Should we keep her?

Question
Hi how are you? My girlfriend and I are in desperate need of some advice from someone who is knowledgeable with cats. I am really sorry about the length of this. I just feel like I need to put everything out there in order for a strong piece of advice.  Here is the situation: My girlfriend and I moved into a duplex together back in mid-June. We moved to a completely different state because she had been accepted into a good college so we decided to move away from family and be on our own. Both of us had to quit our jobs and start from scratch when we moved. I am 24 years old and she is 21 and well on her way to finishing her degree. Anyway, we had talked about getting a kitten when we moved in. After one week of living together, we noticed an ad for a free kitten about 2 hours away from our duplex. We decided to travel up and look at the kitten. She was a 6-week old Maine Coon. We fell in love with her and decided to take her.  (Little did we know the nature of a Maine Coon!) We named her Daisy. The first couple of days went well. Daisy was still shy and scared and getting used to our place. We had some minor problems from the beginning with her as far as bedtime. We let her in our bedroom the very first night and she messed on the bed. She did sleep with us all night. However, the preceeding nights after weren't as smooth. Once she got comfortable with us, she would try keeping us up all night by playing (playfully attacking our feet under the covers, etc). So after an hour of her doing that, we decided to put her outside the bedroom door. She cried all night long. Her crying progressively became louder and louder as time went by so we eventually had to leave her downstairs and block the stairs so that she couldnt be heard. Sleep is essential to me and I have had prior sleeping problems.
  Anyway, a few months went by and my girlfriend and I had had some arguments and disagreements about Daisy. It ranged from the whole bedtime routine to Daisy messing on the floor here and there to her just being a little wild and out of control. We had soon learned from a few different people that Maine Coon cats are wild and known for their outside nature. We keep her inside at all times because we didn't like the idea of her becoming an outside cat. Everytime we come home and open the door, she tries running outside. We had almost lost her a few times because she snuck out and ran about 20 yards up the street with no intentions of looking back!
  My girlfriend and I then realized that we honestly did not know what we were in for. We basically just rushed into getting a kitten without thinking of the side effects. We love her to death and provide her with plenty of affection when we are home. However, we are young and we do go out alot. My job is 8-5 Monday-Friday and my girlfriend works part time and attends college full time. She has alot of homework that needs to be done. We also go back to our hometown on most Saturdays and leave Daisy by herself all day. The drive is about an hour and a half each way and we usually don't get back home until midnight. We've had her for a little over 3 months and just recently we have seriously thought about giving her to a good home.
  A big reason for our recent idea is because of financial reasons. Daisy is over 5 months old now and we have recently noticed her going into heat. We also decided that we were going to get her de-clawed also. Most of the vets recommend having both the surgeries at once so they will be over and done with. The cost is going to be close to $250 dollars which we seriosuly do not have at this time. We also feel as if Daisy deserves to be outside because of her nature. We feel like we're depriving her of that. We need to make a decision before we follow through with any of the surgeries. A woman at my work is interested in taking Daisy if we were serious about giving her up. The woman said that she is an animal lover and that she would allow Daisy to be an outside cat. She told me that she would only take her if we didn't have her de-clawed. Another reason for our thoughts is that we are attending a wedding in a month and it requires us having to drive back to our hometown and stay overnight in a hotel. We don't feel that it is right to keep Daisy overnight by herself.
  Now that you understand the dilemma we are in, we would appreciate it greatly if you could give us some sort of input and advice. As much as it would break our hearts to give Daisy up, we feel like in the end, it would be the right thing to do. We are generally a busy couple who are doing everything to build a good future. We feel like we made a mistake in getting a kitten without any thought about the cons. We are definitely attached to Daisy. We don't want to have to give her up but we just want what's best for her and for our relationship. Thank you very much.
                        Paul

Answer
Hi Paul!  I completely understand your worries!  I have a few points to make about this...
First...what you heard about Maine coons is not true at all.  I grew up with them, work with them everyday and my mom currently has 2 maine coons.  What you have and are experiencing is the wonderful world of kittenhood!  She will calm down considerably after being spayed and her want for the outdoors will diminish as she will not be desperate to find a mate.
Has she been to a veterinarian?  Eliminating outside the litterbox is definitely not normal.  A cat that eliminates outside the litterbox may have a health problem like a urinary tract infection or intestinal parasites, which are both very common ailments.  You may want to have your veterinarian give her a "well-ness" checkup.  
No cat needs to be outdoors.  They can be killed by other animals, hit by cars, or in constant fights with other outdoor cats.  I have 5 cats (soon to be 6) that are all indoors.  They have all been rescued and most had been living outdoors.  A cat will become accustomed to any living situation and are much more safe and happy indoors.  Her need right now to bolt out the door is #1..she's in heat and is looking for a mate, and #2...curiosity (that old saying "curiosity killed the cat" tends to be true!)
Here's another point...no pet is more perfect for a busy person than a cat.  Although cats LOVE human affection and human companionship, they are very independant and can manage being alone just fine. I would absolutely not stress at all to leave Daisy alone overnight and all day or for even a whole weekend, as long as there is enough water and food to accomidate her.  
Now, for the vet expenses...I know how expensive it can be.  Out of all my cats, non are declawed.  I tend to think that declawing is cruel, as it is literally like amputating a human finger at the first knuckle.  Instead of worrying about declawing right off the bat, why not clip her claws?  I clip all of my cats claws every 2 weeks.  They don't scratch and don't ruin furniture. It's a wonderful alternative to declawing.  Maybe getting her spayed first, and then seeing how the whole claw thing goes would make it more financially comfortable for you?  I can tell you that by 9 months of age, most cats become very gentle and aware of their claws and don't scratch like a kitten does.
You seem to really love her alot and I would hate for you both to have to part with a pet you love so much.  I hope this information has helped.  Whatever decision you decide to make will be the right decision for you all.  Maine Coons grow to be big, fluffy lap cats who are very, very calm and affectionate.  Daisy will become this once she is spayed and out of the "kitten stage."  I hope this helps.  I am a huge cat lover and volunteer for many rescues.  I know very much about cats so if you have any other questions at all that I missed or that you have thought of, please don't hesitate to write back to me.  I wish you both the best of luck and please keep me posted.
Hilary