My co-worker is also applying to a social work program (although at a different school). We were discussing my funding problem, and we both agree that if it's important to me, I will find a way to pay for school. I have contemplated moving to a less expensive apartment (unlikely), moving in with my dad (really unlikely) and putting a posting on sugardaddy.com (no freak'n way). But I am the sort of person that likes to fix my own problems and I don't like asking for help. So I have been doing internet researching on penny pinching tips.
It all started with a food budget. I stumbled along a series of blogs written by mom's with A LOT of kids. Like I-have-15-kids-and-want-more-if-it's-God's-Will kind of mom's. Interesting blogs to say the least. One blog that blew my socks was by a stay-at-home mom of 4 whose husband worked at Walmart, they survived on under $1000 a month. Because they wanted to live poor like Jesus did. INSANITY.
It seems the secret for these families for making their money go farther was to buy in bulk and not want too much stuff. Mom seemed to make everything from scratch and sew everyone clothes. I'm not too sure these are tips I can use. The only good tip I got was to meal plan, stick to a grocery shopping list, and only buy things on sale. I generally decide what I'm going to eat based on what I want to eat, not what was on sale.
The other tip that I will be forcing myself to follow is to eat the contents of my pantry. I'm not sure if it's genetic or not but I have a fully stocked pantry at all times. My Dad's has always been the same. I remember canning all summer and hoarding away food in preparation for the winter, just like a squirrel. I'm not sure why I am always expecting the end of civilization to strike. But rest assured that when it does, I will have tons of food on hand. I have even contemplated putting all of my canned goods in a tote in the cupboard with a can opener so that in the event that I need to grab food and run, I've got everything I need. Clearly I'm a total freak. But I think this is because of Hollywood. One of my favorite genres are "end of the world" dramas.
So what's this picture all about? Getting back to the idea of making things work if it's important to you....
The above picture is from a blog. picture 10 kids, 2 adults living in a 2 bedroom house. This was their solution, 2 industrial shelving units in a room with custom cut foam padding mattresses. They squished two of these racks into one bedroom and were able to house 9 kids. The 10th kid in case you were wondering is an infant and sleeps with mom and dad.
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