How We Paid For College Without Loans

People are always shocked when they hear we paid for my husband's college out of pocket - no loans were involved.  All of this was while we were (and still are) living on a very limited income.  Here are a few of the things we did in order to afford school:

Sold items from our house: The first two semesters, we went around our house and found items to list on Craigslist.  It helped clear out some clutter and pay for a good chunk of school.  We also have had two garage sales in the two years he was in school.

Took on an extra job:  My parents own their own business and have always hired someone to clean their offices.  I took over when my husband first had his job cut back.  About six months into it is when my husband decided to go back to school so we moved that income to our college fund.


Surveys: They do not pay a ton but I had done surveys off and on for years.  I started setting aside time each day to work on them and after awhile we had enough to pay for many of his books.

FAFSA: This is the form you have to fill out in order to get many scholarships and for government aid.  The first year of school we did not receive anything but these last two semesters we were given a grant.  The second semester was actually a higher amount than the first semester this school year and came as a huge surprise to us.  We thank God for looking out for us in this area.