Broke-what Do I Do?

Gee, it's hard to give advice on what you should do.

I worked 2 nights a week as a nurse's aide when I was in school.

I was married and he had a job. We just barely scraped by, and that was along time ago when things were cheaper, but wages were lower then, too.

Can you take out a loan, or you may have already done that, or ask some relatives for some help until you're out of school?

If you're working part time, maybe you could increase it one day per week?

Are the kids old enough to do something to help out a little bit? Maybe they could do some yard work for a neighbor or cleaning out a garage. I know if someone asked me, a kid, if I had anything they could do to earn a little money, I could find plenty for them to help me with. That's all I can think of.

You're in a tough situation.

Would your husband be able or willing to work OT or get a second job to tide you guys over until you graduate?

Sounds to me like you need to get student loans. It is kind of hard to do unless you plan way far in advance. I anticipated my need for loans and applied for them a year in advance. I am in the same boat as far as money goes, I will only be able to work part-time so I have to get loans for the rest of my living expenses. That would be my suggestion...and if you have missed the boat on financial aid for now, you can still apply for it and talk to your school to see how soon you could get it for the next semester.

I know there are several places where you can get loans that aren't through the school. I would try to give that a shot....

I am in that situation right now. My hubby had to go without pay to continue trucking school and that meant we had to get behind on bills. Things are slowly looking up. I just think about when Jesus fed the multitude with 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread. If he did it for them, he will do it for me and you.

How is everyone paying bills and having spending money while in school? I had to quit my full-time job to be able to go to nursing school. I do work part-time, but it is only enough to make my car payment. I am married and a mother of 2, just barely getting by. Anyone have any good ideas or resources? I am really stressing over not having any money. It would do no good to sell my car because I am practically upside down in it! Please help me!!

We are in the same sinking ship. Except we have FINALLY learned to cut corners. We made small adjustments at first, things you might not think make a difference but do. Here are some of the things we did and do now.

1. we turned up the AC thermostat 2 degrees, you really don't notice it too much and you really get acclimated rather quickly. It made a difference of almost $50 a month. That might not sound like much but when you need to put gas in your car or buy the kids some milk it makes a HUGE difference.

2. we do laundry in the evenings AFTER the sun goes down. The house doesn't heat up as quickly and thus keeping the electric cost down.

3. we lowered our cable internet speed from the fastest, which was 75 a month, to the lowest speed, which is WAY faster than dial up, it is now 24.99 a month. Again another $50. That is 100 just in those 2 steps.

4. We went through meal plans and made grocery lists and STUCK to them. It is easy to see things and just snag them up adding more cost to your grocery bill. I ALWAYS carry a calculator with me to the store, I know my limit, predetermined by the bills for the week. When I get to it. I stop.

5. This may sound silly and it doesn't actually save money but it does keep things from being in a bind. My husband and I both have a vehicle, mine is the only one with a payment. We get roughly the same gas mileage so we can both go almost 2 weeks on 1 tank of gas. We alternate our weeks of getting gas, unless an emergency rises of course. This keeps the fuel bill at around 40 for one week and 40 the next, as opposed to $80 in 1 week.

6. We changed our phone service to the cheapest. It was nearly 100 a month for all the bells and whistles and US calling anytime. If out of town family wants us, they call. Now the bill is 25 a month.

7. Finally, we NEVER buy lunch or coffee out. I pack us both a lunch for school, as well as the kids. I DON't stop for Starbuck's. I make coffee at home. You don't realize that the 3 on the coffee and the 4 on lunch adds up REALLY quickly.

The realization is this won't last. When you are done with nursing school you can feed your family lobster every night. It is a sacrifice your whole family makes. Just take a serious look at your spending habits and cut corners where you can. Buy generic, when the taste isn't too offensive, and buy in bulk.

Good luck.

We are in the same sinking ship. Except we have FINALLY learned to cut corners. We made small adjustments at first, things you might not think make a difference but do. Here are some of the things we did and do now.

1. we turned up the AC thermostat 2 degrees, you really don't notice it too much and you really get acclimated rather quickly. It made a difference of almost $50 a month. That might not sound like much but when you need to put gas in your car or buy the kids some milk it makes a HUGE difference.

2. we do laundry in the evenings AFTER the sun goes down. The house doesn't heat up as quickly and thus keeping the electric cost down.

3. we lowered our cable internet speed from the fastest, which was 75 a month, to the lowest speed, which is WAY faster than dial up, it is now 24.99 a month. Again another $50. That is 100 just in those 2 steps.

4. We went through meal plans and made grocery lists and STUCK to them. It is easy to see things and just snag them up adding more cost to your grocery bill. I ALWAYS carry a calculator with me to the store, I know my limit, predetermined by the bills for the week. When I get to it. I stop.

5. This may sound silly and it doesn't actually save money but it does keep things from being in a bind. My husband and I both have a vehicle, mine is the only one with a payment. We get roughly the same gas mileage so we can both go almost 2 weeks on 1 tank of gas. We alternate our weeks of getting gas, unless an emergency rises of course. This keeps the fuel bill at around 40 for one week and 40 the next, as opposed to $80 in 1 week.

6. We changed our phone service to the cheapest. It was nearly 100 a month for all the bells and whistles and US calling anytime. If out of town family wants us, they call. Now the bill is 25 a month.

7. Finally, we NEVER buy lunch or coffee out. I pack us both a lunch for school, as well as the kids. I DON't stop for Starbuck's. I make coffee at home. You don't realize that the 3 on the coffee and the 4 on lunch adds up REALLY quickly.

The realization is this won't last. When you are done with nursing school you can feed your family lobster every night. It is a sacrifice your whole family makes. Just take a serious look at your spending habits and cut corners where you can. But generic, when the taste isn't too offensive, and buy in bulk.

Good luck.

Do you own a home? We took out a home equity loan and pushed back some payments. You probably will be better able to afford it when you're out of school.

We also drew down on 401K's. A tough choice, but now that I'm a nurse, we're better fixed for retirement.

My advice is do what it takes. The short-term sacrifice is worth the long-term gain. I made up the difference in lost income in a year after working as a nurse. Find a way, it's worth it.

Depending on the area where you live the school should have some sort of list of local assistance places you could contact. Additionally if you receive student aid do you take monies out extra for living expenses? In some cases this is allowed. Ask your financial rep about possible grants in your local area. The internet could be helpful in this search for you as well.

My work pays for my school but I need to give them several years of service and this will be my 4th degree (BSN).

Hang in there. Once you graduate and get a job and pay off the student loans you will be so glad you went to school and became a nurse.

I did not have a choice but to work full time. It is possible if you stick to a very strict plan (study time, kids time, work).

See if you can get a job where you can also do the bulk of your studying. I had to work full time when I was in nursing school and I did it by working in a Group Home on the night shift. Of couse there was work to do, but I did have at least 3-4 hours to do some good, quality studying. Most places also will give you great experience for nursing. You may be able to work more and still have time for your family if you utilize your time well.

Actually it does help to sell a car even if you are upside down. Get a loan to cover the difference plus 2-3k to pay for a reliable used car and your payment (and insurance costs) will go way down. It didn't make any sense to me either when I first heard it but it does work, btdt.

PP's gave some great tips on saving money. Do check to see if you can switch to a cheaper cell phone plan or bundle your cell, home phone and internet to save money. Ditch cable or satellite TV. Are you on WIC for your kids? It's not much but it does help with the grocery bills. Try to eat cheap but nutritious food. Beans and rice and fresh veggies make up a lot of our dinners around here. There's also a lot of ways you can dress up ramen noodles:

http://www.mattfischer.com/ramen/index.php?cat=13

There's one I really like under "eggs". Oh yeah, eggs are a really cheap source of protein. I make fried rice with spam and frozen veggies and it's really good.

Good luck!

Karen