<p>Hi, I hope you’ll bear with me. I am currently in Afghanistan and will be returning home soon, to start my last semester of under grad and then head on to grad school. In short, I am scared ****less. For the first time in my life, I’ll be in school without the benefits of a steady paycheck, and although I’ve been saving, I am not exactly comfortable with the idea of going to school without a job. I am hoping someone can help advice.</p>
<p>Situation: as a veteran, I’ll receive full tuition plus about $1300 a month of stipens for housing and such. I’ll also be eligible for FAFSA, for which I’ve applied and been granted. In addition, I have quite a nice amount of money saved up. But, man, some 3 years without a steady income in pretty freaking scary, and knowing my lifestyle, I am not sure where to start cutting. </p>
<p>At the end of the day, academia is important to me, yet being able to live comfortably also matters. I am not the normal college student, as throughout my college years, I’ve always had the benefit of an income. Now, without, I need to start budgeting, and I don’t even know how or where to start.</p>
<p>A lot of my friends have said that I am in a good position - one which they envy, yet, looking down the road, things do look kind of scary. I am just not sure how to adjust to it all.</p>
<p>Advice?</p>