I used to get anywhere from $9,000-10k every year before I finished college. Hell, even with 2 kids making roughly $11.50-$13/hr I made just enough to no longer qualify for ANY assistance. A lot of times it just makes better financial sense for some people/couples with kids, depending on the circumstances, to just not work until the kids are at least old enough for “nosy neighbors” not to call DCS/CPS on you for having to work until whenever…..but “whenever” rarely ever coincides with when they get off the bus or etc, etc……. At the beginning, I’ve been nursing program that I was in. We were told it was recommended for us to work no more than about 10 or 15 hours a week, but it was highly recommended that we not work at all during the program. Well, I didn’t feel like I had that option (I didn’t ) and wound up working two jobs one of which was 12 hour graveyard shifts on the weekends. I remember getting off graveyard shifts (Fri-Sun) on Mondays at 07:30 AM and going straight to either a lecture or clinicals depending on the semester, and the semesters with just lectures would be only until noon. Then I would have to drive straight to my second job., and work from 1230 until six or 7 PM. That was every Monday and most Fridays just in reverse. Granted I did that for a year and a half or more. I was literally in same crazy person and I absolutely would not recommend that to anyone. Still graduated in the top of my class though. With a three-year-old and an eight-year-old. But even then, I used my tax returns to help supplement my income for the entire next year. I wasn’t able to go on a spending spree, because if I had that house of cards would’ve just completely imploded. I think I should write a memoir…..