I needed:
- a used reliable gas efficient car for the commute
- a phone upgrade (battery wasn't reliable)
- upgrade my laptop (because I'm poor and mine was 6 years old/worn out)
- Headphones for zoom interviews to reduce technical difficulties
- Also booked rooms in libraries for the interviews because I couldn't afford to upgrade my internet
- all new business casual clothes (my clothes were work clothes. shirts that come in bags, pants that are beat and torn, and work boots)
- accessories (bags, mice, keyboards, etc.)
If I didn't have money saved up I wouldn't have been able to accept my new job, and I won't get my first check for another couple weeks. I love my new job, but holy shit you can't just “if you don't like it get a new job” if you don't have adequate money saved. I had to spend hundreds just to upgrade my router so I could work from home when needed.
It's fucked up that when you work a shit job, you're too poor to afford to look for a new job.