When I think back to my first year of college, I thank goodness that I really had no idea what was happening.

As a naïve, Midwestern 18-year-old, my parents kept rabid control over all family finances and decisions - to include how I was eventually to pay for college.

I had no idea that the papers they gave me to sign were actually $30,000 worth of student loans. I didn’t understand the terms of the loan, what they were for or even who I was eventually going to owe money to once I walked across that graduation stage. When I suggested looking for programs to help cut the cost, I was told it was too much work, just sign.

It was not a good way to kick start an independent financial future.

Military spouses returning to school have such a unique perspective that I sometimes envy. They have the time and often years behind them to be money savvy and budget-wise. They know what to sign and what not to sign. And most importantly, they know where to look for the goods.

For military spouses looking for assistance to pay for their degrees, the goods are in the military communities around them: through GI Bill funds, independent military service clubs and organizations and through government programs such as the Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts.

Students who choose to earn their degree at Bryant & Stratton College, may qualify for the Salute to Spouse scholarship*, a program designed specifically to meet the needs of military spouses.

Salute to Spouses has partnered with USAA’s Military Spouse Community to explore more of these options. As a guest blogger, I offered a list of places military spouses can go to search for more ways to pay down those tuition bills without spending a dime.

Check it out when you have a chance. I can almost guarantee one of these options will be worth the work.

*The Salute to Spouses Scholarship program is available to students who enroll in online and selected campus-based degree programs.