💸 Tackling High Debt As Low Income Earner

How I’m Tackling Debt as a Low-Income Earner in Southern California (as a Senior Millennial)

Being in my late 30s and still feeling financially behind isn’t exactly the life I pictured. The younger version of me thought by now I’d be married, maybe have a couple of kids, and be living in a beautiful home.

Instead, here I am — a senior millennial living in Southern California, working full-time and trying to pay off over six figures of debt while earning just under $70,000 a year. On paper, that might not sound terrible, but in a high-cost-of-living area like SoCal, it barely covers the basics. Between rent, bills, groceries, and debt payments, it’s a constant juggling act.

According to HUD, an income of $70K or less in the Los Angeles area or $80K or less in Orange County is considered low income. Yep, I qualify. It’s humbling—but I’ve stopped being ashamed of it. Instead, I’ve started getting creative.

🔄 Making It Work — and Supplementing with Side Hustles

With such a tight monthly budget, I knew I couldn’t rely solely on my full-time job if I wanted to make real progress on my debt.

That’s when I started looking into side hustles. I currently have two consistent side hustles streams:

• 💼 Consulting work in my field (just a few hours a week)
• 📦 Reselling gently used items online

These extra gigs aren’t replacing my full-time income, but they are helping me breathe a little easier each month—and keep me motivated knowing I have some control over my finances. Aside from the two above, I am trying to find more ways I can make extra cash or increase income streams overall.

🏡 My Living Situation — Household of 1… or 3?

I currently live with two roommates in Orange County. While we share rent and utilities, we keep everything else—groceries, schedules, and lives—separate. So even though technically we’re a household of three, day-to-day it feels like a household of one. I never know how I should answer this Household Size question on surveys and forms.

🥘 Budgeting Without Giving Up the Good Stuff

Part of my strategy is redefining what joy looks like. I’ve made it a goal to start with small but meaningful changes like:

• Cutting back on Takeout/Food delivery services.
  • I used to order in 4-5 times a week. I’m trying to only get takeout or go out once every pay period.
• Inviting friends over for home-cooked meals and drinks.
  • Having a pot luck style meals, or cooking some of my low-cost but famous main dishes, and pairing it with drinks at home can easily save me $70 or more in one night.
• Meal prepping to save time, money, and stress.
  • One reason I resorted to takeout and delivery in the past was because I was lazy to cook, or didn’t have anything to eat. Prepping and having something to eat readily available helps me not splurge on take out.
• Canceling my pricey gym membership (still debating which budget-friendly gym to join—or maybe I’ll just use the park!)

🎨 Enjoying Life on a Budget

Just because I’m broke or need to start acting like it, the fun doesn’t have to stop — I’ve just gotten a little more creative. Some of my favorite low-cost or free things to do include:

• Strolling through local farmers’ markets.
  • I try not to buy too much at these markets, as some items can be more costly, but it’s definitely a fun way to spend a morning getting steps in, browsing the various vendors, and sometimes even trying some free samples.
• Hitting up community art walks
  • Many cities and communities offer monthly art walks. Typically, these are in the evening, offering options for gallery hopping, free wine and hors d’oeuvres, and an overall great time.
• Attending free concerts, movie nights on the lawn, or museum days.
  • With the weather starting to get warmed up and summer being just two months away, keep an eye out for events on Facebook, Meet Ups, local city event pages, social media and other places for all sorts of free or low cost events.

These small joys remind me that fun doesn’t have to come with a hefty price tag. It’s about being present, enjoying the moment with friends, family, alone, whatever you prefer.

💡 Keeping My Head Up

I’m starting off my debt payoff journey painfully slow (due to income restraints and the lack of available means to make extra payments)— but my mindset has me all in and giving this another shot. This time, I feel like I have more intention than before. Some months I’m able to throw a little extra at my balances, others I’m just holding it together.

If you’re on a similar path—feeling like your income doesn’t stretch far enough or that your goals are too far away—just know you’re not alone. You don’t have to be making six figures to make progress. You just have to keep showing up for yourself.

Resources

Check out some of my go-to resources.

Find Events In Your Area – Both Free and Paid events are filterable by your desired location – https://www.eventbrite.com/d/united-states/events/

Budget Friendly Recipes – With breakdown of avg cost per serving – https://www.budgetbytes.com/category/recipes/