Yes, I get grants every year. I have some for this fall too, or I'd need to borrow more than I am in loans. Tuition gets partially covered with the grants, but not all of it. I have to pay the difference, plus textbooks and other fees and such. I have applied for scholarships every semester as well, but haven't gotten any yet. Yes, the reason I'm taking the summer classes is to finish sooner. If I don't take any, then I'll be in college an extra semester. I'd rather just finish so I can start making the big bucks, lol... and pay it all off quicker. Other than school, I do not use my credit cards at all anymore. I actually don't buy anything except gasoline, and believe me, I've read about a zillion tips on saving on gas, and implement them as much as possible. I use mypoints.com (I don't buy anything on there, I just click the ads that I get in email for points) to get $10 walmart giftcards. I use those if I need anything that's not gas or school-related. And I don't buy clothes, shoes, entertainment things, or snacks. I live with my future in-laws (to save on rent/utilities) and they insist on buying food, so to help them out, I always wash dishes and clean around the house. I also keep practically everything unplugged in my room and help save on their utilities as much as possible. In fact, as soon as I finish this post, I'll be turning off and unplugging my comp. I'm doing my very best to get out of debt. I work about 25 hours a week waitressing, but I'm in the process of finding a better tipping location (but i'm not quitting until I get hired), and I help my fiance with his videography business and make good money off of that. I'm using all of this to pay down my debt and keep from putting anything else on credit cards. Thanks for the advice everyone!