This. Worth budgeting to make sure you can build up a buffer. Then once this is done you could invest. Open excel, list your expenses. See what the total is a

This. Worth budgeting to make sure you can build up a buffer. Then once this is done you could invest. Open excel, list your expenses. See what the total is and compare to your income. Try to reduce every category. Some you can reduce by negotiation (a lot of the bills for example) or shopping around. Some you can reduce by changing where you shop (food, groceries etc.). Some you can reduce by going for cheaper brands, cheaper products. Fruit is an area where I see a factor or 4 or 5 in the cost and I find apples and pears cheap and good enough, no need for the fancy fruits. Also stuff in season tends to be cheaper and taste better anyway. Transport you might be able to reduce by cycling / walking / running some of the way. Some stuff you can eliminate, like eating out, alcohol, take away coffee. If renting move somewhere cheaper - smaller or worse location or sharing with more people. Or move in with parents could be another option. Avoid loans for anything except assets that rise in value e.g. real estate. And even those loans try to pay off as quickly as possible unless you can put the money to better investment use. Pay credit card in full each month of course. If you are a dev and are struggling to make ends meet you are either underpaid or overspending. If underpaid then fix that by looking for a new job. If overspending then you need to budget. Don't just do more hours on the side though this isn't the short or long term fix! If you have the luxury of free hours to work you'd want that to go into something that is an investment (financial or spiritual!) not just some spare cash to make ends meet.