What should I do about securing an idea if I don't have the money?

Unfortunately a patent costs money and attorneys don't work for free. Possibly you can get an attorney to do it if you draw up a contract stating some arrangement to pay them later or on a payment plan or even perhaps for an interest in your company. Good Luck!

Unfortunately - patents are VERY expensive - and under the new US Patent Law - filing "first" is of utmost importance. Search the US Patent Office website for similar ideas - www.uspto.gov. If you find one - use that as a template to prepare your own Patent Application. You can then file, perhaps as a "micro-entity" to save on patent office fees. Check with a local Law School to see if they have an inventor assistance clinic.

Go to your public library and look for books and other materials on patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and/or copyright. Those will give you and idea of how to protect your idea and how to bring your idea to market. There may also be free or reduced-price entrepreneurial classes or advisory bodies at your local community or state college. Also check out groups like SCORE who provide business advice to start-up companies. And the web is a great place to do basic research, with the caveat that not everything you see will be true or accurate.