Can't afford textbooks and materials

cptofthehouse
Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:59:01 +0000

OP, I want to say that I am sorry that you are in your situation, and I can understand how you feel. Nothing makes one feel poorer and unluckier, than being among those who have a lot more. From your posts, you have grown up in a household, communtiy, area and gone to private Catholic school where your peers do tend to go away to college, and/or have a good part of the costs paid by their parents. It’s tough being one of that group, and then come to find out that you are not in that category when it comes to college.

I told you that my son felt that he HAD to be one of those going away to school, and he did not want to go instate or local, and though he was wonderful in accepting our cost limitation, he did have a lot more choices than those kids who are told that they have to pay their own way. Some parents can’t or won’t pay for college for whatever reasons–that’s their call, and if you fall in that situation, you have to deal with that situation. I did also tell you that now 3 years hence, he’s found out that even a number of kids from well to do households are commuting and going to the local schools for cost reasons. And doing just fine, thank you. Maybe better than he is.

i got a full ride to my private university many years ago, but I was unprepared to be among a lot of kids who came from families that made mine look impoverished. I’d not grown up around folks like this, and, in fact, since my parents managed their money carefully and always could come up with our needs and even wants, I thought we were doing pretty well. Not in the environment of that school, though there were also some who were struggling financially a lot more than I was too. I worked in the cafeterai bussing trays and cleaning up to make extra money, and still there were invitations and events that were out of my price range. I remember when the first HP calculators made the scene and the math/engineering/science and any kids taking those classes rushed to buy those marvels. They cost what laptops cost , and in absolute dollars, not adjusted ones. YOu think I could afford one? These days, the costs of these calculators have plummented. Look at Ebay, ask around if anyone has extras to sell. You need to network a lot more. I lived on the leavings of my classmates and really friends for many years. Even with kids, and decent jobs, we always made less than what we wanted to cover, and to get a little more, we had to improvise.

So I know how you feel. But the bottom line is that you appear to be going to a private school with high tuition costs for which you are borrowing. if you think it’s tough now, trying to make a go of it AND paying back loans these days, without some parental support and prospects for a high paying job is really daunting. My spoiled kids, are learning this the hard way WITHOUT loans. Making your nut each month is not easy. My one with a great paying job still sees those around him doing even better as they come from families that can still hand out great gifts of things and cash. His car needs work, and it’s a big hit. Makes you feel sour when your officemate got a brand new car for Christmas and is complaining that it increases the insurance and the parents won’t pay the increase. Yes, perspective leads to some interesting statements and attitudes.

So you need to learn to deal with your situation. If this is just a release rant, go right on ahead. But bear in mind that most college students are not sitting pretty at sleep away school with mom and dad paying the full tab. That’s a myth. If that is the crowd you know, you are just patting just one small part of a very big elephant.