I live in Los Angeles Country In California. It's ridiculously fucking expensive to live here. Last year I worked full time between a variety of jobs and made less than 30k overall. Two of those jobs being 'private contractors' one of them being Uber Eats. So I am technically 'not an employee'. Currently I am drowning in bills and frustrations due to being so underpaid. I have been struggling to find a single reasonable job that will employ me full time with benefits. After living with my parents for 4 years i FINALLY was able to move out because my friend has a free room and her apartment's rent controlled. Well then comes tax season. My current situation: I'm terribly broke, had to borrow a few hundred from parents for rent & my car registration that I owe back to them in a few days when I get my paycheck, I'm BARELY SCRAPING BY doing uber eats whenever I can to make extra money but it pays like dirt. So I have to do my taxes of course I send all my tax forms to the guy and now i owe HIM $150 for doing my taxes. More money I don't have. In my taxes I had literally $5,000 of deductions all together for doing uber eats which was for the gas, car issues that came up, etc. And what does he tell me when he's done with my taxes? That I OWE fucking $600. How the fuck do i OWE the government money when I am making literal poverty wages and it contributes fucking nothing to them?? The $600 I owe is literally NOTHING to the government I am supposed to pay it later this month and! There is no way I am getting it!! I have fucking bills to pay!!! Already!!! I am losing my mind I am so frustrated. And to top it all off yesterday I'm scrolling through instagram I see a post of a woman bragging about buying a $300 collar for her cat. I am so frustrated I'm sick. It's almost impossible to drag myself to work knowing I'm being gutted of all of my energy just to not even be able to afford to house and feed myself. Let alone getting to do ANYTHING fun, the money doing ANYTHING fun like concerts/trips/just going out to dinner costs literally makes it SO STRESSFUL that I can't just enjoy life. Now to keep doing uber eats even though I despise that shitty company because I have no other choice. fuck.