<prompt> Human: I think this is my first Reddit post ever, so please be kind. Im still figuring this out. : I am 26 with a 4-year-old that I have 3 or 4 days a week depending on the week, custody schedule changes.Due to a drawn out divorce and two cross country moves my credit is in the low 500s.I was in school but took time off because of money and time restraints but would like to save up to go back because my kid starts kindergarten next year which will give me time to go back to school. If I could save enough, I could possibly start school again in January. I only have a year left on my degree.I work 40-50 hours a week as a waitress but I only work when my kid is with his dad because I cant afford a full-time daycare. I work 50 hours over 4 days. Its exhausting.So, here is the dilemma. When I moved back to my hometown after the breakup, my old friend let me and the kid move in with her. She only charges me 200 a month for one room that I share with the kid. But now she has had some circumstances arise and I have to be out by the end of the year. A family member is letting me stay with her for only a couple of months, also for 200 a month until my brother, his wife and their 2 kids move back to this town also from 4 hours away. We plan on getting a place together. They will move here after they get their taxes back. They have slightly below average credit. I am worried about having enough for the move-in fees deposit, first and last months rent, etc. Housing in my city is very expensive. We will need at least a 3 bedroom home which run about 1,200-1,400 a month here. Between the 3 of us working we will make about 4,500 a month so I am just worried about the moving costs, and deposits. Plus I will need furniture because I am using my friends now. Ill need to buy AT LEAST a bed for me to share with the kid and, later, a bed of his own. I have 4 months to save money and figure this out. Here is my budget now:Rent: 200Food: 300Gas: 80Phone: 60Pre-school: 200Misc: 200 cigarettes, things for the kid, etc.Other info:I have a tab open now to figure out and use MintI am trying to quit smoking I spend about 40 a month on cigsI dont have a bank account but was told to find a credit union...?Ill need about 1,200 to go back to school but that can probably wait until August :My car is paid for but needs repairs kinda frequently. Its a 96 with 170,000 milesI have Christmas and his birthday coming up that I have to budget for also.I use a friends Amazon Prime and Netflix account and stuff like that so the only place I can really reduce costs, I think, is cigarettes and to stop spending so much money on nonessential things for my kid. its really hard not to do, but I think that is where most of my money goes.I guess what I am asking here is:-Can I reduce any of these costs to save more?-Advice on a savings account, choosing a bank?-Are there any ideas out there for a second job I could have while my son is with me? He is in preschool only from 8am-11am which isnt long enough for me to get a traditional job.-Once my brothers family and mine move in together, how should we handle splitting finances? Me, my kid, him, his wife, his 5 year old, and one year old-Any general advice for someone who lives purely off tips with no paycheck?-Fixing my credit when I really have no money to pay off debts? Opinions on secured credit card, and if I get one should that be high on my priority list?Id really like to get a second job but, like I said, I only have 3 free hours each day Mon-Weds. I would love ideas on this.Thank you so much for reading and for your patience with this post.EDIT BTW, I dont believe I qualify for any kind of government assistance, but maybe I should go ask and see?  <response>: If money is so tight youre living off tips cant find the money to buy your child a bed, then yes youre most likely eligible for some sort of assistance. 1. Do not pay for school with cash! Complete the financial aid forms. Try to get any scholarships you can. Put the rest on a deferred student loan, which wont have payments due until graduation. 2. What is the school major in? I dont want to criticize what you enjoy doing, but from a financial standpoint is that specific degree in demand AND in demand where youre thinking of living? 3. Apply for government aid. You should be eligible at the very least for SNAP food stamps. Make sure you and your kid have health coverage. See if your state has a program that helps with heating expenses or other things.4. Apply to food banks, charities, and outreach programs. Every free box of groceries is that much less you need to spend your hard earned money on. If you cant use everything in the boxes, share it with your brother if you move in with him.5. Apartment sharing: you probably need to share with someone to be able to afford a place, so it sounds like its either your brothers family or a stranger. You dont want to risk harming your family relationship, so try really hard to decide up front who pays for what. I did house sharing before with a family. His kids ended up borrowing my food a lot, so thats one thing you might need to think about in advance. As far as splitting expenses, your family is 2 people and will use 1-2 bedrooms. His family is 4 people and will need ideally about 2 bedrooms. So you can work out the rent based on who gets more bedrooms? Utilities maybe split 13 and 23 or something? Its REALLY hard to control utility costs in a shared household because the tendency is that no one person feels the bill is theirs. Also be sure to talk about house rules and how to handle it if your family or his family decides to move. 6. Check out a credit union to get a checking account. Thats step 1. Focus on getting settled, bills paid on time, qualifying for school financial aidloan. 7. Dont kill yourself over tiny things. Im not a smoker, but I do recognize smoking is very hard. If the only thing you indulge on is this, with the stress youre under, maybe its ok if you enjoy it a little. Eventually the ideal thing is to quit. But youll go nuts trying to take on all these huge goals at once. 8. See if you can get your boy into free or subsidized preschool. Is he too old for HeadStart? Headstart is free. 9. Things for the kid: this is where Id stop spending. Ive got a 2.5 year old myself. I get her clothes free or fill-a-bag5 deals. Watch facebook and freecycle for free clothing giveaways from individuals or church groups. If you dont mind used toys, yard sales have amazing deals. And Ive gotten free toys, too. Kids outgrow or get bored of things so fast. Some people are just happy to clean out their toy room and hate to throw anything in the trash. School supplies: can be obtained free at start of every school year of you ask around, check charities, ask the teacher. Other than diapers and food, I dont spend anything on her. For entertainment, parks and free festivals. 10. See if you can find reputable free financial help. Sometimes churches or outreach programs offer it. Theyll go over your budget with you, and they may know of freecheap resources specific to your area. 11. Extra income: Im a stay at home mom. I make a little extra by buying stuff I find cheap, clean it up, photograph it, and sell on ebayCLFB. Check our rflipping You can get started with just 5 or 10. Some people make or re-purpose things to resell. Check your local FB resale groups to see whats selling. Some people make crafty items to sell on Etsy.12. Really think about what you can get for free. Craigslist Freebies, Freecycle.org, rdumpsterdiving , Facebook groups for resale diving My motto is if its free, its for me. :- Im not above grabbing something interesting that I see setting out by the curb on trash day. One lady did an everythings free yard say to clear out a big entire house of abandoned stuff when her tenant skipped town, and I came home with a lawnmower, fishpond, china, and other goodies! Some people are happy to have people come and take their clutter away. Sell what you cant use rflipping 13. Consider if youre stuck home every afternoon with your child that maybe you could babysit 1 or 2 other kids for a little extra money? Do be careful with your brother though because you dont want him taking advantage of you as a free sitter all the time 14. Apply for as much child support as is allowed under the law. See if you cant talk to a family law attorney for free. Look for the phone number for Legal Aid.Good luck! And try not to do so much all at once make yourself crazy from the stress. Spend some time with your child. Spend some time on yourself. Maybe make 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, 1 yr, and 2 year goals? 