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The notion that accumulating cash has a built in depreciation due to inflation is correct. However, that only matters once you have some wealth accumulated that you need to protect. You are still in the early stages of wealth accumulation. Average inflation is ~3% a year so it isn't much. You lose very little over the short term so it isn't something you need to worry yourself over. Keep saving. You are on the right track!

A $10k goal is a good place to start. Your idea of different accounts to assist you in saving is one that worked for me. I keep local checking and savings accounts for my spending and emergency accounts along with an online savings account through Ally with a higher yield to push my savings to. I pay my bills through my checking and keep enough in the savings account for emergencies and to cover budgeting errors. After everything was paid for each month I moved everything over to the Ally account until I had enough stockpiled there that it was time for me to do something more productive with it.

From there I opened an IRA to start investing for retirement. Eventually I began maxing out my IRA contributions and still had money left so I opened a standard brokerage account and invested the surplus there. This replaced my Ally account as my general savings vehicle. Instead of the ~1% I was getting from Ally(less than inflation) I started to see market gains of varying amounts up to 20%/year. IIRC the S&P500 returns/dividends have averaged ~10.9%/yr over the long term to give you an idea of what you might see. This is where wealth accumulation really begins to take off. Compounding gains is pretty spectacular. The satisfaction of seeing your money make money is motivation to save even more.

Finance isn't confusing once you gain some basic knowledge. Just like wealth this knowledge is accumulated over time. When I was younger a mentor of mine suggested this book for a broad view of finance:
https://www.amazon.com/Everyones-Money-Book-Jordan-Goodman/dp/0793142245/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524669876&sr=1-1&keywords=everyone%27s+money+goodman

It has been almost two decades since I have read it but I remember it being very beneficial when I was younger. From there I have read a lot of different things and taken tidbits from all of them to inform my wealth accumulation strategy. You should do the same. A couple of other books that you will see recommended very often are The Millionaire Next Door and Rich Dad Poor Dad. I do not recall which but I read one of them when I was younger and got a lot from it too. From there another book that helped me in investing was All About Asset Allocation by Richard Ferri. This really did a great job of explaining all of the different assets you can invest in and how and why you might want to invest in them. The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing is another book that is frequently recommended. I have not read it but I have read a lot from the Bogleheads online. My initial asset allocation strategy was their 3 fund portfolio. Somewhere in there I listened to a lot of Dave Ramsey. His investing information sucks but his basic "don't suck with money" strategy is a fantastic common sense approach to not digging yourself into a financial hole or to get yourself out of one if you need to. Just keep reading and learning. Make it a daily chore. Eventually it doesn't seem like black magic any more. Amazon used books and ebay are a great way to pick up some great books at a low price. Or check your local libraries.

Also broad index funds are unmanaged funds, so you're not paying anyone on Wall Street to pick the stocks. If you buy something like a broad index fund based on the S&P 500 the stocks are picked. You don't pay someone. All you pay is a very tiny amount for keeping track of the money.

There are other mutual funds that are managed, which means Wall Street types try to 'beat the market' by picking the winning stocks and knowing when to buy and sell them. Problem is, you have to pay that person, it's part of the fund management cost. And it's actually pretty rare (forget the numbers in a study I just read but it was like 10% over a 5-year period) for managed funds to beat the market once you take out those fees. So you're still trying to get lucky there.

For anyone interested in reading about broad index funds from an admittedly biased view of a heavy proponent, I suggest reading The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns by John Bogle, he updated it last year and it's a very easy-to-follow explanation of the benefits of index funds and not too horribly long.

There is a book called Blender Baby Food which I was fortunate enough to find at my local public library. (I did end up buying it because it was so useful.) The recipes are excellent, all whole foods. And the cool part is that maybe half the recipes are good for adults too, you simply blend them up for baby. Many of the recipes are freezable. It's been 15 years and I still use their pancake recipe!

I saw "Super Baby Food" also recommended. I used their homemade cereal recipe for awhile - definitely more nutritious than rice flakes. That book has a ton of good finger-food ideas for toddlers too.

This might help you with feelings of worthlessness

https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Self-esteem-Rational-Behavior-Psychology/dp/1591023548

You are not your finances. You can view the imperfections in your financial situation without transferring those imperfections to yourself.

Moving in with parents is a great way to create some breathing space. The rich get trust funds and financial safety nets. People without much money should not be ashamed of finding ways to not pay rent (and someone else's mortgage).

Try to reduce your expenses. You can also defer or forbear your student loans for a bit. Keep asking questions here. A lot of people want to help.

When my furnace went out, I went and bought a bunch of electric "oil filled radiator" heaters. Paid about $50 each at Lowe's, on sale. Put one in the bedroom, one in the kitchen, one in the bath room and two in the large living room. They kept the house warm enough and we're surprisingly inexpensive to use. Safe and easy.

When I did get a new furnace (through my local energy assistance provider, for free!) I actually found the little heaters were cheaper than my new forced air electric furnace.

Example:
https://www.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EW7707CM-ComforTemp-Portable-Oil-Filled/dp/B000TGDGLU

Good luck, OP!

Daaaamn!

Okay, I assume you are like me and prefer cold coffee. So I have this thing here: https://www.amazon.com/Takeya-Patented-Airtight-Silicone-1-Quart/dp/B00FFLY64U/ref=sr_1_9?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1525466142&sr=1-9&keywords=cold+brew+coffee+maker

It's wonderful. You put the coffee grinds in the middle, then put water in it and eventually the coffee grinds seep into the water and it's coffee! Pour it into a cup and add your stuff to it and it's just as good! If not better.

If the coffee at your place sucks and you would rather have some solid coffee, that is the way to go and a good way to make it cold without spending a crazy amount of money.

More Info:

It holds about two large glasses of coffee each, which is 4 out of my 5 work days. So when I use the second cup up, I just refill it with the same coffee grinds. It tastes fine to me because the thing holds about 14 scoops of coffee (on average). So in about a month I go through a large thing of coffee with is about $10. I buy regular creamer (nothing fancy) every other week which is $3. Then I use Stevia sugar because I'm trying to cut real sugar out, and a box of 100 packets cost about $5. That lasts about two months for me. So the total you get is way, way cheaper than the $4 a day iced coffee.

There is a book titled “taking care of yourself”. You look up the symptoms and it will tell you what home remedies to try and when you should go to the doctor. I know being in poverty means not a lot of expendable income but this book could save you a lot of money in the long run. I’ve had mine for 20 years and use it all the time to avoid unnecessary doctor visits.

It’s less than $20 https://www.amazon.com/Take-Care-Yourself-10th-Illustrated/dp/0738219738/ref=nodl_

Also as some have mentioned below. Many hospitals and clinics offer free services events a few times a year. Usually for preventative screening. Pap smears, skin screen for melanoma, vaccines, dental cleanings etc. make a note of when the free services in your area are.

Nice try, but this book is coming out in January. Let's see how your claim that wealth comes from knowing the right people holds up then. (BTW, according to the author/publisher, an outside research firm was engaged to conduct the research--it's not just a hand-picked selection but instead a statistically representative sample.) I suspect from the cover copy that it won't support your opinion.

Also, WWII saving bonds weren't mentioned as a path to wealth in "The Millionaire Next Door."

> To give preference for something like that would monetize it and perpetrators would glorify it even further.

I don't understand that. From a LEGAL perspective, and we are a nation of laws, we monetize abuse and harm ALL THE TIME. Yes, we put people in prison for wrongdoing, but we also fine them for lesser crimes.

Our whole legal system is built on money, just like our economic system is. You and I and everyone here, we all have a $ signs stamped on us whether we like it or not.

Warren Buffet is worth billions. He's got a huge $ stamped on him.

Me, I'm worth far, far less. I don't even earn what his secretary earns. A ship is sinking and the life-raft can only fit one more person. It's a choice between me and Mr. Buffet. FOR SURE the other passengers are going to leave me behind and take Mr. Buffet because of the giant $ on his forehead.

I hate to tell you this, but that's the truth. We are all already QUANTIFIED. We all have a value placed on us by retailers, but also, in many cases, by our governments.

Anyway, since we are all already quantified, we have a credit score, a net worth, in many cases employers see us as having a "maximum wage" based on the wages we've earned in the past, all I'm saying is, why not help victims of DV and sexual assault by quantifying that harm too?

Don't ask me how it could be done. I am not a social scientist or statistician.

But consider this: In many cases, the abusers get away with their deeds. Many times they are not reported, or the full extent of their crimes are never recorded. Many victims of DV put up with it for years before calling police or seeing a counselor. They have not written down every incident, or taken photos of every bruise.

In the meantime, THE ABUSER KEEPS ON WORKING! I'm going to say he, because it's usually men who are the perpetrators of DV, he keeps on working, getting raises, keeps his connections in the workplace. HE doesn't suffer any career harm at all.

It is usually just his victim(s) who are the basket cases. He compartmentalizes his life so he's fine at work. It's only at home that he can't handle conflict. (I read this book recently, about half of it, and the author described this very well. https://www.amazon.com/Batterer-Psychological-Profile-Donald-Dutton/dp/0465033881)

So he goes on the career track, doing fine, and she's a mess. If she had written down every single incident of abuse, and taken him to court, and won her case, the court would punish him and that's supposed to give her some justice.

But since that hardly ever happens, the legal system hardly ever imprisons batterers, there is very little justice for DV survivors.

Nevertheless, even after leaving the bad relationship, they carry the scars, scars not only in their minds, but in their career lives and earnings also. Missed work days coping with the craziness, low self-esteem so they won't even try to get a better job, or needed degrees because they're sure they can't do anything right, and maybe even problems handling the personality complexities in the workplace because maybe their perpetrator has left them with a deep mistrust of all men?

I'm not saying that's true of all DV survivors, but I'm sure it's true of many. They don't trust men, and yet, to get ahead in the workplace, they have to deal with them, learn how to speak to them so they can take her seriously, and, in many cases, have to learn how to fend off flirtations at work.

Do you see how the DV survivor is starting way back behind the starting line in the Career Race? Her un-abused female peers trust men, have maybe even learned to speak to them so they can hear her from having good relationships with her dad, brothers, and emotionally healthy boyfriends. She is starting at the starting line, with everyone else.

Don't kid yourself. We attempt to quantify justice all the time in this nation. It's not always successful, but we do try.

If you love iced coffee, get a cold brew pitcher of some sort! Then make ice cubes out of coffee as well. :)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U

Always save 10% of your income.
Figure out ways to invest your savings so that hey multiply

I highly recommend this book: The Richest Man in babylon

Hey, I don’t have any genius answers, but the book Scarcity by Mulliathan and Shafir really helped me understand this phenomenon.

Ted Talk: https://youtu.be/gV1ESN8NGh8
Hidden Brain podcast: https://www.npr.org/2017/03/20/520587241/the-scarcity-trap-why-we-keep-digging-when-were-stuck-in-a-hole
Article by the same authors: https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/sendhil/files/scientificamericanmind0114-58.pdf
Book: https://www.amazon.com/Scarcity-Science-Having-Defines-Lives/dp/125005611X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?keywords=scarcity&qid=1563889402&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Attempt at tl;dr:
There is a high cognitive tax from constantly resisting temptation. The best way to reduce this tax is to have slack in your budget.

Mom of adult son with moderate to severe Crohn’s.

I would call the hospital social worker. I know nothing about your case and I am not a doctor. My son was extremely ill when he was diagnosed, so the Colonoscopy was sufficient to diagnose.

My son takes 12.5 mg of methyltrexate per week at a cost of $90.

He takes the maximum dose of remicaid every 6 weeks at a cost of $25,000. Every 6 weeks. That is the per single dose cost.

He takes folic acid, extra vitamin D, and calcium & Claritin for side effects of the drugs, since they are toxic. You are at risk for early osteoporosis, so you’ll need a bone density scan, and you are going to need regular colonoscopies, up to yearly once you hit 30. You are high risk for cancer then.

You need extra vaccines, because those drugs shut down your immune system. You will have more doctor visits for just getting sick. The remicaid infusions take 3-4 hours. You will be missing work and school.

I’m telling you all of this because you either need to be hired immediately by someplace with excellent insurance and awesome pay for part time work, or you are going to have to have Medicaid.

The reason I’m telling you this is not to scare you so much as get you to go talk to the hospital social worker. You have a condition that can get pretty catastrophic pretty fast, and I’d like to prevent that. They have shortcuts through that process for people who are sick enough.

Some suggestions:

Check out r/FODMAPS . Whether it ends up being IBD or IBS, this diet will reduce your symptoms.

Low fiber, low fiber, low fiber. It will scour the lining of your intestines right off if you are inflamed.

I highly recommend this book. It was written by the doctor who treated my son in the hospital. He is a full professor at the University of Washington Medical School.

See your university’s disability office for accommodations. You are going to have absences, and you need to be able to leave class to go to the bathroom. If you are still in high school, you’ll need a 504.

If you have trouble maintaining employment, check out your state’s DVR (Department of Vocational Rehabilitation.) They can work with you to find employment with reasonable accommodations.

Develop healthy stress management techniques. Stress can bring on a flare, so find what works for you: meditation, exercise, building models or knitting... whatever works. If you can anticipate stress (finals!) then schedule in your stress reduction practices, be meticulous with your diet, and go for it.

I hesitate to mention this, but if you are in a legal state, you might want to see if you can get a green card if you start having too many problems. When my son’s weight starts dropping off, he uses marijuana to get one good meal per day. It does not treat anything: It just masks the symptoms & helps you eat.

I am so, so sorry you are going through this. If you are careful & responsible with your diet and carefully take your medicine, you can have really long stretches that you are symptom free, particularly if you can manage stress & other triggers effectively.

I released a short ebook about mindset around working and money just this week.

It's free now on Amazon if you want to check it out.

https://www.amazon.com/Poor-Payday-people-traps-avoid-ebook/dp/B08181SHT6

Don’t know if anyones suggested it, but this might be a good book in general for you!:
https://www.amazon.com/Get-Money-Live-Life-Afford/dp/0316515655

BAFX Products Bluetooth Diagnostic... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005NLQAHS?ref=yo_pop_ma_swf

We just got this one on Amazon for $22.41. I don't know if there are better ones, but I don't think that you necessarily have to spend a whole lot more to get a decent one, especially if Amazon is an option. I realize that it may not be for some people.

Agreed. I think a lot of people spend beyond their means because they tie their self-esteem to appearing a certain way to others. People need to learn unconditional self-acceptance instead
https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Self-esteem-Rational-Behavior-Psychology/dp/1591023548

> The side you’re choosing blames individual actors for products of systemic abuse and exploitation.

First of all, I have no "side". Quit presuming to tell me which side I've chosen.

Second, "systemic" problems are often an emergent phenomenon, resulting from the collective actions of many individuals. By recognizing this and spurring individuals to take actions to remedy their situation, we can all improve our lot in life. This idea is the entire history of the USA, a country which has produced the greatest quality of life for the largest number of people in the history of the world.

>You can choose that, or you can choose a just path. You cannot simply dart back and forth between those sides.

I can choose whatever the fuck I want.

>There is only one that is ethically consistent and fair.

This is not true. You are so biased it isn't even funny. It's actually scary how deluded you are in thinking that only one side is ethical. You simply have different ethical priorities.

I suggest you do some reading on the psychology of politics before you keep trying to play this ridiculous morality game. Here is a good start: https://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777

How old is your cat? Does she have any health issues? Joint or muscle problems? Low body fat? Pain issues? Mobility issues from aging or injury?

Years ago, when I moved into a new place, my cat was upset and hid in a cold cabinet for weeks. I was worried she would get sick from the cold, so I put an electric heating pad in there (I was always home so I managed the on/off, never letting her get too hot). Too late though--she ended up with pneumonia and bronchitis within the month. Nice big $2K vet bill for that, and her health was never the same.

Would you feel safe leaving an oil heater running in a room for her? Something like this---https://smile.amazon.com/DeLonghi-EW7707CM-ComforTemp-Portable-Oil-Filled/dp/B000TGDGLU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542126180&sr=8-4&keywords=oil+heaters+indoor+portable

I have one and it runs 24/7 on high for weeks in the winter here. I have it in my bedroom and it really helps take the chill off. Many mornings I wake up and find the cats sleeping on the floor next to it. They'll even call a truce with each other to share the space by the heater. You could set it to a timer to come off and on if you are worried about it, but mine has never caused any problems and they are really sturdy, don't fall over and aren't dangerous to anything that might be near them (bedding, etc).

The self-heating bed someone posted is great for the inside of a box or flat in the bottom of a cat bed, but breathing the cold air into her lungs is what seemed to get my cat sick (or atleast knock her system down allowing her to get sick).

I just finished furnishing a house and bought several mattresses and bed frames. I got an INCREDIBLY COMFY king bed and frame for less than $400 on Amazon. Here's the mattress I got.

Also, Roger Ebert (yes the movie critic) was an ace at cooking with a cheapo rice cooker. Once he got serious about losing weight (and before he got cancer) he used to carry it with him as he traveled so he could cook in motel rooms.

He published a cookbook about how to make all kinds of food with a rice cooker in less than ideal situations: https://www.amazon.com/Pot-How-Use-Mystery-Romance/dp/0740791427

https://www.amazon.com/Scarcity-Science-Having-Defines-Lives/dp/125005611X Here's the book.

Just so you know there are much cheaper alternatives to the Bluedriver. I personally use this one and it provides all the same stuff the Bluedriver provides for 1/5 the cost so you only have to work an hour and a half.

This is the one I got: Takeya Patented Deluxe Cold Brew Iced Coffee Maker with Airtight Seal & Silicone Handle, Made in USA, 1-Quart, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FFLY64U/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_1HIVAbXETDP0Z

https://www.amazon.com/Zinus-Memory-Green-Mattress-Queen/dp/B00Q7EPSHI

I got myself one of these. Cuts down on prep and cleanup time immensely.

/u/Atalaunta there is a book that's going to change your life if you read it. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0553263900
When I Say No, I Feel Guilty: How to Cope, Using the Skills of Systematic Assertive Therapy