Hi willowtrees--I'm glad you're posting, glad that you are looking for answers. The best answers fit the conditions you're in............so, that means that the ones you find with people there will be the best. You got ta work with what you have: this may mean giving pets to friends, it may mean living in a dorm until you find a place you want to be in, it may mean looking more closely at opportunities within your field in terms of part-time job availability, it may mean looking for any part-time job you can get while you stretch to make your life work better.....?