"You Have to Sacrifice" — Single Mom Explains How She Survives on Low Income in Current Economy

A single mom, Jess (@jessrecovershere), living in the Midwest, shared how she's making ends meet despite earning a low income.

In a viral clip she's shared to TikTok, she highlights some money-saving tips and urges others that there are ways to make it work, in spite of the uncomfortable and frustrating position she's in.

Jess begins her video by delineating the particulars of her financial situation.

From the jump, she states that she's a single mother who doesn't receive any child support and makes $15 an hour at her current job. This means that, before taxes, she earns around $600 per week plus tips as a cosmetologist and consequently has to come up with creative ways to save money.

She posted her video as a means of sharing with others how she does that, presumably to help others who are keen to acquire some budgeting knowledge themselves.

She states that, based on her current salary, she's come to accept "credit card debt" at this point in her life.

Jess states that on the particular day she uploaded her video, she received a $50 gratuity, which isn't something that happens often.

"Normally, I average like $40, it depends," she says. Her next money-saving tip after charging goods and services to her credit card, is foregoing getting "her hair and nails done."

"It's not in the budget, it's not a priority," she tells viewers, followed by foregoing having an internet plan at home and any subscription-based monthly services, too.

Furthermore, she closed her bank account and has switched over to the digital-only mobile banking application Chime instead.

She added that whenever her son wanted to use their tablet to consume content, she would tether it to the mobile hotspot on her phone.

However, she said that her kid's tablet ended up breaking. Because of her financial situation, she didn't get the device repaired or replaced, which yielded a silver lining.

Her son's been reading a lot of books, which Jess says she doesn't buy. Instead, she brings her child to a variety of public libraries. And in order to ensure she and her child are well-fed, she takes advantage of local food pantries.

Since she technically earns too much money on the books by $1.30, she can't qualify for government-funded SNAP/EBT benefits.

To supplement the items she receives from food pantries, Jess says that she primarily does her shopping at Aldi or Walmart, as these retailers offer the lowest prices on goods.

Previously, she stated that she used to shop at Dollar Tree. However, according to her, the chain has raised its prices, no longer making it a viable budget-conscious solution for consumers looking to save their bank accounts from being depleted.

"You're better off going to Walmart in this economy. Stuff is like $5 now, $1.75, it's not worth it," she tells viewers.

She added that purchasing smaller, individual water bottles ultimately costs more money than nabbing a large jug, which she shows off as an example in her video.

"It's cheaper, or get a Brita, but I don't like Britas," Jess says.

Following this, she addressed the concept of shopping at a thrift store, ruling that she doesn't feel as if purchasing items from these locations provides worthwhile money-saving opportunities.

"Thrift stores are a rip-off...they are scamming people...you can buy sh*t cheaper brand new than you can at Red Racks," she says, name-dropping one popular Kansas City thrift chain.

"Forget thrifting at this point. You're gonna wanna find churches. A lot of food pantries also have clothes, cleaning supplies, those type of things. Look for churches, look for friends, cleaning out their closets. Look for garage sales," she tells her viewers, looking for an alternative to thrifting locations.

Afterwards, she said that the "top priority" for anyone is to ensure that their rent is paid in a timely fashion. This is sound advice, as management companies, upon evicting tenants, will even mistakenly toss out all of a resident's belongings.

Moreover, the upfront moving costs for an evicted tenant can be prohibitive.

Not to mention the replacement of any personal effects they've accrued could be financially ruinous if they're already scrimping and saving every penny available to them.

Additionally, Jess says that landlords/billing companies will usually work with tenants, so folks should be sure to keep them abreast of any monetary difficulties they're experiencing.

The TikToker went on to stress, "Do not lose your housing," before delving into the realities of seeking rent assistance.

"I mean, you could apply for low-income housing. I've tried. You're gonna be on that wait list for years. So just start...paying your rent. All rent is expensive, you can't do anything about it. Just pay it," she tells her followers.

As for personal "treats," she showed off a large Sonic fountain beverage to the camera, stating that she opts for the chain's "Happy Hour" promotion, which lasts between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. and offers half-priced select items during this time.

"Today I actually did a survey and I got a free soft drink," she says, holding up the coupon to the camera.

At this point in the clip, Jess addresses the elephant in the room, but stresses that she's doing the best with what she has. "I know this is not ideal, we are living in a f--ked up economy. I understand that. You have to sacrifice to make it. Even if you go to school for something, even if you have a trade like I do. People making $24 an hour in the Midwest are not making it," she tells those watching her clip.

"So don't beat yourself up, don't feel bad about it," she says towards the end of her video, capping it off with a shrug of her shoulders as the screen goes black.