in interviews. Human: I have my PTCB cert. Have had since 2002. 13 yrs as a tech. No pay consideration. 12.14hr  <response>: Youve been working 13 years in Connecticut to get to 12.14hr? You need a new job. 