conversation: User (desperateandcold): "I am living in my car in the Mid-Atlantic and Freezing. \n\nI just started work this week as a server working Saturday and Sunday full shifts and evenings on Mondays and Wednesdays. I will be starting a paid internship at the end of January working Tues, Thursday, Friday. I am also going to school on Mondays and Wednesdays.\n\nMy school and hometown are an hour away from the internship. I picked up the serving position in the same town as the internship to save money on gas instead of running back and forth. I have no place to stay and these bitter temperatures are too much to bear much longer.\n\nMy bills are as follows:\n\nGasoline- 350\nPhone-90\nFood-100\nCar Insurance-180\nCar PMT- 500\n\nI understand that having a car payment of $500 is outrageous in my situation, however I had the car when I was working a different job making a significantly larger salary. I own a second car with no payment. I am still upside down in the loan, so selling or trading is not an option.\n\nI expect to make $736 after taxes from the internship and around $400 low balling from serving. Bills = 1220 Pay = 1136\n\nI need to be able to afford a place to stay but I dont know how. Theres nothing I can do for a third job and I need this internship and schooling very much for my life passion and to move forward and get a good job. I have friends I can stay with for free in my hometown but that would mean more driving expenses to commute!!\n\nPlease help this student poor decision maker out!!\n\n\nUPDATE: I called the local cold weather shelter and they are willing to let me stay for a while but not permanently since I am not from inside the county. Thanks to the responses, I realize I have to decide whats really worth holding on to (the internship? the car?) in order to survive. This is not an easy process but at least I will have a place to stay tonight out of the cold until I can get it figured out! Thank You Personal Finance! I hope to use the people here to help me get back on my feet and on to the financial freedom and stability I need! With little debt and searching for a good job in the future, I have the platform I need to build a solid future from the ground up!\n\nTL;DR: Not a POPSICLE TONIGHT!"
  Self: "&gt; I understand that having a car payment of $500 is outrageous in my situation, however I had the car when I was working a different job making a significantly larger salary.\n\nI understand that having a car payment of $500 is ~~outrageous~~ **idiotic** in my situation, however I had the car when I was working a different job ~~making~~ **failing to save anything despite** a significantly larger salary. \n\nDude, wake up. Now. "
  User (desperateandcold): "I went through my savings after losing my Job back in July. I am certainly appreciative of analysis on what I did WRONG. However I am looking forward and asking for help on what I can do RIGHT for the future. I have a hard time finding the value in the comment aside from identifying what you believe was a lack of saving but I don't know if you are asking enough questions to gain clarity and truly offer some guidance. "
  Self: "I didn't mean to be mean spirited about it; more like snappy and making a clear/impactful point. Sorry if it came out that way. What I would say you can do RIGHT for not only the future but for right this moment is to REALIZE how "insane" (in the old sense of unhealthy) it is to have taken on this giant financial liability of two vehicles, one of which was new enough to have a huge payment, when you were 5 months from being homeless. *That's* my value add here. In comparison, if it is helpful, I live with a very healthy fear of destitution, and in response I have socked away enough savings to last 5+ years if need be, and I *still* own only one very old (1980s!) car for *two* people. (I'm extreme in the other direction, but you get the point). The point about "wake up" is to wake from the consumer hypnosis that programs us to have to have "nice things"...I'm not saying you were fully hypnotized, but *something* was way way off when you bought that second vehicle, no? If you can see that today, that's a great first step. I suggest you seeing if you can sell both cars and live with public transportation for a few years...possible?"
  User (desperateandcold): "Thanks for this! I realize the error of my ways and I am hoping that with the help from this group, I can build something like what you described above. Starting out with what I have now isnt as bad as having hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and no way to pay it. I appreciate you very much. I need you to know. My main priority was to get warm and I believe I have that under control for now. Once I start generating income from the internship and the serving, and get rid of the car, and reduce my cellphone bill, then I would like to look for more advice on where to go!"
  Self: "Ok, great! Good luck. I see now you were making a lot more money than I ever have, and I'm a lot older than you. Remarkable. Well, lesson learned, it seems. Thanks for your kind words, stay warm, and thrive!"
  