[rosadesal]

hey there - i posted a similar thread over in single parenting but i feel like i'm getting slightly off track over there trying to work my way through these decisions...<br><br><br>
CURRENTLY, i am taking part time classes and working full time (32hrs - so, 4 days, retail). i am a single parent, though dd's dad and i have a split week - she's with me sun pm - thurs am, and him thurs pm - sun am. no child support.<br><br>
IDEALLY, i would love to quit my job or go VERY part time (ie: 2 days/wk?) and be able to focus on school, because right now i am so overwhelmed trying to manage raising my daughter, classes, and work. i want to be done with school sooner rather than later.<br><br>
LIKELY, i will have to work at least 24 hrs/wk (so, cut back one day), just in order to squeeze by. i take out loans and financial and and receive a refund check of approx. $2500/semester (would be more if i were full time, i think). this will get me by with NO room to spare.<br><br>
here is my current arrangement, assuming minimum expenses for things like gas and cc pmts:<br><br>
rent: $535<br>
utils: $60 (electric + internet)<br>
car pmt: $210<br>
car insurance: $67<br>
cc payments: $120 if i pay minimums only<br>
phone: $70<br>
babysitter: $120<br>
gas: $120<br>
we get EBT and WIC so food is covered<br><br>
grand total: $1302<br><br><br>
my work income per month is about $1000, and then i have my school money which is about $2500/semester. this semester (this week), i put down a security deposit for an apartment and am anticipating the cost of moving, obviously, so i am allocating another $300 to that....so let's say i have $1700 extra coming in to get me through august. come august, i will have to choose whether to take full time classes or part time, and whether to cut back my work hours or not.<br><br>
please, mamas, tell me how the heck you make it work when you are a single mom wanting to be in school so that you aren't stuck working retail for the rest of your life? help me plan this out. i feel like there is nowhere to cut back, which leaves me feeling quite stuck.<br><br>
hope this was clear - it's late and i'm sleepy (but obviously too frazzled to sleep).<br><br>
fwiw...i am finishing my macrao agreement this semester (a gen ed transfer program at a community college), and had planned on being an english major (to teach at the college level someday) though am highly considering social work. i have between 50-60 credits, though approx 70 attempted (for reference to how much longer i can receive financial aid). i am anticipating at least another two years of school depending on how many classes i can take each semester. a lot of those issues are for advisors and not you, unless you happen to have words of wisdom for me.

 

[ewp11100]

I have no great words of wisdom, but plenty of hugs. The only thought that came to me was student loans, which ofcourse depends on how much you forsee your self making with a degree. How are you at doing school work when your child is around? could you only schedule classes when your child is with father and do school work at home taking a butt load of classes? Thnat way even though you have student loans you finish sooner?

 

[2xy]

Do you really need to pay $70/month for phone service? Maybe I'm showing my age, but I don't see a cell phone as a necessity.

 

[rosadesal]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>ewp11100</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15447466"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">I have no great words of wisdom, but plenty of hugs. The only thought that came to me was student loans, which ofcourse depends on how much you forsee your self making with a degree. How are you at doing school work when your child is around? could you only schedule classes when your child is with father and do school work at home taking a butt load of classes? Thnat way even though you have student loans you finish sooner?</div>
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dd is with her dad thurs pm - sun am, and classes are either mw or t/th...i haven't made a schedule yet for the fall. what i've been doing thus far is one on campus class m/w, and one online that i do on the weekend when she is w/her dad. i work thurs-sun as well, when she is w/her dad, so as not to worry about childcare.<br><br>
i want to take a buttload of classes <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> i want to take lots of classes and get done, but i can't handle my current work hrs plus that many school hrs so i am trying to figure out how to do this. like...some options i've considered are going part time one more year, taking out extra loans to pay off my car and cc's (approx $8k on car, and $2700 in cc's...all from before i went back to school, cc's aren't used anymore and car was bought early in 2009), and then going to school full time the following year when i CAN work less if at all.<br><br><br>
2xy - yeah, it's not a NECESSITY, but i do a lot of work online and have an etsy shop and my phone allows me to do those things while on the go, and since i'm at work and school it lets me access my email, shop, school, etc. i could get a $40 plan or something, but would lose access to internet, photos, writing, networking. no, not a necessity, but something i use a lot.

 

[ewp11100]

What meant was could you live off student loans and take a huge course load for a semester or 2 to finish. Would that be worth taking on the debt? Maybe making to change when you have your daughter would allow you to tak more classes? Like you have her M-F day time, he has night time, you take night time classes? Mayeb you could give him Saturdays so you could take classes then (my college has saturday classes yours may not) and then you have your daughter on Sunday? Essentually you would be daycare for him to work and he would be day care so you could do school. I hope this make sence, lol.

 

[rosadesal]

oh yeah, that does make sense. and if he kept her sat/sun i could even work sundays if i had to - it wouldn't bring in much, but it would help. if i did night classes mtwth, i could have friday evenings to myself possibly if he took her then too. HMMMMM. thanks for the idea.

 

[ewp11100]

Glad to help!<br>
Now if I could only figure out my life as easily! Any ideas how to work full time, go to school full time and send my husband to school full time, all while homeschooling, being the gym rat that I am and keeping up on our 1,200 sf garden? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eyesroll.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="roll"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol">

 

[rosadesal]

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<div>Originally Posted by <strong>ewp11100</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15448441"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Glad to help!<br>
Now if I could only figure out my life as easily! Any ideas how to work full time, go to school full time and send my husband to school full time, all while homeschooling, being the gym rat that I am and keeping up on our 1,200 sf garden? <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eyesroll.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="roll"><img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/lol.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="lol"></div>
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uh, well, i could start by not whining about not wanting to work while going to school... <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile"> what are you going to school for? i vote for sending the both of you to school full time and not working, bc you'll get more money with two people in school...OR, one of you goes to school part time and works part time and the other does school full time.<br><br>
i had housemates who did the back and forth, like, he went to class, came home, she went to class, swap, swap...to avoid babysitters...and then they had like NO time together. my ex and i did that for awhile too with work and it sucked because we'd just pass the baby say hello and never took the time to nurture our relationship (which wasn't much of one anyway, but still). so...i say do whatever you can to save some time for yourselves, together.<br><br>
and share your ideas with me because it will keep me in check for when i want to whine about having to work while studying. <img alt="" class="inlineimg" src="http://www.mothering.com/discussions/images/smilies/smile.gif" style="border:0px solid;" title="smile">

 

[ewp11100]

Well here is us...<br>
Me:<br>
working full time at home I run a licenced in home child care (M-F 6/7 am to 5pm)<br>
Homeschooling done at nap time<br>
trying to do school part time (hoping to do one night a week and Saturday)<br>
Dh:<br>
Just finishing (has 1 1/2 more weeks) a full time school semester looking for a job<br>
Then Working full time and going to school part time<br>
So he will be working 5/6am to 4/5pm the going to school 3 nights a week<br><br>
He should finish his Construction Management degree Spring 2011<br>
I want to work on my Bach in Early Childhood Education (have an associate but it seems only 1/2 my credits transfer so I'm starting as a sophomore). We have a new mortgage but both cars are paid off and no debt. We already utilize peel grants, WIC, medicaid (kids), food stamps and a food program for my daycare.<br><br>
Not trying to take over your thread I swear!

 

[rosadesal]

<div style="margin:20px;margin-top:5px;">
<div class="smallfont" style="margin-bottom:2px;">Quote:</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="6" cellspacing="0" width="99%"><tr><td class="alt2" style="border:1px inset;">
<div>Originally Posted by <strong>ewp11100</strong> <a href="/community/forum/post/15448525"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/community/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border:0px solid;"></a></div>
<div style="font-style:italic;">Well here is us...<br>
Me:<br>
working full time at home I run a licenced in home child care (M-F 6/7 am to 5pm)<br>
Homeschooling done at nap time<br>
trying to do school part time (hoping to do one night a week and Saturday)<br>
Dh:<br>
Just finishing (has 1 1/2 more weeks) a full time school semester looking for a job<br>
Then Working full time and going to school part time<br>
So he will be working 5/6am to 4/5pm the going to school 3 nights a week<br><br>
He should finish his Construction Management degree Spring 2011<br>
I want to work on my Bach in Early Childhood Education (have an associate but it seems only 1/2 my credits transfer so I'm starting as a sophomore). We have a new mortgage but both cars are paid off and no debt. We already utilize peel grants, WIC, medicaid (kids), food stamps and a food program for my daycare.<br><br>
Not trying to take over your thread I swear!</div>
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i dont mind!!! my mom ran a daycare from the time my sister and i were little up until just before my dd was born (she's just about 3). she was a single parent, and the last year of running the daycare she did that 7a-5p and had class 6p-10p and is now a medical asst at a pediatricians office. granted my sister and i were both out of the house at that point, but i understand where you're coming from.<br><br>
how much more school does DH have? you guys are so busy. i hope someone jumps in to offer some more advice here...heh

 

[Vaske]

Truthfully, I would not want to go into any debt at all for an English degree. Teaching at the college level would require at least a master's degree, and much more debt in student loans, and I think the job prospects are not all that great. Social work, too, is not exactly a high-paying field, and not worth it unless you are passionate about it.<br><br>
If you are willing to teach at high school level or lower, then going for an education degree with English minor might be worth the time, effort, and money.<br><br>
I'm just worried that you'll work so hard getting your degree, and be left with a piece of paper and no real job prospects, except working back in retail but thousands and thousands of dollars deeper in debt. Education can be a good investment, but it depends a lot on the degree.