Being in school and balancing a family is not always a piece of cake, especially when it comes  to affording everything. There are so many expenses that come with school like books, laptops, tuition and projects. Having a family at the same time is expensive too. Things like making sure you have healthy dinners on the table, to affording diapers, baby clothes, and gear. This post is going to be the first of how I afford being a mom of two and going to school at the same time.
I start my senior year in the fall and just gave birth to my second child in June, and we also just moved to be closer to the school. Each of these things have made our expenses go up this summer. Here are some tips and advice for affording a family.
1.Fill out FASFA and apply for Scholarships. My school has a scholarship application that I fill out every spring. I received an academic scholarship by keeping my grades up  and my husband and I both also receive a needs based scholarship through our university. Fill out these forms even if you don't think that you qualify for anything. By being married and having children I qualify for a much higher pell grant than I would have not being married. When I was single it took into account how much my parents made and so I was unable to receive any aid due to their income.
2. Seriously consider Student Loans. Look at your expenses and determine whether student loans are the right choice for you. I will have taken loans for two of the four years that I have been in college. Some years we find we need them, and some years we find that we don't.
3. Saving on Baby and Child Expenses. While this certainly deserves its own post I will explain in a nutshell what I do to save. First off I breastfeed, which saves thousands. I also cloth diaper (post on this coming soon). This also saves quite a bit. I also work my class schedule around my husbands and so we do not have daycare costs. When it comes to clothes and shoes I buy a lot at my Once Upon a Child, yard sales, and the clearance rack. I also buy some nice outfits from discount stores like TJ Maxx and Ross for church and special outings and occasions. My children are on medicaid so we do not have any health expenses. Wic is a great program out there for families with young children.
4. Saving on Housing. Lets face it you cannot live in a dorm and have a family. Most of the time you cant even get away with a one bedroom when you have a family. Before we had our first we lived in a small studio until we became storage unit managers. For the next two and a half years after we were able to live rent free while I worked full time from home (and went to school full time as well). Being an apartment manager or a similar job is a great way to have no rent bill at all. Now we have an affordable 3 bedroom apartment. To get this apartment we had to really hunt and plan. We were on a waiting list for almost a year to get the place that we have now. We try to reduce electric and gas expenses by doing simple things by not leaving the lights on and things like that.
5. Saving on Food. The best way to do this is to shop the sales and use coupons. Discounts stores like Winco and Aldi are also a great option. There are great websites that match up coupons which take so much of the work out of couponing. Krazy Coupon Lady is my my favorite. Being intentional while shopping is also a way to save money. Write a list and meal planning help to keep you from getting fast food or picking up things you don't need.
6. Saving on Fun. Every Friday we have a date night. Most nights it is an at home date so we don't have to pay for a sitter. Pinterest has great at-home date ideas. We also camp quite a bit. Camping is a cheap and easy way to have vacations. We live near some really fun places to camp so its almost always an adventure. When your in school and having a family making time to have fun together is a must. Things get stressful and its easy to get stuck in a rut when you feel like you have no time, and spending time having fun together is a great way to relax and refocus.
I am by no means a financial expert, but I hope that by sharing what works for our family, you can come away with some tips that can help you afford a family while you go to school. I am a huge advocate of continuing your education even when children come into the home. It is hard and some days it is so so hard, but having the security of a college education is so worth the effort.