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Thank you for an insider look at the profession!!! It is definitely beneficial to hear from someone living the life I want(ed) to live. Money isn't everything, but if I can't support my children all of this education is in vain. I appreciate your response!

Thanks for all of your help! You, along with many others, have been here since I first posted, and I appreciate all the help! I will definitely stick around. I have learned so much. The advice you all have given is invaluable.

:( OK I want to throw a new idea at you all. When I first started considering degree options (during high school) I was undecided between Nursing and Psychology. Researching and talking to you all for the past few days has shown me that Psychology may not be the way to go. I have done some...

Thank you! It's good to know other options I will have available if I choose that route...

All of this news makes me so sad. I hate for money to take more priority than my passion, but I just can't afford to be saddled with $100,000+ in student loans, but only making an average of $68,000. I need a career with a greater ROI. I'm still looking...

Aida, thanks for replying!!! Sales is not my forte. Honestly, I hate the sales I have done. I felt like I was constantly begging people for money.

haha, thank you for that information. The thought of earning a PhD, and continuing to struggle and depend on my future spouse is a bit nauseating. I appreciate the feedback from everyone. I will continue to do research on career paths and education. I definitely don't want to end up with...

Yikes! Thanks for that link. It definitely put more things into perspective. I am happy I am doing this research before starting my graduate programs. I need to put SERIOUS consideration into my education and career goals. Things are definitely not as I thought they would be...

That belief is based on information from my Psychology professors that are also practicing clinicians. According to what they've shared, earning potential is great when you own a practice, work in an independent practice, or work for certain agencies. They didn't make it seem like I will...

Thank you!!! I just checked out the website. So far, I like what I'm seeing.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you choose to look at it), when I was trying to decide what to do with my life money was not a factor. I chose counseling/psychology because I want to help people and do therapy. I knew the earning potential once I earned my PhD was high, but I...

So many choices!!! Keep the $4,000 for the baby, send the $4,000 to my lender, or send $2,000 to my lender and keep the other $2,000. This is a really tough choice!! I am leaning toward sending them $2,000, and saving the rest for the baby since I don't have any savings right now. I just got...

That's a good point about the car. More research needed... As for the miles, the first two years I had the car I did a lot of cross-state trips. May not have been a big difference if I did one or two, but I did it about twice a month for that two years. I also lived 30 miles (one way) from my...

Thanks everyone! I'm trying to catch up on replies now. I will definitely not run away from tough love. I asked for it, and definitely needed it. When I get off work tonight I will start researching the earning potential for a counselor, and how my student loans may affect me in the long run...

Thank you all for the advice and kind words. I am too sleepy right now to reply individually, but I will try to tomorrow. For now I will just say that I have a lot to think about and a lot of work to do. Biggest lesson I have learned from this: don't buy a new car right now. Reducing/eliminating...

I truly do what early retirement; always have. I just have no idea how to dig myself out of this hole I am in. I made a lot of bad financial decisions a few years ago, and I am still paying for them. Trust me, I desperately want to turn this situation around, get out of debt, and live a happy...

I bought my car in 2007. That's the interest rate I got because of my credit. I hear people talk about 3% interest rates and that seems surreal. As for the child support, I posted about that a few minutes ago. Basically, no, I do not get it. I need to do that though. There really isn't a...

I don't like to include his income when working out my budget, because he isn't consistent. Sometimes he helps, mostly he doesn't. Someone else asked if I get child support. No, I don't. That's my fault. I should apply, but he keeps saying he needs to pay off some bills before big chunks of his...

Yes, children are extremely expensive! My jobs give me 6 weeks of unpaid leave. Any more than that would have to be for a medical reason, or I risk not having a job to come back to. Yes, that 6 weeks off will definitely upset the budget. I was hoping to save some money to use during that time...

I don't have emergency funds. Never have... :( A couple of people have asked about how much my education is TRULY costing me. I appreciate that, because I've never thought about it. According to my credit report I have $47,900 in student loans already (4 years of undergrad). I need to...

I'm still working on figuring out how the budget will change when child #2 is born. One of the grandmothers has offered to watch baby #2 for free (she doesn't watch my daughter, because I don't want her sitting around watching tv all day). At least if she watches the baby for a few months that...

Thanks! I just got a new W-4 from HR. I will fill this out today.

So far I keep getting denial emails :( so the lending companies share your sentiment... I am going to call my current lender during my lunch break about my payments. I noticed that about $10-$20 a month is going toward principle, the rest (of a $360.55/month payment) is for interest. I don't...

Thanks for everyone's advice about refinancing! I just did an application on lending tree. I am waiting for results now.

I need to do more research on withholdings. I thought I filled that form out (the W-9 I'm assuming) correctly. I'm not sure how else it was supposed to be done. If I remember correctly, I had two deductions: 1 for myself, and 1 for my child.