My tribute has been experiencing a ton of problems lately and everyone wants to charge an arm and a leg to just diagnose it.
I have had everything checked and the battery and alternator are testing fine (by 3 different places)
I am showing codes for o2 sensors and Idle Air Control Valve.

Here is what happens:
First of all, idle is very rough until warmed up. have to keep on the gas to keep from stalling. (I belive this is the IAC)

I have twice been driving down the freeway and had total power failure and had to jump it multiple times just to get it home. Now when driving in town I just lots of power surges, the lights dim, and the battery light flickers and sometimes even stays on. and if it sits more than a couple hours the battery completely dies on me. and now it just sits as I wont put my children in there to get stranded anymore.

What should I start with as to fixing this. I need to do it slowly as funds are very low right now. Thanks for any and all help!

 

I had similar problems as what you are experiencing. What it ended up being was the upper and lower intake gaskets were bad. They really acted up when it was cold out, and smooth out when it warmed up. This is a common problem and maybe this is what is wrong with your tribute. Good luck.

 

^ I agree, intake gaskets and dirty throttle body will cause most of what your describing. The gasket kits are cheap and the replacement is not too difficult if you take your time doing it. I would replace the IAC while you're at it.