Something has got to give.
I need more money. I'm in school part time and I'm working full time. I'm going to school on student loans but between that and my job it still isn't enough. I have quit smoking, quit eating out for the most part, and quit guzzling soda not only to be more healthy, but also to save money. And I am saving a lot from that, but it still isn't enough. We don't live extravagantly, it's just that most of what we earn goes to bills. It doesn't help that we have a second home that I can't sell and is not leased right now.
I do have options, though, and I don't see this situation as something that will always be dogging us. Once I graduate from school I should be able to land much better paying work. It's just getting there that's going to be difficult to manage. It's still three years off probably.
Option A: I've got a credit card with a high limit and a low balance.
Option B: I've got a newer car that's paid off. I could sell the car, buy an inexpensive replacement, and use the extra money elsewhere.
Option C: Try to find better paying work. This option might sound impossible to some of you, but it's do-able for me because I'm in demand, baby.
Option D: Stay the course and hope no emergencies happen.
I haven't talked to my wife about this yet, but I'm going to later today. I know she won't like Option B, but she might be open to Option C. I don't like the other two options.
The challenge to option C is finding exactly the right job. I'm a trucker and it's easy for me to find just any job. But I need to be home every day. I need first or third shift. I need something that's compatible with school. And I need to make at least 15k more per year. Finding something like that is not as easy, but it is possible.
I took the job with my current employer thinking things might work out okay. The schedule is perfect. The health insurance is good- between my wife's and my insurance, her health care is almost free. I have a 401k with company match. All of that is very good and I can't really complain about the way I've been treated there. I just need a lot more money and it's not going to happen there anytime soon.
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A should not be considered. The CC is nice to have for emergencies, but it is a trap to start using it for day-to-day expenses. I know that from experience. It especially applies since you'll be facing student loan payments once you graduate.
C sounds pretty difficult and the wrong direction to go at this time, from what you've described. Better paying trucking jobs probably involve bad shifts and road trips, which sound like big problems if I get the drift of your post.
Best of luck, though!
I'm thinking maybe a less-expensive internet service, wireless phone or tv provider, if possible. You can always call your company up and ask if they have budget options.
A few years ago I worked with Verizon to limit the number of minutes per month on the cell phones, because we weren't using most of them.
Can you turn down the heat or raise the a/c even one degree? Having a programmable thermostat can save a lot. I actually managed to install one myself, and I'm not exactly Ms. Handy Person. Can you buy some things in bulk at a Costco? Get your prescriptions filled there -you don't need to be a member to use their pharmacy.
Maybe there are a few things you can do to reduce your cost of living.
I mention these because I've been out of work for 4 years and am doing everything possible to reduce expenses, since at 60 it doesn't look like I'm going to find a job. I'm unable to stand for long because of arthritis, so that rules out being a grocery cashier or working retail.
I shop yard sales for clothes and household items, and we share one car because we can't afford a second one. I drive my husband to the Metro every morning and pick him up at night, which saves on parking and bus fares. We became vegetarians, partly because meat is so expensive, and for health reasons. We buy books at used book stores, rent movies instead of going to cinemas, etc.
I cut my own long hair and give my husband trims between haircuts. I use henna to color my hair. It costs $1.75 plus tax an the Indian grocery store, enough for three treatments, which is all I need per year. Obviously that's not something everyone would want to do, but it works for me. 
