How to find more money for school and living?

October 27, 2006 12:03 PM

There aren't enough days in the week for me to make enough money to live. Hm.

My husband and I (we're in our mid 20's) both work part time and go to school full time. He's a grad student, I'm an undergrad. We both have jobs that will be beneficial to our desired employment outcome when we're done with school, so we don't want to quit these jobs (we would also be hard pressed to find jobs that pay better). However, we don't make enough money to exist. We don't have cable, I cut our hair, we don't eat out, we don't go out, we don't do anything fun that costs money. We don't have a car payment, we don't drive around (we ride our bikes everywhere). We both go to private schools in the Chicago area, and don't plan on transferring. I have no more time in the week to get another job. He's looking for a second job. Our total budget income per month is 1300, and our expenses are 1000. I'm an artist and a writer (don't tell me to quit, please), and he's a librarian.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make ends meet? I refuse to take out any of those private school loans. We already have one in this house, and that's plenty. Our lives are miserable because of money. This is truly no fun, and if one more person says, "oh we were poor when we first started out too," I'm going to stuff them in my crock pot and save a couple bucks on a meal.

We're going to go interview for welfare and food stamps next week, but I don't think we're eligible for welfare. We're eligible for about 100 bucks in food stamps. Thanks for any and all suggestions or resources.

posted by bash to work & money (47 comments total)

Do you run a tight budget? I mean, on a spreadsheet or other tool? And then monitor actual outgoings against budgeted, to insure you're on track? I do this and maybe once every three months I review all costs, and actively try to reduce them, calling or visiting the web site of pretty much all my utilities. And my weekly shopping becomes an adventure in cost reduction / exploiting sales.

Without knowing more about your situation I can't offer specific advice but I will say this: back in the late 70's when I was an undergrad I lived on a meager income as well, and developed a mindset that has immensely benefited me later in life: saving money. So stick it out! It will be worth it in the end.
posted by Mutant at 12:12 PM on October 27, 2006

Do you have any equity in your house? If so, are you willing to sell and perhaps live in a (less expensive) apartment until you are in a better position financially?
posted by The Gooch at 12:12 PM on October 27, 2006

Why not do a loan? A Stafford Loan (18,500 for a grad, not sure for an undergrad) is at a pretty decent rate!

Have you talked to your school financial aid department?
posted by k8t at 12:13 PM on October 27, 2006

Also, I know that at my university, married student housing is cheap! $700/month compared to $1800+/month for a similar non-university apartments.
posted by k8t at 12:14 PM on October 27, 2006

You didn't mention applying for scholarships or bursaries, either from your school's financial aid office or from outside organizations.

Also, are you renting? If so, is there any way you could lower your rent or live somewhere that charges less?
posted by catburger at 12:16 PM on October 27, 2006

I recently had to deal with a similar situation (not enough money to do what I wanted).

Sometimes the life you want to lead isn't financially possible at the moment. I'd like to live in the Caribbean on a fishing boat, but I don't have enough money to do it no matter how little cable television I watch. You have to pick priorities; being debt free, an artist, and a private school student seem to be mutually exclusive at the moment, don't they?

I'd suggest one of you quit school temporarily to pick up a full time job, then switch roles when the student finishes.
posted by Willie0248 at 12:16 PM on October 27, 2006 [4 favorites]

Don't be a prick, Willie.
Can you switch to a part time school, full time work arrangement? If both of you can each put in 40 hours a week, the door is open to much more than just temp or shift jobs. I would also second looking into Stafford loans and additional financial aid. You didn't mention where your tuition money is coming from, so I am guessing that you have scholarship or financial aid to help you out there. But low interest loans can also cover living expenses.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 12:22 PM on October 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

we're renting, and we just moved to lower our rent to 750, which I realize now is kind of pricey, but we need our space to make us sane. Gotta be honest.

The people in my financial aid department are totally dead inside and just repeat whatever their computer screen says and they aren't creative and don't come up with any interesting solutions to any problems. They have, in fact, been so off on my financial situation so frequently, that they have put me in tears and landed us in this financial spot we are in now.

I receive enough financial aid and scholarships and loans and grants to barely cover my tuition. I'm 1000 dollars short. Next semester, if I go full time, I will receive 1000 bucks back, but unless I go 15 hours a semester I have to pay them. I just figured that out.

Neither of us will quit school for now. I can't imagine dragging this out for more years than we need to. We just have to figure this out for two more years.
posted by bash at 12:27 PM on October 27, 2006

Working 1-2 days a week bartending evenings adds between 600-800 extra a month for me.

Go to fast web and apply for all the weird little scholarships that are out there.

Stafford loans rock. They financed my undergrad and grad work and I pay $123 a month right now. Its a good investment and the interest is low.

Can you take in a roommate?

How about getting an assistanship that helps cover tuition as well?

How about turning out some highly commericial smaller pieces and selling them at boutiques

Papermaking is inexpensive and people are buying paperart like crazy these days.

Just a couple of ideas.
posted by stormygrey at 12:30 PM on October 27, 2006 [4 favorites]

ok, let me just ask this question: does anyone know of any financial helping sort of entity in Chicago that will help us figure out how to manage our money better?

I'm not asking to live on the metaphorical equivalent to a fishing boat in the bahamas, like our friend willy implied, I'm just trying to make it through school.
posted by bash at 12:31 PM on October 27, 2006

According to your numbers you are $300 in the black every month. What's the problem?

You say the aid from the school you receive barely covers your tuition. Isn't that what it is intended to cover?

If you just need to cover the $1000 for a month or two, why not use a credit card?
posted by mzurer at 12:35 PM on October 27, 2006

Have you thought about exactly how much money you need? You say income is $1300 and expenses are $1000 but clearly you must be excluding some things from your expenses. Depending on how much you need, a loan might not be as onerous as you first think.

Also, you're an artist? Does the art have commercial potential? Sometimes a job doesn't have to be work.
posted by blue mustard at 12:37 PM on October 27, 2006

You might try SAT tutoring for Kaplan or Princeton Review. It's parttime work but reasonably well paid. Ditto other tutoring gigs. Babysitting can be, depending.

Notice that you are shooting down a lot of suggestions here: can't get extra jobs, can't decrease school hours, can't move, can't live with less space, can't decrease expenses, can't get a loan, etc. I'm not saying you are being disagreeable, only that you may be pre-emptively ruling out too much, making your problem unsolvable. Be wary of this pattern in your own thinking.
posted by LobsterMitten at 12:47 PM on October 27, 2006

I want to echo what mzurer said, you should have an extra $300 a month. Do you in fact have this left over each month, or not? If the answer is "No, and we don't know where it went" then that's your problem.

Is there something that you are buying everyday that's between $4-$5 that you don't need, like a specialty coffee, or a snack or something? Do you find yourself buying magazines? Do you buy a couple of sodas from a soda machine every day?

It sounds trivial, but $1.50 a day on soda or coffee is $45 a month. In your situation, that's a non trivial amount of money, equivalent to a 15% increase in savings. You can bring these from home and cut the price in half, if not more.

These little things do add up. And it's only for two more years.
posted by Pastabagel at 12:51 PM on October 27, 2006

We already have five different loans between the two of us. I'm not shooting down loans. I am wary of "private loans," of which we already have one, and the interest rates are outrageous. I do extra work on the side of my editing job. I babysit (as I am this weekend), and I work in theater when they need me, sometimes for several months at a time. I can't keep that pace forever, though (twelve hours a day with no days off), so I'm grateful it's temp work. I guess I was afraid that having days off is asking too much. It looks like it is. I sell art when I can.

I'm filling out a bunch of fastweb stuff right now, and trying to write some essays to get more money. My husband is too. I'll look into the SAT tutor thing. That's a really good idea.
posted by bash at 12:52 PM on October 27, 2006

And I need to stop buying sodas from soda machines. The 300 bucks we have left over is not counting groceries. I guess it's not so bad afterall. It just gets really depressing sometimes.
posted by bash at 12:54 PM on October 27, 2006

Here's the deal; there's not a lot of creativity in the financial planning industry. Essentially, it boils down to one of three things; make more money, cut down expenses or take on debt. There are NO other options.

As far as making more money is concerned, there are a ton of ways to do that; the main issue, it seems, is that you're so focused on the future with the help your new job will give you that you're ignoring the present. It seems the same mentality is there with the issue of loans. You're mortgaging the present by focusing so much on the future. It's no wonder, doing that, that you're so miserable in the present; it's a delicate balance between the present and the future and I think you need to take that into consideration. Do you see your relationship going down a bad road because of this? Maybe some short term loans, even small ones, might be an investment in not doing what so many couples do; resent their partner because their finances are off.

Cutting down expenses is going to be hard with the level they are now and what you've cut out. The one bonus I can give you is that you're on your way to a life of financial stability by being this way.

Private loans, even just a few hundred dollars, might give you more freedom than you can expect. Is there family or friends who can loan you it short term? Considering your wonderful ability to budget, when you come out of school and into a little more financial freedom, you may find that loans disappear quickly.

Good luck. If you want any specifics, email's in the profile.
posted by dflemingdotorg at 12:56 PM on October 27, 2006

They have, in fact, been so off on my financial situation so frequently, that they have put me in tears and landed us in this financial spot we are in now.

Not to be harsh, but the financial aid office isn't a financial planning office. And you need to take responsibillity, not shift it to them. Though student life is always hard, and what youre describing doesn't sound any worse than what a lot of people including myself went through (and we all thought it sucked at the time too).

Why not get a teeny tiny loan from a bank, or a credit card? Most cards have very low intro rates, and $1500 will get you out of the trouble now. You don't want to be married and miserable because of money. Get the loan, buy some peace of mind and a little cushion, and plan.

In the meantime, you need to lock down that excess $300 you should have at the end of every month, and make sure you have it left over. And I mean make sure in a draconian fashion. If the 28th rolls around and it looks like you are going to dip into the $300 for two days, stop taking cash with you to work.

As a general rule of thumb, prepackaged food, like chips, cookies, precooked meat, etc are considerably more expensive thantheir raw counterparts and snacks are the biggest drain on grocery budgets. In particular, healthy snacks (granola bars, energy bars, etc) are worse than chips and junk food because they cost more.

Learn how to shop - calculate the price of a single use of everything you buy, one sheet of paper towel, one serving of spaghetti, etc. and compare prices on that basis. Buy whatever quantity gives you the lowest price per unit. This isn't always the largest size either. If you don't bring a calculator to the store, don't go to the store. You can shave a few bucks off everything, and again, at your budget level it adds up considerably.
posted by Pastabagel at 1:06 PM on October 27, 2006

You say your income is $1,300 and expenses are $1,000, but that doesn't sound right if you include "heat" and "food" as expenses. Do you have to pay utilities?

Here's my mock up of your budget:
$1,300 - Income
- $750 - Rent
--------
$550 left after housing
-$200 -Utilities ?? (I have no idea what your utilities are, just guessing)
-$240 - Food($30 per week each -- past askme threads show how)
---------
$110 left after housing and food.

Getting food stamps will bring you up to $210 left over. That's not a lot, and if you don't have any savings you'll feel wiped out in the event of an emergency. But it's not nothing. If you don't have any other expenses, you should be able to go out and do something fun and cheap together once a week. Cheap meaning you spend less than $5 each -- buy a six pack and drink it at home, see a second-run movie, etc.

What other MANDATORY expenses do you have -- debt, clothing, etc?
posted by croutonsupafreak at 1:08 PM on October 27, 2006

And I need to stop buying sodas from soda machines. The 300 bucks we have left over is not counting groceries. I guess it's not so bad afterall. It just gets really depressing sometimes.
posted by bash at 3:54 PM EST on October 27


I didn't mention soda by accident. Soda and snack machines are the closest thing to slot machines outside of Las Vegas. If you live near a Target or a Walmart, either Coke sodas (coke, diet coke, sprite, etc) or Pepsi are on sale at $3.00 for 12 cans or 4 12packs for $10, or pepsi is, and they alternate every week. Do the math, that's $0.25 or $0.20 a can, probably 60% less than you pay now. You could also go generic and save more, but I know all to well the soda addiction.

Also, stop smoking and no booze. They burn money, too.
posted by Pastabagel at 1:13 PM on October 27, 2006

well, we don't buy clothes. I know not to blame the financial aid office, but I truly despise them. I aspire not to blame them.

Dfleming sort of hit the nail on the head. I'm grateful for every thoughtful response. There's so much good info in here.

Crouton, I didn't factor food into the budget up there, so the 300 bucks goes for that too. The lucky thing about my job, is that it's journalism related, so I get to go to lots of things for free, if I just plan ahead. We have 6oo bucks in credit card debt, presently. The way you broke it down is less depressing too.

I'll stop feeling sorry for myself, and get down to business. I think I was simply starting to drown in reality. Thanks everyone.

The truth is, we're just bummed that we came from really poor families that couldn't plan financially, so we never learned how, and now we're still poor, even though we're trying to make our lives better. And I haven't found anyone that will help you plan financially pro bono if you're just starting out. I'm up for suggestions. Books maybe? I'd prefer a live human being, though.
posted by bash at 1:20 PM on October 27, 2006

I babysit

How much does that pay? Is the work steady? I think you could use that time in a job that pays more (something like SAT tutoring can be really profitable).

I work in theater when they need me, sometimes for several months at a time.

Again, how much does that pay? See above. You can probably find an office/temp work job that will pay more, freeing you up to work less and have the same amount, or work more and have more.

I realize the psychological burden of more debt might sound awful, but student loan debt is considered "good debt"- an investment in yourself. Your education will mean nothing if you go crazy.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 1:23 PM on October 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

Not knowing the specifics of your living situation and expenses, I could only give a couple of verry vague suggestions.

A great book you could look at is Suze Orman's The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous & Broke. She has great ideas for getting by for people just like you.

You seem to be doing alot of things right, which will work out for you in the end. To even more corners, you could get rid of your home phone (if you have one) and just use your cell phones. You could also check out some better cell phone plans (U.S. Cellular has some really good plans).


Do you have a credit card? Suze advocates using your credit card to pay your monthly expenses and pay the minimum balance (or a little more) until you can afford to pay it down.

Your independent status may qualify you to receive a Pell grant and other funding. It sounds like your financial aid office is unaware of your present living situation. Even if they do know but are apathetic, you must be persistent with them so they know the true nature of the your need. Everyday they meet students trying to scam them out of their limited resources. They need to be aware you are not one of them.

Since 12 hrs is considered full-time enrollment, why not do the minimum for a little while until you are more financially stable? You'll still get your financial aid and can use the refunds to save for emergencies or take care of other expenses.

As several others have already said, there is a great deal of Stafford loan money available for graduate students. Your husband may be able to ask for a greater amount (I think the cap at $18,500). There is not as much available for undergrads, so if that amount is still not enough, you may want to scale back your enrollment to pick up more work hours.

If either of you has a well-developed skill (e.g., fluency in a foreign language) you could earn a small stipend to teach a class. Since you're a writer, you could take on some contract/consulting work (e.g.,resume and cover letter editing). Since he's a librarian, he is probably acquainted with information systems; he could do side work as a consultant. He could also teach a freshman course in library research.

So lots of options for you. I'm sure you'll be able to figure something out that can meet most of your needs. If you're still at a loss in a few months, you may just need to suck it up and make some real sacrifices (taking extra/better paying work).

Also, don't forget the holidays are fast approaching. Getting a seasonal retail position could not only fit into your schedule during winter break but also give a nice discount for your holiday shopping. Hurry up and apply for this if, though, since many stores are now making their decisions.
posted by mynameismandab at 1:32 PM on October 27, 2006

Another thing to consider is transferring, although you're enrolled now and only have two years left, Chicago isn't cheap. There may be schools with better financial aid packages, cheaper student family housing, and better work/study packages.
posted by k8t at 1:43 PM on October 27, 2006

You should really look into a waiter or bartending position. You can make a decent amount of money working 2 nights a week.

Also, groceries can be a really easy place to save money. If you don't know how to cook, learn now-- cooking from scratch rather than buying packages is so much cheaper.

Don't feel bad, it sounds like you're doing great! Being poor does suck but once you're out of school life will be much better.
posted by miss tea at 1:47 PM on October 27, 2006

"I think I was simply starting to drown in reality."

That's a brain-killer too - be careful of it. Go for a walk, or do something you enjoy that doesn't force you to think about money. You need to be careful and diligent about your budget, but if it's the only thing you think about, it will consume you and wreck everything. Do the math, get things in place, and then go do something else for a while.
posted by nickmark at 1:52 PM on October 27, 2006

Being poor does suck but once you're out of school life will be much better. Particularly since you're being so frugal now. You're not a law student, but a mantra in law school is, "live like a lawyer in law school, live like a law student when you're a lawyer" and it's definitely a nugget of truth.
posted by Amizu at 1:54 PM on October 27, 2006

Also, don't forget the holidays are fast approaching. Getting a seasonal retail position could not only fit into your schedule during winter break but also give a nice discount for your holiday shopping. Hurry up and apply for this if, though, since many stores are now making their decisions.

I'm not so sure about this. At least where I'm from, retail jobs tend to be a little above minimum wage. That's nice and all, if you have no other alternatives, but if you have marketable skills, you could make more doing something else (and not have to deal with the retail thing, which can be so tiring). You need to work smart, not just work more. It's getting the data entry job at the law firm over the data entry job at the theatre company. There a lot of similar jobs that pay vastly different sums, because they're in different industries. I think you should focus on finding the jobs that pay more.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:08 PM on October 27, 2006 [1 favorite]

If you are able to get a waitress job at a nice place (read: NOT fast food), you can get good tips as well as the opportunity to take home free (decent) food most of the time. This can help a lot, even if it's only a couple nights a week.

But with no car... I don't know. I wish you luck!
posted by I_Love_Bananas at 2:12 PM on October 27, 2006

Tutoring in an affluent neighborhood can be extremely lucrative. Your husband's librarian pedigree might be enough juice to land some good high school English or SAT tutoring gigs.
In an upper middle class area of Long Island tutoring goes for 75-100/hr.
I would imagine that a similar economic area in Chicago would be about the same, so don't undervalue that work.
Keep your head up!
posted by BillBishop at 2:28 PM on October 27, 2006

What about temping over school breaks?

If you can get an office gig (pretty easy to find over the holidays when a lot of regular workers want vacation), you can make $15+ an hour for painless work.

If you did this for the month of the December break, it might help you get a cushion.

Temp office gigs are pretty easy to get provided you have a pulse, can type, and are relatively computer literate.
posted by Sheppagus at 3:03 PM on October 27, 2006

With your editing skills can you take on some freelance proofreading? Put some flyers up on campus offering to proofread theses/dissertations. Pitch your services to any friends/family you know with their own businesses/websites -- I see typos on business websites, promotional brochures, etc. all the time.
posted by scody at 3:05 PM on October 27, 2006

What TPS said: get work that pays better so you won't have to work so many hours. Also, I say this in the gentlest possible tone, but:

we need our space to make us sane

This reveals a mindset you need to get out of if you're serious about dealing with your situation. When I had a serious money shortage, I lived in a basement room with six grad students sharing the basement and a single bathroom until I could afford better, and yeah, it wasn't much fun, but it would never have occurred to me to live higher off the hog "to make me sane." I don't want to sound like some Depression holdover piling up pennies in the basement, but millions of people around the world are sleeping in streets and doorways and spending hours in line for drinkable water and... well, you get the idea. As long as you have a roof over your head and someone to share it with, you're doing damn well. And definitely skip the vending-machine sodas.
posted by languagehat at 3:10 PM on October 27, 2006

Stuff like the sodas, you don't have to stop getting soda entirely, just get it cheaper. Don't get $1 ones from vending machines, buy a 12-pack at the store for $3.

From what you described, you're doing fine, but feel like you need to earn/save more. So cut corners - are all of your groceries the cheapest brand and have coupons?

scody's idea was a great one, the only problem is how to sell that skill without insulting your client ;)
posted by jesirose at 3:42 PM on October 27, 2006

You have a lot of things going for you. You have a good relationship, some sound principles about money management, and you're educating yourselves for your future. You live in a large city - it's expensive to do that because it's a luxury, which I'm sure you enjoy. Private school is also a luxury; you both enjoy that too. You have equity in your house and the luxury of being able to refuse to take on debt - I know 35 year old doctors who have been working 80 hour weeks for 15 years to be where they are, and are still hundreds of thousands of dollars "in the red" in terms of their net worth. (Heck, I know a 34 year old doctor who just went black this year - I know him very intimately.)

So despite the fact that things feel tight, you're really in a position that's pretty good. The reason it's pretty good is because you've been managing things pretty tightly.

You've ruled out a lot of options that sound reasonable; most people come out of their educations with a lot of debt. You're clear that you don't want to take any more on. You're already working as hard as you can, it sounds like - SAT tutoring is a pretty big time commitment, I'm skeptical you'll be able to hack it - and you're not willing to give up any of the luxuries you currently enjoy.

Well, OK then. The only advice you permit is "Keep doing what you're doing." I can endorse that, though, because it seems like good advice.
posted by ikkyu2 at 3:52 PM on October 27, 2006

Get rid of the house, become a landlord/caretaker at an apartment building, you'll get cheap or free rent, and occassionally get paid to do very little work.
posted by blue_beetle at 4:17 PM on October 27, 2006

Your Money or Your Life is a pretty sensible approach to financial management, if you can get past the writing style. It has the benefit of being an accounting system rather than a budgeting system, which I like. The basic concept is that you keep track of all of your spending and measure it against certain goals that you define. Then you can adjust your spending habits as you go. It sounds from your responses that a system like this might help you feel more in control, and better able to make decisions about what is working and what isn't.

Good luck!
posted by carmen at 4:28 PM on October 27, 2006

A few more ideas...
- Save money on coursebooks. Buy some ahead of time via a discounter. Ask the prof if the current edition is necessary -- many times you can get by on a $10 earlier edition because only minor changes were made since then. Some books will be at the library or on reserve for the class and you don't need to buy them at all. Sell books you're not keeping ASAP before their value goes down. Especially good is to sell all the books associated with one course for a lump sum... to a student who's about to take the same class.

- If your tuition is a flat rate, consider taking as many courses as possible within that rate and finish the whole thing sooner. At my school, five was the standard number of courses per semester, but if your GPA was good, you could apply to the dean to "overload" one extra course each term for no additional cost.

- Apply not just for scholarships and grants but for prizes. My college had cash awards for things like "best artwork/essay published in the college literary magazine" -- good for an extra $500 every now and then.

- Work lots and lots over the holidays. If you can get hired on at a New Years' party, for example, you could make a significant amount of money in just one night.
posted by xo at 4:37 PM on October 27, 2006

Actually, the Financial Aid Office is supposed to be there to help you pay for school with the best loan and aid package possible. So feel free to diss them if they suck at their jobs.

Call your high school guidance counselor(s) and try to get some ideas about scholarships to apply for. Get online and do more of the same. You can ask at Financial Aid, too; can't hurt. Even small scholarships will help a lot.

Cut every single expense way down. Make iced tea or koolaid at home and take it in soda bottles. Eat ramen a lot. Get free condoms at Planned Parenthood. Use the library if you want to read the books listed above. Chicago has lots of free activities; don't just stay home. If your family plans to give you holiday gifts, ask for textbooks. Get a catering job if possible; you can often bring home great food (leftovers - no heisting). Be willing to work the big holidays and get extra pay and extra tips. If you have to get a loan, get the best possible rate; in fact, consider getting a school loan at a better rate than the credit card, and paying it off. Credit cards can mire you in debt.

Every time you feel cranky or whiny about being poor, remind yourself that you have a goal, and finishing school with the minimum of debt will feel fabulous. Make frugality a badge of honor, a means to an end, and a game. You'll get to be the annoying old farts saying you started out poor.
posted by theora55 at 6:10 PM on October 27, 2006

Does it help to hear that, yes, you really don't have very much money coming in for two people. I mean, I don't have any great suggestions -- I was never great with money, and being a full-time student was hard. I remember rushing from part-time job to part-time job, always scrambling. The only thing that ever helped me was finally making more money, which will happen to you two eventually. In the meantime, you two should give yourselves serious props for getting by on a shoestring.
posted by ClaudiaCenter at 8:04 PM on October 27, 2006

It is my firm belief that trying to increase real income is far more valuable than trying to cut expenses past the "eliminating frivolous purchases" level that you already have, or trying to gain more "assistance" than basic scholarships that you already have. You really can't make more than $22 per day each?

It is, however, refreshing to see that you appear to have excellent financial discipline and are very debt-averse. This will serve you well.
posted by trevyn at 8:31 PM on October 27, 2006

It does sound like you are basically in an okay position, although you're in a more expensive apartment than you can afford. You shouldn't feel ashamed. Most people learn to budget and plan by trial and error -- you are not behind the curve on this. Similarly, most people live on the knife edge when they are in school, doubly so for two students living in an expensive city. It's great that you don't have a car, though; they are huge money-sinks. Another great advantage of living in the city is free entertainment. Does Chicago have a version of the magazine Time Out, which lists a million events in the city; free concerts, etc?

Just two more tips about budgeting; sort of repeating some points from above:

- A good rule of thumb is to spend one third of your income on housing (rent or mortgage payment). Chicago may make this hard, but stick as close as you can to this rule. This might mean trying to find a situation with a housemate or two in the future; I know plenty of married student couples who have done this for exactly your reason. Think of it as building up stories for dinner parties five years from now.

- To save on food: cook for yourself, don't buy prepared/convenience foods in the grocery store, don't buy convenience food on campus. Use a lot of rice and pasta: starches can make a small amount of meat/tofu/beans and veg go farther. Make soups/stews/chilis; they're cheap and endlessly variable and last for several days. Bring a tupperware of soup from home, and some sliced bread, (or a pb&j or similar cheap lunch) to school every day instead of buying expensive snacks there. Other people have good tips above. Learning to be smart about food buying, and learning to cook are great skills to be learning at your age.

- Once you start feeling a little more in control, a proper budget should allow you to have soooome fun. Be disciplined about things like everyday Cokes, so that you can afford to eat out every other Saturday night. (or whatever your treat is)
posted by LobsterMitten at 8:45 PM on October 27, 2006

You should really look into a waiter or bartending position. You can make a decent amount of money working 2 nights a week.

Just want second the above statement. Cash tips, free food--it's worth a shot.
posted by vaportrail at 9:34 PM on October 27, 2006

" You have equity in your house and the luxury of being able to refuse to take on debt"

ikkyu2, the poster has already said that they are renting.
posted by litlnemo at 5:09 AM on October 28, 2006

ikkyu2, the poster has already said that they are renting.

Ah, I misinterpreted what she said about "already having [a loan] in this house."

The rent is too high a percentage of income, but the poster said she won't move, so it really doesn't matter. Still, who the hell rents a house in a city while they're in college? Maybe by "house" she means "small apartment far from downtown, where I can get some schoolwork done on the hour-long public transit commute every day."
posted by ikkyu2 at 10:02 AM on October 28, 2006

As a fellow grad student in Manhattan (aka really expensive town) I highly recommend the tutoring as well. I make 60/hr sitting their while my kids do calculus and it definitely helps. And you could easily make more if you do it independantly, the firm I work with bills me out at 150/hr (yes I know they're robbing me blind but for an easy 60/hr I'll let them)

I know the time crunch is tough, but I do it about 6 hours a month, and that extra 300 bucks is huge in terms of quality of life.
posted by slapshot57 at 11:55 AM on October 28, 2006

Besides getting a lucrative part-time job, there's no good answer to this question. Like it or not you've chosen low-profit careers. You're going to have to move to a cheaper city if, in the long term, you want to have a more middle-class life.

You also seem to be possibly too averse to taking on more student loan debt. I think it's a terrible idea to start using credit to spend on luxuries like a bigger apartment or dinners out. But it's also a terrible idea to be working so many part time jobs that you don't excel in school. Student loan debt is good debt, within limits -- it's an investment that increases your future earning potential. But it only pays off if you do as well as you possibly can in school.

If you're set on being an artist-librarian couple, and you don't want any more loans, then there's not really much more you can do than suck up the poverty for another year or two until graduation, then move someplace cheaper.
posted by footnote at 12:03 PM on October 28, 2006