Ok, just to get everything on one page, I'll put down my money owed, and what I've got right now. Unfortunately, untill the school releases my loan check to me, I have very little. Like nothing. Silly Financial aid lady.
So debt-
student loan from before (mother pays right now)- ~$11,000us
Stafford subsidized- $3500us
Stafford unsubsidized- $4000us
credit cards- ~$19500us (more than 1/2 directly school related)
dad loan- $800us
fees- $484.50nz
rent- ~$640nz
total owed right now (give or take a bit)- $39,450
Money I have?
misc US bank accounts- ~$70us
cash- $0.50nz
and eventually, about $500 returned to me by my good friend the IRS.
Right now the numbers are actually a bit off, since the second the stafford loan clears, the fees go away, as soon as the school transfers it to my bank account the rent gos away, and about a day after I wire half of it home (to pay the bills I ran up getting over here) the loan to my father goes away as well, dropping the total by... about $1400us.
My budget that I hope to work with (excluding the money I'm sending home, that's already spent for school) is rather small- the less I borrow, and the more I pay, the less I'll owe when I get out of school. Also, I hope to get my visa changed to allow working in the next month or so, which will give me living money, or allow me to pay my credit cards down faster- at their interest rates, they are deffinately a priority.
so anyway, since everything (just about) over here works on a weekly schedule,some things will be listed that way, since it's easier.
Rent- $115nz/week (student housing/ inclusive)
food- $25nz/week (includes splurge cash)
internet-$35nz/mo
school supplies- $10nz/mo (not buying books)
entertainment- $10nz/mo (library's free, ya know)
misc- $10/mo (VoIP, Shampoo, stuff like that)
at the end of the semester, I hope to move out of student housing, and into something in town. There's no transport listed, because the school fees include free use of city busses, and I can get a free bicycle to use from a trust on campus. Living in town (any town, actually) will be not only less expensive, but also allow me to work- the busses here have limited service in the evenings, stop running by 10pm, and run very rarely on weekends. Eventually I might need a car, but I'm going to avoid it as long as possible.
And probably next week I'm turning in my loan for next semester, so I actually get it intime to renew my dratted visa.
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Eep! scary, sounds like you got it all planned.
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