[frugalmomof1]

I got partnered for a project with a guy in college that went back to shcool his late 30's for a Mechanical Engineering degree. Over the 2.5 years that we had classes together we became very good friends (he was an usher in DH's and my wedding)

I don't have a clue about how much money he made during those years, but I would bet it wasn't close $12k. He lived in a dirt cheap 3rd floor apartment (shared), and did not have health insurance. I know he took tutoring jobs, worked construction on weekends and summers...he even did some work on my house and charged us (no kidding) 2 sandwiches/hour. I would make a huge batch of sandwiches on the weekend and bring them to school on Monday. I continued to make him sandwiches for the rest of the semester even when my debt was paid in full.

He got his teeth cleaned for $10 at the vocational school down the street from the campus, probably cut his hair 2x's/year. I actually wish that I was into frugal living back then...I could have learned a lot from him.

He almost managed to avoid student loans, but needed them for his last year of school.

I couldn't have been easy, but he did it. He was committed to earning his degree and did what he had to do in order to get it. He now has a good job for a good company. We visited him 3 weeks ago in his house with a brand new addition that he built himself in CT.

I hope it works out for the woman in the article.