Here's a tip - take your pay rate/hour, times min guarantee, x .70. That'll be real close to your take home pay each month after taxes, insurance, and minimal contribution to 401(k).

At most companies, that's gonna be right around $1200-$1300/month.

Now, add up all your bills, and make sure they come in less than that figure.

Some things I did - got rid of the mx hog car and got an older, more reliable one, bought with cash. Then I cut back to minimal (liability only) car insurance. Now I pay <$40/month. Not bad.

I spend, on average, <$5/day on food over the course of a month. All food. From eating at home to eating, occasionally, on trips (thinks like Quiznos and other places that give a good value). My fiance aggressively cuts coupons. There have been times when we were paid to leave the grocery store with products!

The idea isn't how to make more money, it's how to figure out how to cut the fat from your budget. If you can't get your bills to come out less than what you make, don't take the job . There are plenty of other aviation jobs out there that pay MUCH more than starting pay at a regional. Don't steal to make ends meet like some of the above posters are suggesting. Be a professional, and have some self respect.