Is living from paycheck to paycheck a common occurrence for you?

no. I live in a shared housing place and i get a 900 dollar disability check and my caregiver gets 700 of that for rent and food etc. and i get to keep the other 200 for myself,

i don't need to pay for food and utilities on top of the 700.. I just need to buy my own personal stuff like shampoo/bodywash, clothes, toothpaste, dental floss, my yearly bus pass, recreation centre pass etc. Whatever i need, and i usually just save whatever i don't use in my bank account.. I will be getting a  job within the next year or so  so that will give me an extra few hundred to myself (im  gunna work a few days a week, 3 or 4 hours a shift). In fact, i got a job training interview next month which im excited about..

( next fall im joining Special olympics bowling and that will be from October to March, and than Softball from April to September)

Nope, not since my early 30's.

Not anymore. It was when I was younger. Most people start out that way. It takes time to learn to budget, and to save.

Been there, done that ! Many years ago while trying to raise three kids but with my ex working also, we finally got things on a budget and no longer waited so much for that paycheck. After I bought my own shop, I paid myself after everyone else was paid. Mainly for taxes then.

When you first start out on your own, this is a common experience. It is the point where you only bring enough money in (From just entering the work force and lack of experience) to JUST get by living at a low cost of living. Many people refer to this as the "Ramen, Peanut butter and jelly, and Mac-n-Cheese" time. The idea is that you stay long enough to "Move up" in the position you are in. Go from McDonald's Fry cook, to Crew chief, to Assistant Manager, and possibly Manager. At this point grab a years worth of managerial experience and look for a Manager's job with higher pay either in THAT organization or another. It doesn't hurt to take college courses at night in the area of study you might want to pursue a career in.

So, as you increase in pay, be sure to adhere to a budget or budgets. Have a food budget, where you shop the weekly flyer on specials and create a menu from this that you STICK TO. Have a budget for rent and utilities (things you NEED). Have a budget transportation and professional attire, and toiletries (Things you NEED). Then after all that have a budget of 50% or less of the left over to go towards entertainment and wants. This would be your monthly Netflix, occasional night at the movies, going out to dinner, and personal clothing. Anything that is a WANT and not a NEED comes out of this budget . . . Yes including Christmas gifts for others.

The rest SHOULD go into savings. By sticking to budgets you will find less stress over WHERE the money goes. This is all based on your standard of living . . . We all start out with a pretty low standard of living, and try to increase ONLY as our income increases.