Financial Trials and Tribulations 2023 AKA hardest year yet

Financial Trials and Tribulations 2023 AKA hardest year yet

From Lizzie Bridges

Raising money for rent and other bills after one of the hardest years of my life thus far. Laid off from 1 job + lost 2 part-time jobs + 2 roommates fell through + heartbreak and total betrayal from boyfriend of 5 years.

Support this campaign

Subscribe to follow campaign updates!

More Info

This year has been one of the toughest years of my life…

Where to even begin. This past year I've felt hexed. NO other way to describe it. With -$10 in my checking account, and rent of $1300 on the 1st (same amount as my unemployment from being laid off last month) I feel pretty hopeless right now. 

Forgive the length, just can't even begin to explain all of it any other way, so I'm laying it all out there. This is a last ditch effort to avoid having to face potential homelessness with my 13 year old dog as the bills are piling up even with cutting my budget down drastically. 

Stuff thats happened to me this year:

  • I was fired from a part-time admin job
  • I was fired from a part-time/full-time cleaning job for a large corporation with no explanation, they witheld my vacation pay, and pushed out my shifts to the next weekend for 5 weeks so I didn’t apply for stand-by, on top of that I was fired via email and neither of my bosses would answer my texts about why I was kicked out of the app so I couldn't see any upcoming shifts which they had eliminated as the paperwork for my dismissal was being prepared
  • Thankfully kept my 3rd job (part-time) in Marketing & Design for a local non-profit where I live. Unfortunately the unemployment insurance just deducts this pay so I'm still only getting $1300 a month until I find another job / some miracle happens. 
  • Got a new job working PR and Social Media for another local non-profit but unfortunately my boss put in her notice the day after they hired me so I was told my position would be eliminated and i’d be laid off IF I didn’t get the promotion I was up for. After weeks of interviews, they found someone with more experience so I was laid off. My unemployment gives me $1300 a month which is the same amount as my rent.
  • Interviewed for what I thought was my dream job, did the background check and references but still haven't heard back and it's been a month now so back to square one....AGAIN. 
  • Look back to last fall I was left unexpectedly left by my boyfriend, with 3 jobs at the time I was still barely able to handle things on my own so was planning on getting a roommate, but once the roommate I had lined up fell through and my ex boyfriend wanted to move back in two months later and get back together, it seemed like the only viable option at that point with the timing of the roommate backing out. 
  • Flash forward to this last April I found out the only man I've been romantically involved with for the past 5 years that had moved out and made the "biggest mistake ever" and came back was cheating on me with the same girl he saw on our “break” that I didn’t even want and had not agreed to. Lied about all of it, she was the only one to tell me the truth. This was all right before I had a huge event to help host at my remaining job that weekend. I told her I couldn't talk until Monday as I had this big event I had to be on my A game for, but she just blurted it all out two days before that via text. On top of that, the next roommate I had lined up bailed on me pretty last minute after months of setting things up. This was on the same day (within the same hour) I found out I wasn’t getting the salary job I was up for and loosing my job at the same time. 
  • Car repairs (fuel pump, water pump) not to mention the carburetor (which I still have to rebuild myself) luckily was able to get my car to idle again after fix some soldering on an emission control circuit board myself so at least now my trucks not stalling on me every time I'm idling at a light or stop sign like it has for the past 5 months.
  • Needless to say it’s been one of the most TRYING years of my entire life. Up until this year i’ve never been fired from any jobs in my entire 33 years of life - the ones I was fired from were working for my exs moms friends, but I’m crazy for thinking our breakup had anything to do with it. Either way, all of the above has felt very much out of my control and all of it’s felt BEYOND soul crushing. 

    The theme for 2023 for me has been: You're just not good enough, and you'll be pinned against others and lose more than you could ever even imagine. 

    I have been told I'm an optimistic person, but I know for a fact I haven't been this year and last because it's just been one thing after another. 

    I have no idea how I’m even going to make rent and bills, and although I’m working Oktoberfest I won’t be paid until later in October. I have even gone as far to start praying this year, which isn't really something i’ve done since I was a kid, so far it's not working. 

    The level of shame I feel for not being able to ask those I know for help is at times too much to bare, thats really why i’m here. Maybe nothing will become of this, but maybe it will surprise me and restore my faith in humanity. I've given to MANY crowdfunding campaigns, but never been in such a tough spot where I'm writing one for myself. 

    It seems when things are going well for you, you have so many friends around you that are along for the ride, but when you’ve fallen on hard times many of those people disappear. You really start to question things. I am grateful for all that I have and for all the opportunities I've been given by those that I didn't expect to step up and help me.

    Those that've recently helped me by feeding me when it's obvious I'm skipping meals, along with emotional support. These types of people hold a special place in my heart.

    Hoping to pay it forward once I get back on my feet. Literally anything helps at this point. If you have made it this far, thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. It was really hard to write. 

    Campaign Wall

    Join the Conversation

    Sign in with your Facebook account or

    Help Lizzie raise $3,000 by making a donation.