I have a difficult situation I'm in and trying to figure out what to do. I've gone through a lot the past 6 months mostly crazy personal stuff I'd rather not go into too much detail on.
Basically I've got $10,000 in the bank to live off. Don't get another disbursement until July. We are expected to move for 3rd year and I need to be out of my current apartment by April 2nd. I took out a $12,000 personal loan last Fall due to the aforementioned personal crap, and that's all gone. So I pay:
$300/mo for loan
$1,272/mo rent
$250/mo health and dental insurance
~$120/mo for car insurance
grand total of $1,942/mo mandatory bills
I also have internet for $45, electric which runs around $120-150/mo when using frugally. I pay about $2,100/mo in straight expenses. Not including food, gas, emergencies, STEP registration, moving costs, or medical bills. To give a bit of detail into background I have a baby on the way soon to be born in a few weeks so hospital bills likely to also pile on.
How do I make this work? Our COA increased about $12,000 from 2021 to 2022 due to Biden inflation, but of course groceries and gas and everything is still going up and food averages like $600/mo. Won't see any increase or adjustment to COA until July. Really trying to cut back on food, it's basically the only expense I can reduce, but I still need to reasonably feed 2 soon to be 3 (well nutrition enough to breastfeed). Partner can't work. They are trying to get on WIC, Unemployment, EBT SNAP benefits, whatever is possible.
My mom has been on WIC and SNAP before but everything is more confusing for required documents because neither of us are technically "working" and my income is student loans. Guidance on WIC/EBT as med student?
I already donate plasma as much as possible and it helps bank some extra $500 or so, except finding time out of a med school schedule to donate for 3+hrs at the center (yes lines are long and it take that much time) plus how outside specials the money received isn't worth it really means that isn't a perfect solution.
Any medical students in similar situations or anyone go through stuff in the past and needed extra money? This has had me stressed out of my mind for weeks, and to be honest I get frustrated hearing classmates talking about going on vacation during dedicated STEP when I'm just trying to feed my family and care for a newborn when he gets here. Wish I had the extra cash to blow on vacations.
The school said they do give extra cash with dependents but that has to wait until my son is born, and even then I believe the extra amount won't hit until the next disbursement in July, so not helping at all the next 4 months. I'm already taking out the max amount for COA. It just isn't enough. I'm scrambling trying to find cheaper rent for when we move while also having enough space. Currently renting 2Br/2Ba with 1,000sqft and downsizing is only somewhat realistic. Need minimum amount of space for a baby. I may resort to selling some of my stuff which might help get like another $1,000. Don't really need a Playstation anymore.. might sell my car as a last resort for some petty $4,000 which at least gets us to July.
Partner obviously doesn't want me to sell my car and neither do I. Then we would have to share the family car. I am so insanely busy studying for STEP, trying to remediate after failing a course last Fall due to personal crisis (to put it vaguely), having a baby, trying to move, and on top come up with some stupid research project for graduation requirements. It's insane to think just last Summer everything was gravy and now it's literal Hell. Another possibility I thought of is taking the credit score hit and just wasting extra cash making things stretch using credit cards. Got about $15,000 credit line available. Any tricks for saving cash or making some extra money as a married man in med school?
Thank you so much.
Basically I've got $10,000 in the bank to live off. Don't get another disbursement until July. We are expected to move for 3rd year and I need to be out of my current apartment by April 2nd. I took out a $12,000 personal loan last Fall due to the aforementioned personal crap, and that's all gone. So I pay:
$300/mo for loan
$1,272/mo rent
$250/mo health and dental insurance
~$120/mo for car insurance
grand total of $1,942/mo mandatory bills
I also have internet for $45, electric which runs around $120-150/mo when using frugally. I pay about $2,100/mo in straight expenses. Not including food, gas, emergencies, STEP registration, moving costs, or medical bills. To give a bit of detail into background I have a baby on the way soon to be born in a few weeks so hospital bills likely to also pile on.
How do I make this work? Our COA increased about $12,000 from 2021 to 2022 due to Biden inflation, but of course groceries and gas and everything is still going up and food averages like $600/mo. Won't see any increase or adjustment to COA until July. Really trying to cut back on food, it's basically the only expense I can reduce, but I still need to reasonably feed 2 soon to be 3 (well nutrition enough to breastfeed). Partner can't work. They are trying to get on WIC, Unemployment, EBT SNAP benefits, whatever is possible.
My mom has been on WIC and SNAP before but everything is more confusing for required documents because neither of us are technically "working" and my income is student loans. Guidance on WIC/EBT as med student?
I already donate plasma as much as possible and it helps bank some extra $500 or so, except finding time out of a med school schedule to donate for 3+hrs at the center (yes lines are long and it take that much time) plus how outside specials the money received isn't worth it really means that isn't a perfect solution.
Any medical students in similar situations or anyone go through stuff in the past and needed extra money? This has had me stressed out of my mind for weeks, and to be honest I get frustrated hearing classmates talking about going on vacation during dedicated STEP when I'm just trying to feed my family and care for a newborn when he gets here. Wish I had the extra cash to blow on vacations.
The school said they do give extra cash with dependents but that has to wait until my son is born, and even then I believe the extra amount won't hit until the next disbursement in July, so not helping at all the next 4 months. I'm already taking out the max amount for COA. It just isn't enough. I'm scrambling trying to find cheaper rent for when we move while also having enough space. Currently renting 2Br/2Ba with 1,000sqft and downsizing is only somewhat realistic. Need minimum amount of space for a baby. I may resort to selling some of my stuff which might help get like another $1,000. Don't really need a Playstation anymore.. might sell my car as a last resort for some petty $4,000 which at least gets us to July.
Partner obviously doesn't want me to sell my car and neither do I. Then we would have to share the family car. I am so insanely busy studying for STEP, trying to remediate after failing a course last Fall due to personal crisis (to put it vaguely), having a baby, trying to move, and on top come up with some stupid research project for graduation requirements. It's insane to think just last Summer everything was gravy and now it's literal Hell. Another possibility I thought of is taking the credit score hit and just wasting extra cash making things stretch using credit cards. Got about $15,000 credit line available. Any tricks for saving cash or making some extra money as a married man in med school?
Thank you so much.
