External stresses and project motivation

I'm dead broke. I have been for quite a while. I haven't gotten a proper job since getting back into the country last August, and I came back quite broke. Then I played the tuition game, etc. This made me even more broke. It hasn't gotten much better this semester; I've got two jobs at UNM that, between the two of them, don't keep up with weekly gas/food expenses, and add a whole lot of irritation and stress. I still have to take fall classes and am no longer eligible for financial aid, and my girlfriend, who I haven't seen in six months, is coming to visit in less than two weeks. I've been stressing about how I'm going to actually pay for school next semester, and stressing that I won't be able to afford to do anything with my girlfriend that involves anything more expensive than sitting at home.

Today I sold the last of the stocks that I still had from happier times. I walked out of the broker's office feeling pretty crushed: I now have just over $200 in liquid assets, no more non-liquid assets that I can sell, and about $22,000 in student loans. I earn about $75 a week. Nothing I have tried to get a useful job since entering school four years ago has led to anything at all, and all things put together, despite any knowledge and respect I may have earned, I'm far worse off now than when I was grinding away at a low-paying retail job.

This is very bad for motivation when it comes to working on programming projects.

Fortunately, at the last minute I decided to actually thoroughly do my tax return, even though I wasn't required to file for the 2009 tax year. My gross income for the year was $12, from dividends from the stocks I sold today. Thanks to the American Opportunity Tax Credit, though, $1000 of the tuition that I paid last year is refundable. That means I get it back despite not having paid or owing any taxes. Additionally, I caught something with my dad's taxes that got him an extra $1200 back; he says he'll give me a chunk of it for my fall tuition.

Looks like the visit and my fall semester are both saved and I can stop panicking about them. Now I actually feel like working on the project.