According to the office of financial aid, I'm still required to take 2 credit hours this summer to remain a graduate student. While I do get to pay the Wisconsin resident rate, that is still 1,000 dollars.

I'd needed 1,200 for living over the summer. Now I need 2,200. The former amount wasn't an outrageous amount to ask of from mom and gran and Scott. The latter basically is, considering that I doubt I can stick to 800 bucks for living expenses over a 4 1/2 months period.

Thankfully my credit card is almost entirely paid off. That'll give me some leeway.

The plan for the moment is to pretend that it isn't my finals week, to do my FAFSA (since I had no time previously), the summer aid application, bend over, and grab my ankles. Considering that the gov't takes weeks, if not a month, to process FAFSA's, it might be just a little while before I can officially ask for a job or a loan through the department.

I'll figure something out. I'm in the process of appealing my grad student status, saying that I could just magically be "on leave" for the summer. I've sweet-talked deans before, I can do it again.

* * *

How did I end up in this financial predicament?

I admit, part of the error lies in my poor judgement. I should have checked in much earlier to see just how long my award lasted for, rather than believing what bulletins told me.

I should have not had overpriced tea drinks once or twice a day since the last whenever the fuck.

I should have found some time to call the DMV to get my car title to be able to legally drive my car to buy groceries. As it stands, I'll probably just drive the fucker and get a 100 worth of frozen shit for a month.

The only thing I don't regret is financially helping out a friend I've known for awhile. She needed the money more than I do.

* * *

I'll figure something out. But at the moment, with no word from the family, I feel a little down south of this side of fucked.

UPDATE:

So apparently the last paycheck I got was for work done in April. And I'm 1,600 short of the full amount the fellowship gives me. That means I'll be getting one final paycheck at the end of may.

That'll make things so, so much easier to manage. My mom has been wanting to send me money for awhile, so this situation is almost done. I just need to confirm it, see if I should get a part-time job or a small loan anyway, etc.

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