Hi, I’ve never done anything like this before. In fact I’m usually not one to ask anyone for help. I feel guilty if I do, because I know there are people worse off than I am. I’ve dug myself into a hole I can’t get out of. I’ve managed, through a lot of poor choices and bad financial decisions to accumulate upwards of $16,000+ in debt between Installment loans, lines of credit, and credit card debt. I’ve been victim to quite a few predatory loan companies out of necessity and because my credit is too poor to qualify for any decent ones. I’m a single mom to 3 children, with one on the way. I took a pay cut in April to move to days at work so I could have more time with my kids. This pay cut also happened after returning from maternity leave, as one of my children is under a year old so I ran myself out of PTO at work. Myself and their father just split up, and I’m genuinely terrified how I’m going to make it so my kids don’t have to suffer. I’ve been living less than paycheck to pay heck since taking the pay cut because I’ve had to take a few absences at work for illnesses, oral surgery, and family stuff. Since I’ve run out of PTO I’ve had a lot of paychecks be short since I’d have to go unpaid for those absences. This has been the biggest cause of living paycheck to paycheck, as I’ve had to use lines of credit and installment loans and credit cards to keep bills paid and continue making minimum payments on debts. I’ve now reached such a point that between the minimums on everything and Interest, almost my entire check goes to these things. So every pay week I’m taking more money from somewhere to pay something else and keep things afloat. And still manage to buy groceries and put gas in my car to make it to work, plus pay for childcare so I don’t have to miss work for that. I’m at my wits end and don’t know what else to do. With Christmas nearing it’s become even more of an emotional burden, but not making bills or rent or staying on top of my debt so I don’t default on anything is overpowering the sadness I feel for not being able to give them a Christmas they deserve. My only hope is the kindness of others so I can get above water and stop drowning hopefully. I don’t want my kids to have to suffer because I’ve dug a grave I can’t climb out of. So far the only good I have going for them is that they haven’t had to feel the effects of my money problems yet. But I’m not sure that will even last past this week as I’m already short for bills and food and gas and don’t know how I’m going to manage breaking even. I haven’t even been able to have a savings so I have money in the event of an emergency because I’m always in the negative and overdrawing my account to pay bills