Have an Idea Party

OK, my idea-party buds and others, I need your help. The acquisition of money might seem like rather a trite goal, but rather than wanting to make money with which to purchase fine wines and large-screen TVs, I want money with which to buy groceries and pay the bills.

So here’s my current situation. I am at university studying for a foundation degree in cognitive behavioural counselling. It’s classed as a virtual full-time course, because while we’re only at college one day a week, the work we need to do at home takes it up to full time. But because of the short face-to-face time, many of us are having trouble getting any of the scant funding (study grants, loans etc) available – the bodies involved are disputing its full-time quality. I am partway through a funding application and, going on the experience of my classmates, I will probably get rejected and have to appeal. Huh.

At the same time, I am working part-time in a place I absolutely love – best working environment I’ve ever been in, fantastic people. But the pay is lousy, and because I only work three days a week I am only bringing home 3/5 of said lousy wage. To put this into perspective, I have worked out that I would actually be better off on maternity leave and its accompanying benefits. Or, to put it another way, if HA wasn’t here to share costs, there would be enough to pay the mortgage and the utilities bills and nothing (by which I mean nothing) left for food, clothing, unexpected expenses like car repair or vet bills and so on. I wouldn’t actually be able to afford to get to work and back. I haven’t been this poor since I was a student the first time around. This time I think it may be worse, partly because this time I actually care about getting into (more) debt. I also notice the lack more because I have, in the past, earned a reasonable wage. I don’t like having to think twice about buying what I consider basics.

I will be starting my Life Club in January, which may bring in a little money – after I pay my taxes, about a fiver for each person who attends each week. To put that into perspective for any Americans reading, apparently most stuff is roughly half the price in America, so £5 will buy about $5 worth of groceries, petrol etc.

So there’s my dilemma. I’m incredibly short on cash. But given that I’m also incredibly short on time I’m really blocked on where I can get more money from.

Any ideas?

Main obstacle: I have no idea how to proceed.

Barbara Sher introduced the idea of the “Idea Party”. It’s a way to help people accomplish their dreams.

What you do is:
1. You list what it is that you really, really want, but don’t think you can do or have.
2. You state what your obstacle is towards achieving your dream.
3. You sit back and wait for everyone at the party to start throwing out ideas of how your obstacle might be overcome. No ideas are critisized, this is just a brainstorming session, and the more the merrier.

If someone comes up with an idea you can take steps on, great!
If nobody is able to say anything you find remotely helpful (unlikely) then at least you are no worse off than you are now.

So let’s have it! Let’s start churning some ideas! What is it you dream of, and what is your obstacle?