...I would love to take one of the defensive pistol courses, but I have to wait until money allows. In the meantime however, What are some good tactics and skills to practice? Can anyone give me some drills and real life scenario things to think about? I want to be able to protect my family to the best of my ability if a situation arises and I know that when in a stressful situation, you fall back on your training so anyone have any advice?...
In reality, there's no good substitute for a qualified instructor watching what you are doing and coaching you based on what he sees. Remember that practice doesn't make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.
Practice also makes permanent. If you keep practicing doing something wrong, you will become an expert at doing it wrong. So some good training shows you what to practice and how to practice it. It thus helps you avoid bad habits which later on can be an awful hassle to try to correct.
I realize that money can be tight and training expensive. If there's an NRA certified instructor in your area offering NRA Personal Protection Inside the Home and Personal Protection Outside the Home classes, taking both classes would be a great way to start, and the cost is often reasonable. They will give you a good grounding in practical marksmanship and gun handling, and they will be a good foundation if you decide you want to go even further. They also go into legal issues around the use of force and both mindset and tactics.
Remember that self defense involves more than just marksmanship.
[1] You will want to know and understand the legal issues -- when the use of lethal force would be legally justified, when it would not be, and how to tell the difference. You will want to understand how to handle the legal aftermath of a violent encounter and how to articulate why, in a particular situation, you decided to take whatever action you did.
[2] You will want to know about levels of alertness and mental preparedness to take action. You will want to understand how to assess situations and make difficult decisions quickly under stress. You will want to know about the various stress induced physiological and psychological effects that you might face during and after a violent encounter.
[3] You will want to develop good practical proficiency with your gun. That includes practical marksmanship, i. e., being able to deploy your gun and get good hits quickly at various distances. It also includes skills such as moving and shooting, use of cover and concealment, reloading quickly, clearing malfunctions, and moving safely with a loaded gun.
The NRA Personal Protection classes only scratch the surface, but they at least touch on these subjects and get you started on the right track. From there, you can go as far as you'd like.
Also, if there's an IDPA or USPSA club in your area, consider participating. IDPA or USPSA competition can help develop basic skills like shooting fast and accurately, shooting from unconventional postures, engaging multiple targets, moving safely with a loaded gun, etc., under the stress of competition.