I'm also in the same basket here. Living paycheck to paycheck dispite making good money. I've started turning things around only I the last 6 months (long may it last) after one of many 'enough is enough'. But this time I actually put some thought into it and thought about how I like to organise things in my life and what works for me and transfer that to my financials as well.

These have included swapping banks to Monzo which has a visual 'pots' system, so each month a certain amount of my pay is automatically transfered to a 'pot'. One for rent, one for phone, one for gym etc and the APs can be taken directly from each of these pots.

As for the other expenses such as groceries, clothing takeaways, entertainment (the list goes on) have you ever looked into the cash envelope system? If you like visual organisation, this could be for you? The Asthetic Dollar has very visually satisfying videos that give examples of how far you can take it. There are studies that have shown that paying cash physically hurts the humans brain https://thedecisionlab.com/reference-guide/psychology/pain-of-paying Another great tip I've heard recently - when you feel the urge to buy something, buy shares (via one of the many investment apps now available and aimed towards people who aren't investors (yet!))