Budgeting

So I took out a loan to pay for the first quarter of optometry school. I maxed out my allowance for Stafford loans by taking out $40,500. That looks like a lot of money, but after budgeting the other night, I am $10,000 short on what I need. I've calculated rent, basic necessities such as food, transportation, personal hygiene, and I am still short 10K. I am pretty stressed about it because I did not expect to be short. So BUDGET before you do anything, and double check your budgeting. Before taking out this loan I did budget, but apparently it was not accurate. Not it is too late. But I still plan to apply for scholarships and work about 8-10 hours per month during school.


Bottom line: use your school's standard budget as an outline for your own budget and work from there. Taking out loans is serious. It is NOT income nor Free money. So BUDGET!!!!

Try Excel spreadsheets if you prefer to be electronically organized.



Medical Insurance

Most of you will find that you are no longer eligible under your parent's medical insurance by the time to reach 23-25 years of age. Being in optometry school, you must have health insurance in case of any unexpected accidents or injuries that may occur.
So this is my recent bump in the road to Optometry school : searching for affordable premiums that provide good coverage.