I'm 23 i have no idea how to even start applying for school or how to get financial aid

I’m a screw up but I’m trying to piece my life together and i think college is a way to get me moving forward in my life.

See i messed that up. I was going to say that i need to know how i should start going about this. if anyone has any tips or advice that would be great.

You can go to your local CC and register. It’s pretty streamlined.
You will meet with a campus counselor who will help you plan your coursework based on what you hope to do or major in.

If you plan to go full time, then it should take you two years or so, to complete undergrad requirements in order to transfer to a 4 year university.

Some schools offer minimal assistance to you as far as financial aid is concerned. But there are schools out there that can help to minimize your costs.
You can apply for federal and state financial aid and your campus advisor can help you.
Start looking at the FAFSA website. This is the: Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is an application that gets sent to your CC’s and your universities.

https://fafsa.ed.gov
Never too late to start your education.

You will meet all kinds of people at the CC, all ages, all majors.

Good Luck!!!

Typically there is a long period of time (could be months) between the filing of your FAFSA and a college awarding you financial aid. The first thing I would do is complete and file your FAFSA, which can be a somewhat complicated document.

Many community colleges have an ‘Intro to College’ or ‘College Success’ course, and I would suggest that you take that, along with perhaps only one or at most two other courses. That way, you will more gradually become acclimated to the college academic scene.