People of EarnIn: Esmeralda Feliciano

When Esmeralda was nine years old, her parents moved her and her younger brother to Rhode Island in hopes of providing them with a better life. Rhode Island has been her home ever since and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Check out her story:

“We're more on home cooked meals and ramen than going out for a drink right now. I don't currently have the finances to live the lifestyle that I want to live, but I have a very humble, quiet life with the few people that I care about. I try not to spend any money, so I don't get to go out like I used to, not that COVID was going to let that happen anyway. But I’ll go to the driving range, batting cages, and I’ll go on nature walks. Rhode Island is an ocean state with beautiful scenery everywhere, lots of water and lots of trails. I just try to keep myself up and keep my mind stimulated.

My boyfriend and I just moved in together two weeks ago. Since everybody's struggling, my parents offered him a space here in exchange for rent. He used to live two hours away from me, so it was hard. But we made everything work despite all of our trials, tribulations, and obstacles. We closed the commute and it’s going to be a better lifestyle for both of us. So as much as I’m crying about having $12 in my account until Friday, I can't complain. I was able to fill my gas tank yesterday and at least things are paid for. The phones are paid and rent is paid. We're good for right now.

I'm looking to get certified and study cyber security so I can turn that into a career. I've always been on the nerdy side, and I’ve worked with phones for like three years. I worked at Sprint and then I worked at Samsung. So, I'm very big in the mobile world, but I do like the job I have now. I work in the administration office of a toy warehouse company. I wasn't really even qualified for the job, but they saw my resume, set me up with an interview, and, luckily, I got it. I've loved it ever since. It was a pay cut, but it was for a better lifestyle and social life. I don't have to deal with the general public with people in my face, yelling at me, and throwing things. As much as I loved working mobile, it's crazy, especially around the holidays. There's no weekends off and you can't really request time off in advance. So I had to leave for my mental health. I need to help myself in any way that I can and thanks to the EarnIn app, when I do struggle, I'm usually okay.

Back when I was working at Sprint, my friend told me about EarnIn. She was pregnant so it was important for her to be on top of her things. Both she and her husband told me to download the app. Anytime I hear a good review from somebody I trust, I'm like, “Cool, I’ll check it out.” We were paid bi-weekly back then. So, on a hard week, it was good to know that I could get a little bit of help from the next check. This was back in 2016, so it's been a few years and I'm very happy she introduced EarnIn to me.

Honestly, EarnIn is the main financial tool that I use. I have a savings account but it's empty, so when I'm struggling, EarnIn’s got my back. I have horrible credit that I'm working on fixing so I'm not comfortable with a credit card. I haven't had one in a year. I'm not going to add something else where I'm going to owe or be messing more with my credit while I'm trying to fix it. Once I'm financially able to, then I will work on a credit card. In the meantime, while I'm working on a better lifestyle for myself, fixing my credit, diving into a career, EarnIn has really been super helpful for those who aren't able to get assistance like myself, because I was young and dumb. They don't teach you about credit in school. Now, I'm 26 years old and trying to fix it. I'm really just trying to be more financially responsible all around.”

Do you have a story to tell? Of course you do! Every single member of our community has a unique story. Share your story with us at stories@earnin.com.