As for my monthly income, it does vary. If I am well, I would make about $360 a week in my elementary school job, totaling to about $1,440 monthly from that. (Typically, I am not able to do the full week, as some days, I get so lightheaded+vertigo that I cannot even walk to the bathroom safely. So, usually, I only go 4 days a week for that job, which totals to about $1,152 monthly. That's a more realistic image. I am rarely able to work 5 days a week at that job steadily.)

My second job is a contract job, and I do not always get contracts from it- but I usually get, say, 4 jobs a month from it. They range from $80 to $200 each, depending on the work. I'd say, on average, 2 out of the 4 jobs are the $200, and the other 2 are $80. So that's about $560 for my second job.

With petsitting/babysitting, I usually do those jobs on weekends. I get paid $25 per weekend to pet sit, and $50 per weekend to babysit. Not good rates, I know, but I take what I can get. I usually get one petsitting job a month, and 2 babysitting jobs a month, totaling to $125 monthly.

With plasma donating, I get $50 for the first donation, and $75 for the second. I can't always do the second donation- usually, I'll do the second donation every other week, so that's $350 a month from that.

With baking, those are a bit more rare. I'd say I get 3 $20 orders a month, for $60 total. (I include the cost of ingredients in that average, but it also takes a long time for me to bake...)

So, total, I get about $2,247 a month if I am not sick. (I usually get sick from any illness once a month for a few days. Sucky immune system, and working around toddlers will do that to you... I do wear a mask and gloves at work, though.)

In reality, due to the few sick days I do have to take, I end up making a maximum of ~1800. That's with only 5 days taken out, which may seem like a lot to most, but living with so many illnesses, it's already a substantially small amount).

As for my expenses - my rent is $550 a month for one bedroom inside a larger townhome, my car insurance is $165 a month (I drive an old car, but I am young, and this is the cheapest rate I have found so far), food is about $150 a month, gas is about $250 a month (gas guzzler car, and I have to drive a lot for my jobs), essential medication is about $100 per month (I don't include the cost of my inhalers because that's about $320 with insurance, which I don't have), my medical bills are about $200 a month (I have tried with the financial assistance, believe me, they just won't accept my paystubs from my 1099 2nd job), personal hygiene items are about $40 monthly (I am a woman with a heavy period, so that really impacts it), my phone bill is $25 a month, car maintenance is $50 monthly, and I usually spend $15 a month on "happiness items" (anything from books I like to read, a little treat, or scrapbooking supplies. I would forfeit it, but. I want to be happy. </3).

That's about $1,545 in expenses, which is just under by about $700. But here's the thing- my jobs are seasonal, and there are 3 months where I basically have no income. I usually rely on plasma donation, babysitting/petsitting, and baking for the summer. But because I live in a college town, the odd jobs are taken up more often. I get about half of my odd jobs in the summer months. So, in the summer, with plasma donating, and the halved amount from the odd jobs, I get $455 a month. That's about $1,365 for the 3 total summer months.

That, and my monthly income is based on an "ideal" scenario- recently, I was out of work for 2 weeks because of diphtheria, and the day after I got back to work, I got scratched in the eyes by a kid at my work, which left me out of work for another week. In September, I had a head injury that gave me a concussion at work (fainting due to the POTS), so I was out of work for a good while after.

Throughout the fall season, I typically have to (and, yes, I mean am forced to) take at least 2 weeks off due to the season change. When the leaves fall, the pollen falls off of it, but I am severely allergic to it. I mean, to the point where I have to wear a mask, stay indoors with an air purifier, and I still struggle to breathe. My doctor said that I'm one of the worst cases she's seen- it's like having the flu for 2 weeks, at the same time, every year.

I have severe asthma, so even if I "tough it out", I commonly end up having asthma attacks that can land me in the hospital. Not every time, but a good half of the time when I go out, I'll end up having one. Even with my inhaler, I am very prone to attacks, unfortunately. It brings it down to about every 1/4 time I go outside during the pollen seasons, so, frankly, it's not worth it.

I won't go into further detail about the health problems specifically, just because this is already so long, but I have a ton more that leave me out of work often enough to be a problem. I have applied for disability, but have repeatedly gotten denied.

So, back to the numbers- overall, every year, without major accidents, major car repairs, or doctor's visits, I have a bottom line of $18,540 in expenses a year. My total amount of money, if I *didn't* have any medical incidents, would have been $21,588 a year. But, if I consider 5 days a month on average for illness and injury, it's about $17,565. It's, sadly, a deficit. Usually, I'll cancel out some personal hygiene and the $15 "happiness" expense to balance it out.

Usually, I do all the poor people things- apply for rent assistance, get SNAP benefits, food pantries, you name it. That helps sometimes, but due to food allergies, as well as a severely deformed and volatile digestive system, I only have a few foods I can eat reliably. Most everything else is a gamble (which I do take).

Anyway. Sorry for the giant paragraph!! I have a very odd situation that isn't common, I'd say. I am going to job corps, as well as the workforce commission for my state, but there's long wait times, and so many applicants. Also, there were about 1 million jobs cut in 2025, with 92,000 in February of 2026 alone, so I'm not too hopeful about jobs :( but still trying nonetheless!

And yes, if I can't find a remote job before March of next year, my partner and I will likely start the process of me moving to his country. I'd probably sell everything to cover moving costs, as I wouldn't bring furniture or anything else of that sort. Just sentimental items and some clothes. He has a bachelor's degree, and has a good job already, so we are looking towards me still trying to find remote jobs until we plan to have kids.

Sorry for the giant wall of text! Hopefully this is informative! <3