Money worries:

After visiting the TAFE counsellor, I started to think that it may not be a very good idea for me to start my course.
Although I was so excited to be accepted into the course, I had just found out that I would need to apply for Youth Allowance payments from Centrelink.
I had known all along that Youth Allowance payments would not be very much money, but I was shocked when I found out how small the payments actually are!
If I was a year older (25), I would be able to apply for Austudy, which I'm sure would be at least a little more money.
The base rate for Youth Allowance was something ridiculous like $388.70...... per fortnight!!! I just don't understand how they could possibly think that just over $150 a week would even nearly be enough for a person to survive on.
Fair enough, I will be able to apply for rent assistance as well, but even then it's not a great deal more money. I mean, I have a loan repayment that comes out of my account each week that is more money than what I would be getting.
Even if I get a part-time job (which I am going to have to do), I will only be able to earn $250 without it affecting my Youth Allowance payments.
Another thing that makes life a little more difficult is the fact that the course runs from 9-5, four days a week. When I first expressed interest in the course, I was told that it would run three days a week. So once I get my part time job, I will be extremely busy trying to juggle work and study.
The next day I decided to call my bank and see if I could get my loan extended so that I would be able to pay it off over seven years, instead of five. I called them to explain my situation and let them know that I would be making less than half of the amount of money that I am earning now.
At first it sounded like everything was going to work out, until the man on the phone told me that to be able to extend the loan, he would first need to put in a new loan application.
Everything seemed to be going well, until they told me that, as they had to put it in as a new application, I would, in their eyes, not be making enough money to be able to afford the loan repayments once I start my course.
I was extremely upset and frustrated at first, and was convinced that I would not be able to enrol in my TAFE course.
As I was so upset, I had convinced myself that everything I had done to prepare for this had been nothing but a waste of time, and I was going to be stuck doing a job that I was not interested in for the rest of my life. I was just about ready to give up. I even sent my TAFE teacher an email to thank her for her time and explain why I wouldn't be able to take the course.
When I had finished work for the day, I got a phone call from my boyfriend Mat, who instantly asked me why I was crying. When I explained the situation to him, he told me that I would regret it if I didn't take this course, and that although it would be a struggle, we would somehow make it work.
Still upset, I got home from work and called my mum. She had pointed out that while I was so busy being upset and frustrated about the whole situation, I had not thoroughly considered all of my options. I then realised that once I get a part-time job, I should be earning at least enough money to cover my bills.
I then spoke to my friend Danni, who suggested that I call the bank a few times to see if I can find any way around this. She told me that sometimes, you just need do know the right things to say, so I am going to call them on Monday to try to extend my loan, without telling them that I will only be working at my current job for one more week.
The next day I thought I'd better email my teacher back to apologise for the email that I'd sent her about not being able to do the course as I didn't want my spot to be filled. I let her know that I had wrote her the email when I was upset (which I probably shouldn't have done), and that I was still interested in taking the course.
The next day I was speaking to my employer about my whole financial situation, and they have agreed to let me work the Friday that I am not at TAFE, TAFE holidays, and a couple of hours on a Saturday if I would like to, which will be such a great help. Other than that, I will also try to apply for a part-time job at Woolworths or something maybe for a couple hours, a couple of nights a week, after TAFE.
So fair enough I will be making a BIG financial sacrifice, not to mention sacrificing the majority of my time, but at the end of the day, if it's going to land me my dream job, then it will all be worth it.

Lela xx