I hate my brain sometimes

It sounds as if you have thought things out and taken some steps to take care of things -- such as setting money aside. That's a good sign. You are preparing.

I had similar feelings of panic when I started my doctoral program at the age of 35. I had to quit my job and move to another state. Like you, I had set enough money aside to get by for the first semester of my program, but not enough for the full 4 years I expected the program to take -- and I definitely did NOT want to break into my retirement savings. It felf so irresponsible to be unemployed and not earning any money.

I had faith that I would find a part time job, get scholarships, etc. to see me through -- and that is what happened. I only had to take out $12,500 in student loans to see me through the 5 years it eventually took to get that PhD. I would encourage you to look for a part time job that can stretch those savings farther. While I would never recommend that a full time student have a full time job, a few hours of wage-earning per week should be do-able.

With your IT skills, you may be able to piece together some odd IT tasks to do for people that would earn you some cash on a schedule that works well with your school. Personally, I would be thrilled to know someone who could help me maintain my technology at home. I would be quite willing to pay someone periodically to do things that are probably very simple for you. Perhaps if you posted a few signs around the school ... or otherwise let it be known that you are available ... you could develop a list of "clients" who would pay you to help them at times convenient for you.