Advice Needed from Older Students/Nurses

[sweetbriar]

Dear all,

I'm in a bit of a bind, emotionally and financially, and need advice from older individuals who are either in my same boat or have already been where I am.

I'm nearly finished with the pre-reqs for the ADN program that I will be applying to in the near future. All I have left is my A&P class with the option of postponing my application for one more semester to go ahead and get A&P II out of the way. My problem? Adult life.

While I have a full-time job, I am fully aware that I will most likely need to quit it while in nursing school and I am dead scared of how in the flipping world I am meant to live without any income. I'm still paying off the last bit of my loans from my first bachelor's degree, I need a newer car, and my boyfriend and I want to get a house together. I can foresee postponing the house buying part, but I'm in dire need of a newer car and I don't want to postpone my nursing education for much longer than necessary. The costs for everything is slowly driving me mad and I'm at a loss as to what I should do financially. All of those things will require large loans and I barely have anything in my bank account. I'm a frugal spender, but living expenses, college loans, pre-req courses and textbooks, and old medical bills are murdering my bank account.

I had originally thought to do an ABSN but I simply cannot afford another bachelor's degree program, and the ADN program that I'm applying to is exponentially cheaper. My hope is to secure a job as an RN and then finish up my schooling for my ABSN while working (the salary would be much higher than what I'm making now, too, enabling me to pay loans, living costs, etc.).

To the experienced adults in the forum, what am I missing? Do you have any advice as to how I can prioritize this list of large expenditures? Am I just crazy?

[Undone]

I am just repeating what others have said. Look for scholarships for women returning to school, of a certain age, etc. Do what you can to lower your bills by calling around and simply asking. I once had my cable bill cut nearly in half for 6 months with no loss of service because my husband needed surgery and would be out of work for a while. I called and explained and asked them if there was any way not to give up all of my service but drastically lower my bill.

Check into on-campus jobs, very often you end up with time to study while you get paid and can work it around your class schedule.

Good luck.

[sweetbriar]

Wow. I could not have expected more thoughtful replies than what you all have written. Thank you all so much! This has given me much to think about.

I cut out both Internet and cable about 6 months ago and my cell bill is only $45 per month. I hardly ever eat out but I know that grocery bills are my biggest culprit since I do spend money on healthy food (even with buying store brand and non-organic products my weekly bill can be high for just one person). I will make that my first priority in cutting my current costs. I think my most "extravagant" monthly expense is my $45 monthly membership at my local climbing gym, but I'm a climber at heart and can't imagine being happy without it.

As far as my car? It burns a ton of oil, is leaking both oil and transmission fluid, and has an engine problem. My mechanic said the cost to fix those issues would cost more than the worth of my car. He recommended I look for another car a few months ago, but I've been trying to milk whatever my car has left until I absolutely must get another one.

My biggest, unavoidable expenses are old medical bills that I'm still paying on. I keep hoping that I'll see the end of the tunnel on those, but just when I think I'm almost done I get billed with some old crap from 6 months ago.

The face I'm wearing does not match the panic and anxiety that I feel on a daily basis when it comes to my finances. I am so afraid of failing because of these expenses.

[sweetbriar]

I forgot to mention that the ADN program around here is about $20k or less, total, and the ABSN is about $40k total.