With the cost of living rising between groceries, housing, gas, and everyday expenses, many are feeling financial pressure and ending up in debt. Here in San Diego, the cost of living remains one of the highest in the country, which makes it easy to accumulate debt while keeping up with necessities and unexpected emergencies.
Practical Tips To Help Stay Out Of Debt:
- Track your spending:
- Start a spreadsheet and create a budget
- Review your credit cards
- Evaluate your subscriptions
- Review your dining and shopping habits
- Look at your transportation costs
- Negotiate your medical bill(s)
Groceries: Grocery shopping apps have digital coupons as well as their online website. San Diego is the first city in the nation to ban digital-only coupons with its Grocery Pricing Transparency Law, so you can still receive a discount on the same goods offered with digital coupons.
Consumer Reports even has a list of grocery stores from least to most expensive, with Walmart as a baseline.
You can use the app, PickFresh, for neighbors and locals selling their homegrown backyard fruits and vegetables instead of going to the grocery store.
No one should go hungry. You can call 211 for the National Hunger Hotline, and there are a number of food banks throughout San Diego:
- Feeding San Diego
- San Diego Food Bank
- San Diego County Food Donation
- 211SanDiego.org
- San Diego Hunger Coalition
- San Diego City College has a Community Food and Meal Distribution list
- Jewish Family Services Nutrition Food Assistance
- San Diego Unified School District has a Food Assistance Resource
- This summer, hot meals for children at San Diego’s Park After Dark
Save with your credit card: Review your credit card app or website for offers from merchants. A percentage or dollar amount may be listed under “offers” or “merchants” every few weeks to a month, where you can save anywhere from 2-10% to a few dollars. This can add up over time.
Subscriptions: How important are your subscriptions? Perhaps you forgot to cancel a subscription service that you only wanted for a year, or the price increased after the initial offer. Some credit cards or store memberships offer a discount with streaming services.
If you have an iPhone, go to Settings – click on your name at the top – in Subscriptions, it will show all your subscriptions that are tied to your Apple account.
If you have an Android phone, open the Google Play Store – tap your profile icon – Payments & Subscriptions – Subscriptions will show all the subscriptions tied to your Google Play Store.
Transportation: Sometimes you can take the bus/Breeze (north county), trolley, Coaster, Sprinter, or the Pacific Surfliner to get around. Maybe you can bike to work, sign up to take a vanpool, search for a commuter program, or sign up ahead of time just in case there’s ever an emergency, you can be part of the Guaranteed Ride Home program. If you can’t carpool or take public transportation to your workplace, perhaps you can negotiate a hybrid schedule.
Some parts around town have a free or low-cost shuttle/rideshare service. You might have to download an app like Via San Diego.
- Downtown San Diego (FRED): $1/ride.
- Mid-City Go: Free rideshare between North Park and City Heights.
- Southeastern Connect Zone: Free through 2026.
- National City (FRANC): Free of charge.
- El Cajon Zone: Free for a limited time.
- Chula Vista Bayfront Shuttle: Free between downtown Chula Vista – Living Coast Discovery Center – Gaylord Pacific Resort.
- Chula Vista Community Shuttle: $2/ride, free for 55 and older. Download the Circuit app or call 619-650-6386, option 7.
- Oceanside: $3/pp, capped at $6/group.
Medical bills: Medical treatment can get expensive quickly. Make sure you get an itemized bill and check for errors. Here are some of the major hospitals in San Diego that are all non-profits and offer medical assistance.
Here are some organizations that may be able to help with medical expenses and planning for expected expenses:
Most importantly, communicate and discuss with your partner/spouse and kids about budgeting, spending habits, and long term planning goals for you all as a family. This will help lessen the stress and make discussions about money more comfortable for everyone.
Are you in need of legal counseling or have any questions about debt relief? The Law Offices of Ian S. Topf, APC offers a free consultation on a variety of issues, ranging from family law/divorce, bankruptcy, and estate planning to criminal/DUI matters and landlord/tenant disputes.