First off, thank you all so much for understanding and not immediately going into witch hunt mode.
magicalfeyfenny, welcome to the forum. Not much to go on, but it seems full-time (depending on the specifics) would be better.
What are your prospects for getting a full time role that comes with a reasonable likelihood of significantly increased pay as you gain experience? You have correctly identified low income as your biggest hindrance now. Improving that (job search, more education, whatever seems the best fit for you) is likely the best place for your efforts. Good luck!
First suggestion: increase that income! If at all possible increase your wage per hour. Would it be possible for you to work off-shifts for an extra couple of bucks? Many years ago when I worked at Target, I had a job that officially paid minimum wage (or maybe minimum wage + $0.50 or something) plus a $2-3 shift differential because I worked 5AM to 1PM. People working overnights got an even bigger differential. $40-$90 extra a week would make a real difference in your budget, without you actually having to work more hours. Shift work sucks, obviously (that's what the money's for), but it might be worth a try. (Not having a car makes this more difficult too, but I don't know the details of where you are and what's within walking distance so put it out there and hope for the best.)
I don't know what kind of work you're doing, I'm guessing retail based on the wage and the hours? But there are unskilled jobs that pay more than minimum wage. I know you probably encounter gender identity discrimination that makes it more difficult for you to find work than cisgender people, but seriously you need to increase that hourly wage, either by getting a different job or getting a raise at your current job.
I am a little troubled by your antipathy toward full-time work when you're in a near-emergency situation, but it doesn't really matter how you increase your income so long as you increase your income.
Good job to tackle things logically, when you are just starting out and money is tight. I think you will be fine. I would focus hard on finding a full time job, and increasing your income.
You are just starting out and a low and unstable income is pretty normal in those circumstance. It sounds as though you are doing a good job with evaluating your work options: as long as you are keeping an eye out for better options and thinking laterally, you will do fine.
Well, you've got the low-cost living part of this down pretty well. You just need to work in the good income part.
I think you probably want to go with the full-time job route, especially if you can provide one that offers health benefits, which would probably (hopefully) help with some of your on-going medical costs.
As far as work goes:
I'm at a call center. I have the job because it was the first one I could get. The specific call center I'm at is not known to give out significant raises, and I'm actively looking for either a second job (which I have a second interview for tomorrow), or a full-time job with any spare time I get. I can't take extra hours unless the company offers them, and they only work a single shift. They do pay Spanish-speaking employees a $2 differential, but I'm not fluent enough to do that. It offers no benefits, but I'm on my parents' insurance until they can take me off (which won't be for a few months due to open enrollment restrictions unless they want to take
everybody off, which would hurt
them a lot more). I'm definitely going to look into insurance companies in preparation for that though; I need one that covers the cost of transition-related care and prescriptions, but I don't strictly need the rest.
In Reno, my main choices for unskilled work are either heavy lifting (which I'm physically unable to do due to a history of back problems), casinos (need to wait until I'm 21), food service, call centers, or retail. The call center I currently work at is about 10 miles from my house. There's a few shopping centers that are much closer. The main reason I'm against full-time work so much is that it's so easy to lose 100% of your income in a flash. However, I'd definitely take what I can get at this point, since the same 'losing 100%' thing applies if I only have a single part-time job as well.
Also, I totally understand why you're not budgeting for saving, but I think you should, even if it's just $10 a month in a jar.
You might consider starting a small Roth IRA at a place like http://www.ally.com/bank/ira/online-savings-account/. If you would otherwise owe any federal income tax at all, Roth contributions will give you a 50% return in the form of a saver's credit. Maybe $10/month for starters?
Hmm... I'll look into the IRA. I figure that if it's just cash lying around earmarked for emergencies, some sort of "emergency" will happen. $10/mo really shouldn't be hard to put away if I can reduce other costs (especially fast food). There's no emergency so big that I have to have cash on hand right there to handle it.
As far as tracking expenses, a spreadsheet is probably best, but you don't have to start out that fancy. Grab a small notebook and label the first page "July 2015." Put down your spending categories -- "Utilities", "Rent", "Internet", and so on. I suggest two separate categories for "Food" and "Eating Out." At the end of the month total up each category. Record all your spending in the notebook for a few months. It is enlightening.
I think your spending looks pretty good. The biggest area where you could save is food, by not eating out. Spending too much eating out is a common issue among young singles -- you are not alone there. Cooking more at home is a win-win-win -- you save money, eat healthier, and feel better. But it can seem like an overwhelming task if you're not in the habit. What meal do you typically eat out for? I would attack it that way. If it's dinner, focus on coming up with 10-15 go-to dishes that you like, and are healthy and cheap, and that produce good leftovers. Then buy the ingredients to always be able to make those things. A crock pot is a wondrous thing that pays for itself quickly. You can dump in ingredients and leave them to cook themselves, and end up with a delicious meal, with leftovers you can eat the next day, or freeze for future meals. Poke around on the MMM website for more shopping and cooking suggestions. There is also a neat (and free!) online cookbook by Leanne Brown called Good and Cheap that has awesome suggestions for beginners, and shopping/cooking suggestions for eating well on $4 per day: http://www.leannebrown.com/
So you spend your entire SNAP benefit at the grocery store, then eat out for the rest of your food? Your own food money will go a lot further at the grocery store, especially if you're smart about what you buy.
The only way to keep track is to keep track. Maybe a Google spreadsheet?
The biggest 'eating out' meal is lunch or dinner; I'm usually out doing errands, get hungry, and grab something quick. However, I could probably do all my food on the SNAP benefit, done right. I simply must have discipline, even if it involves taking out exactly the amount of money I need for laundry and non-food items from the bank and nothing more at all.
As far as food goes, I have some cooking experience, but not a lot. My usual pantry staples are oatmeal (+sugar, cinnamon, almondmilk), iced tea (+ice), ramen (+red pepper flakes), and bread/peanut butter. If I add potatoes and eggs in (+canola oil, salt, margarine) and maybe cheese (not a lot but some for flavor), maybe rice or pasta, and fill in the rest with
cheap meats, fruits, and vegetables, I should be good on food. I would absolutely need to have discipline and cook my meals in advance. I should probably start carrying around a water bottle and fill it with tea before I leave to go anywhere, refilling it with water whenever possible. That'd reduce my spending a lot right there, since half the time when I eat out, I mostly go in to get a soda. I should also start bringing more food with me even if I'm not going to work, since that means that I won't get hungry on the go.
The crock pot is definitely a good idea since it'll let me cook some things that I won't otherwise have time for, and I know they're rather cheap too. I'll also start dividing money spent on food and money spent eating out in my budget so that I can keep track; the less money spent eating out, the better.
On the nitpicky low-hanging fruit front: stop buying dryer sheets. They're gross and basically just coat your clothes in grease. The money you spend on dryer sheets can be your first little contribution to your savings jar :P
You also might be able to save a little each month on laundry by hanging once-worn clothes to air out and wear them again, using a clothes drying rack or hangers to hang wet clothes instead of using a dryer, or handwashing some things in your sink and then hanging them. In Nevada's dry air you should be able to dry lots of things by just hanging them. If you are buying your laundry supplies at the laundromat, stop and buy them elsewhere.
I'm in a studio apartment, and I'm not sure on their rules regarding clothes lines. It shouldn't be hard to find a clothes drying rack, but price might be a concern for now. I buy my laundry supplies at the supermarket or the dollar store. I didn't realize using dryer sheets did absolutely nothing; I'll stop buying those.
X2 on the suggestion to contact your closest LGBTQ organization to see if they have suggestions for how to do a name change cheaply. They may know of lawyers in the area that will do it for free or at a reduced cost. If I was licensed in Nevada I would do it for you pro bono.
I think doing the name change as soon as you can would be a good idea. Not just because it would be better for you personally, but the longer you keep the old one the longer it will trail along behind you in education certificates, training qualifications and references. If you can have two good months without emergencies and cutting down your eating out and cash spending you could have enough on hand for the $250 bill. Alternatively, are you in contact with any LGBQT groups in your area? They might be able to refer you to a cheaper or free legal resource to get this done. There are also lawyers on this site who might be able to refer you to a pro bono source of legal help. In the meantime, the more informal situations in which you can use your new name, the better.
I've done the research. The $250 is not including court fees (which I can get waived based on income and circumstance). The rules in Washoe County require that I publish the name change for 3 consecutive weeks in the legals section of one of the two major newspapers in the county, which is the majority of the expense (the rest is stuff like new IDs and birth certificates, etc.). I've looked into LGBTQ+ groups, but I can't find any that work around my schedule right now. In the meantime, I'm actively trying to get people to use my new name as much as they can without running into legal issues.