I am paying for a private school in California and an apartment rent (with three roommates) without my parents' help. I work part time year round and a small job at the school.
How?
Live cheap, dumb@ss.
1) Sell your car. Cars cost more than they're worth. Bum a ride, walk, or borrow a bike to get to school/work.
2) Eat absolute crap. I lived off of cans of tuna fish, bags of iceberg lettuce, quaker oats, the occasional eggs, and tap water for the last three semesters. Food cost was less than 15 dollars a week.
3) Don't do anything. I couldn't afford to go out to eat, go to the movies, or anything that had a cover charge. I stayed home and studied and wrote. As a reward I got a boosted academic grant for my 3.9, scholarships from two honors societies, and a paid journalism internship with a professor at the school. Yeah I skipped going to see Spiderman 2 and Million Dollar Baby, but I win at life.
4) When you get in trouble financially, ask friends and family for help. True friends will be happy to help, and your family usually wants to help if they can. They both typically have much better interest rates than the credit cards and it is a chance for you to build trust by paying them off timely. Also, no shot to the credit ratings for later.
5) Cut all the monthly payments you can. Try to get down to rent, food, and school. If you're holding down a steady part-time, you should be able to make your payments.
How?
Live cheap, dumb@ss.
1) Sell your car. Cars cost more than they're worth. Bum a ride, walk, or borrow a bike to get to school/work.
2) Eat absolute crap. I lived off of cans of tuna fish, bags of iceberg lettuce, quaker oats, the occasional eggs, and tap water for the last three semesters. Food cost was less than 15 dollars a week.
3) Don't do anything. I couldn't afford to go out to eat, go to the movies, or anything that had a cover charge. I stayed home and studied and wrote. As a reward I got a boosted academic grant for my 3.9, scholarships from two honors societies, and a paid journalism internship with a professor at the school. Yeah I skipped going to see Spiderman 2 and Million Dollar Baby, but I win at life.
4) When you get in trouble financially, ask friends and family for help. True friends will be happy to help, and your family usually wants to help if they can. They both typically have much better interest rates than the credit cards and it is a chance for you to build trust by paying them off timely. Also, no shot to the credit ratings for later.
5) Cut all the monthly payments you can. Try to get down to rent, food, and school. If you're holding down a steady part-time, you should be able to make your payments.
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