<prompt> Human: Hi rpersonalfinance Im 18 years old. I live at home, and go to community college. In the last 2 weeks, I went from having 1500 to having 300 to my name, because I didnt work for 2 weekends. This is the smallest amount of money Ive ever had and it scares me.I have 1 bank account, and its my checking account. I have 1 debit card and no credit cards. I honestly dont even understand how credit cards work, other than the fact that you buy stuff on credit and pay it back at the end of the month, and paying it on time is how you build credit.I dont have any student loans either. So basically, I have no line of credit whatsoever.I have a job as a cashier where I get paid minimum wage, and because I go to college and I take night classes, I only work Friday Saturday and Sunday. This makes me about 400 per month, usually a bit less. I track my expenses using the Mint app on my phone, but I really have no idea what Im doing. I just use it to see what Ive spent money on. My only real expenses are gas 45 every 1.5 weeks cell phone bill 50 a month google music 7 a month going out to eat buying clothes car repairsThings like car insurance and most meals are still paid for by my parents. But all of the things listed above basically use up my full pay every month. I dont actually make any money. Ive had 1500 to my name for the past year now, and it never actually goes up at all. And after taking off of work a lot these past 2 months, plus a massive unexpected car repair bill 400 I now have 300 to my name. No savings account, nothing.I asked my parent what to do, because having this little money really scares me. What if my car breaks down again? They told me: get a better job. Thats not helpful. I need to set up a savings account. I need to build credit. I dont know how to go about doing any of these things. I dont know how Ill ever have any money to buy real things in life. I feel like Im going to have 300 for the rest of my life.How can I fix all of this? Can anyone help? Thank you all so much in advance.Assistant: If you go to school at night, why cant you work during the day? Also I agree with you parents... You should try to get a better jobHuman: Oh no I go to school during the day and at night. Im basically at school from 9AM to 7PM every day because my schedule is fucked. I think its going to be a little bit better during the second semester so I can get more hours, but it still wont be a lot most likely.And the only reason I stay at this job is the flexibility in the hours. I can change my schedule around to be whatever I want so long as its 3 weeks in advance but I can make it work around my crazy college schedule. The only jobs where you can normally do that are retail jobs, all of which pay minimum wage.  <response>: Keep your head above water until you finish your degree, youre actually doing really well. Get off your own cell phone plan if youre on one and jump on your familys and throw them some money to cover the cost, that should save you a few dollars here and there. Stop buying clothes if you dont need them and eat out less. 