Getting Creative About Pooling Start Up Money for Grad School

[attackonthedoctor]

For those of us who didn't get enough funding to alleviate fees and overall relocation expenses, how are you pooling the money to prepare for those massive "start-up" costs?  

 

For me, I recently graduated from undergraduate and I am taking a part-time gig.  I'm planning on getting another one soon.  I've also considered selling some college stuff that I won't really need in graduate school.  It's just me and my SO, so it will be interesting financing everything.

 

 

[autumn]

Adjuncting this spring and summer + web design jobs in addition to my full time job. 

 

Still going to be a stretch. Relocating is so expensive, especially as an adult. I miss being able to just toss my crap in the car and go...

[attackonthedoctor]

Adjuncting this spring and summer + web design jobs in addition to my full time job. 

 

Still going to be a stretch. Relocating is so expensive, especially as an adult. I miss being able to just toss my crap in the car and go...

 

I understand that.  Luckily for my SO and I, we were pretty lean about our belongings and things that will be donated.  We are also lucky to find out that there are a bunch of second-hand shops in the area that we are relocating, so that reduces costs of any additional furniture we would need.  

[grad_wannabe]

I too am worried about this, especially since my current job contract expires at the end of June so it looks like I'll be unemployed for two months. 

 

That "deposit fee" of 1k isn't helping either. 

 

Right now I'm saving pennies: I literally started brown-bagging my lunch on Monday instead of going out most days, and stopped buying coffee at the work cafeteria and started drinking the regular ol' drip coffee in the kitchen. I also unsubscribed from every single J.Crew/ H&M/ Urban Outfitters mailing list I was on. I'm also looking at selling a whole bunch of clothes. I also canceled a trip to Europe I was supposed to take with friends this spring. 

 

We should have a "frugal moving" thread. Reddit is great for things like that. I found out there that you can ship stuff long-distances pretty cheaply via Greyhound -- yes you can get your stuff put on a bus and it arrives at your destination without you, you just go pick it up from the bus depot. Cheaper than moving companies. 

 

Ugh thinking about broker's fees and first-and-last month's rent is giving me agita. 

Edited March 6, 2015 by grad_wannabe

[autumn]

I too am worried about this, especially since my current job contract expires at the end of June so it looks like I'll be unemployed for two months. 

 

Ugh thinking about broker's fees and first-and-last month's rent is giving me agita. 

 

Like you, I'm worried about the delay between current job and grad school paycheck. I plan to quit at the end of July (I have an academic job and it's easier to train and transition to a replacement between semesters, as opposed to August.... plus, I want a short break before starting school) but I won't get a paycheck until the end of the first full month, i.e. September. So I need to have bills and living expenses for August and September, plus all the associated moving costs (movers, storage, rental and/or Realtor fees, car registration, driver's license, first semester books, etc.). 

 

I did all the math. It's just depressing math.