Private student Loan question

Hi all,
Im asking this here because Im sure some of you have had similar situations.

My wife makes good money, she is already a nurse.. 12 years. I however have been downsized from the automotive industry. so i make nothing haha (I know..not funny). I DID make very good money.. WITHOUT a degree.. those days are over.. so in seeing the joy my wife has from her job and being inspired by her, I have decided Id like to go into nursing now that the "opportunity" has been given to me.

My question is.. we have just bought a new home in the last couple years.. which really cleaned out our saving, so we are thinking of going down the private student loan route. I was wondering.. CAN a private student loan (ala Sallie Mae) be used for general bills and whatnot to cover what I wont be bringing into the family finances? Id like to goto school full time and maybe work a part time job.. prob needing @ 8k (on top of tuition and books) a year to supplement her income along with the part time job to keep everything paid and save our credit.

Any info from your personal experiences would be great.. thanks all!!!