Your resolve is strong!  Despite the ever weakening of the dollar you will see Europe no matter what it takes.  Student loans, credit cards maybe even selling candy bars door to door (buy them at the dollar store at 4 / dollar and make a huge profit) are ways to get the extra money but how do you make it last once you are there.  Here are a few tips to stretch what money you do have during your journey while not giving up any of the adventure.

1. Cut the cost of food:
     Even eating at fast food chains like Mc Donalds is no way to save money now-a-days.  A meal at the fast food giant may at first glance look like the same cheap price as it is here in the States but that 5,50 on the menu in London is actually almost 11.00 US dollars to your wallet.   Forgo the Royal mit Kase in Germany or Mc Pesci in Italy and make your way to a local grocery store.
      Surely you've heard it before; "buy your own groceries and save."   The simple fact is that this is true. Even without a kitchen to cook in there are a variety of great on the road dishes you can whip up during a train ride or sitting in the hostel lounge.  Of course the staple is meat, cheese and bread but a little imagination can do wonders.   How about cold pizza?  Foccacia, spaghetti sauce and salami covered in a slice of fresh mozzarella...not to bad and fun to make. 
       With the use of a kitchen at your hostel the possibilities are endless.  Pasta of course is super cheap but even a little ground meat and bread combined with packets of ketchup or mayo can make a good burger.  Chances are there are tons of spices to add a little extra to your meal in the cupboard at the hostel. Travelers are notorious for leaving these things behind...look and ask around...most of that pasta on the shelf has been there for 3 weeks when someone moved on and left it for someone just like you.
      Shopping at the local grocery store is an adventure in itself.  Eating local cuisine does not mean spending 15 Euro at a restaurant.  Those items you're looking at in the store are what locals eat at home and those people you are shopping with...well, they are the locals you're traveling to engage.  Also, don't forget about the on the go treats that the local store has sitting under the warmer.  Many shops big and small have some sort of treat warming on a rack like you would see at a 7 Eleven back home.  They're cheap and already cooked.  If you can keep your food costs down to around 15 US dollars a day (about 10 euros as of 2008) then your saving about 20-25 USD that you would have spent eating out.

2. Get off your butt:

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