C.O.
Victoria:
You need to stop using your credit cards. NOW. Keep a journal of EVERY penny you spend. You will be surprised at where it all goes.
Go through your home - anything you haven't touched in six months - gather for a garage sale and get money in the door. Collectibles - sell them on craigslist or ebay. If you need help with those - please feel free to PM me - I will help you. Any money you make from the sale - apply to credit cards. You would be surprised at what you don't need and can live without.
Use coupons for groceries. Make a menu for the week. Look through the Sunday fliers to find out what is on sale, what you have coupons for and make your menu off that.
Did you refinance your mortgage? If so - it only saved you $250? That's odd. You must not have went down much in interest.
Plan your errands. This will help save gas. I just heard on the news the other day to buy gas on Wednesday as that is usually the cheapest day - I have not seen this.
Save on electricity by turning lights off behind you. Only turning them on when needed. Keep the blinds open to allow the sunlight in. Keep your thermostat set at a lower temperature. Wear sweat jackets and slippers.
I hesitate to tell you this - because for some it backfires - refinance the home and take equity out - pay off the cars and credit card debt. It's NOT always the best thing to do - however - you MUST be strong and cut up the credit cards.
Apply for student loans or even grants to help you with school. The loans don't need to be paid off until you have stopped going to school - so that will help you.
If you have a landline - cancel it - find out what it would cost you to keep just your internet. You don't need cable - so having one service might work for you.
Talk to your providers - AT&T and see if there is a package that is cheaper that you can turn to..and NOT extend the contract. Call your electric company, gas/propane and other providers and ask if there is a flat-rate program you can get into.
There are a lot of companies that are doing that - they come out and do an evaluation to see how energy efficient your home is and then see how they can help you with windows, etc. I know our service providers are doing stuff like that here in VA. I don't know about Ohio.
When I quit? We had NEVER budgeted my income into ANYTHING - house payment - ANYTHING - so my money was always fun money...we put it in savings, we bought stocks and bonds. So when I quit - our family wasn't affected by not having income anymore other than not putting as much in savings.
Keep a journal. find out where you are spending your money.
Pack a lunch for work.
Buy clothes at Goodwill or garage sales. The only thing you need to buy new in my opinion is shoes...you can even get great suits (if your husband needs to wear suits to work) at Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc.
There is a lot you can do. The first step is getting rid of the credit card debt. Talk to a financial planner. Borrow a book from the library - Dave Ramsey, Suze Orman - take what you can use and make it work for you.
Talk to your counselor at school and apply for a student loan or a grant. You might be surprised at what you receive.
ETA: Also check with the day care providers that they will accept part time children.