Money In My Pocket

The Cost of Friendship

As we all return to campus for another semester, the cost of this experience is really getting to me. It seems that the traditional method to get together after a summer break apart is going to lunch, dinner, coffee, ice cream, etc. I have found that this must happen individually for each close friend so that we can spend quality time together catching up on the events of the summer. Well, now I am beginning to rethink this back to school ritual. Why is it that we have to fork out hefty sums of money to spend time together? Granted, it is harder for me to go with the less expensive route—to be a hostess for the evening—because I am living on campus again this year. But yet even my friends with houses and apartments still choose to go somewhere else to meet up. Maybe it is because everyone is still moving in and really wants to get out or has no room to fit another person inside their place with all of the boxes and things strewn everywhere. Or maybe we just never thought of an alternative of blowing all the money we earned during the summer during the first few days back on campus.

Road Trips

With football season approaching, I am faced with the option of road tripping to away games. Road trips are a defining experience of all collegiate careers. Anything can happen during a road trip and they are filled with excitement at every turn. I have already created several memories formed during my previous road trips, friends piled in small car, eating free condiments at restaurants, dreadfully smelly socks, coasting into a gas station on empty, late night drives, getting lost off the extent of our map, etc. All these wonderful memories entice me back to the road.

 

Now I have to weigh the costs. The obvious one of transportation is larger than ever with current gas prices. Hotels can be avoided by using friends’ houses or campgrounds. Food costs can be greatly minimized by the use of planned meals from coolers and discount venues. The not so apparent costs are fatigue and academic deviation. A weekend of driving, cheering, and lack of sleep can take a toll on the rest of the academic week. College is founded on education and extracurricular activities should not detract from the all-important diploma goal. All things considered, college is remembered by the whole experience and there should be a balance of fun and studies. Therefore, I will only make one or two road trips this semester.

Purchasing Books

This is a time of year that I hate- the time to buy textbooks. Just as I have sell-back woes, I also have purchasing problems. It seems that every class I register for have the most expensive books in the department. My major does not help either. History majors are notorious for breaking the bank every time we pick up the required books listed on the syllabi. In the past I have been able to borrow books from some of my friends, but not this year. I looked up the books I would need and the prices at several locations in town and online and made my choices of where to go. But nothing ever works totally according to plan. In my hopes of finding inexpensive books, I went ahead and bought all the ones listed as requirements by my professors on the website. This was a mistake, because I just got an email from one of my professors saying that one of the books I ordered offline was optional. I now have to take the return shipping charge out of my refund. Only lost money there. Also, one of the bookstores I went to sold me the wrong book for one of my classes, so I have to worry about waiting in the impossibly long line to return it in hopes of getting the full refund promised. It seems like I can never win in the textbook game. Well at least I will only have to buy books once more during my undergraduate career!

Painting

As I have told you recently, I moved out of an apartment and into a new residence. I did not particularly like the color of my room. It was slightly antiquated and a depressing shade of white. So, I decided to paint it. I ran to the store and picked out a new color that pleased my ocular senses. My room required about two galloons and quite a few man hours. At the sight of my home improvement project, I requested the help of a couple friends. They willing agreed, because I had done the same thing for them in their new rooms. I was even able to borrow their paint brushes, drop clothes, and painters’ tape. In the end it was a fun activity for “male bonding,” and we all painted our rooms for fairly cheap. In appreciation for my friends’ help, I threw a couple burgers on the grill for them.

Living At Home

For those approximately two weeks that I did not have somewhere to be, I lived at home to save money. Many of my friends choose to continue to live on campus during the summer or move away and get a job. Because I lived at home, I could do a free load of laundry, not have to pay utilities, cable, and internet. I could even eat for free. Because I did not work this summer, it was really important to me to save up as much money as possible. It also is good to stay at home, because sometimes when you go to the store with your mom or dad, you can put a few items you need in the basket and they are willing to buy them for you. Since I lived at home and did not work, I also did not have to spend as much money on gas. I could even catch rides with my mom, dad, or sister if they were going somewhere I needed to go too. This stay did not come completely free, though. As always, summer is a great time to do some work in the house, so even if I was home for just a few days, I had to pitch in. This summer we repainted a room, and I had a major part in making sure it got done. I pitched in on my old chores and really tried to help out whenever I could, but it was also good to just sit on the couch and watch an episode of The Office with my sister. Who knows what next summer will bring, but for this summer, the short time I spent at home was a good deal.

Represent

An exciting opportunity landed in the lap of the fraternity. One of the brothers works for a real estate management company. This management company wanted to get their name out to the new freshmen moving into the dorms. The company promised to make a donation in the fraternity’s name if we volunteered man hours by helping freshmen move into the dorms. We offered a free moving service by carrying the overly packed boxes of the googled eyed freshmen up the stairs. In return we requested a mailing address for the management’s database. When the proper time arises, the freshmen will receive information about off-campus housing for next year. It was slightly embarrassing wearing a team-oriented, fluorescent colored shirt with a jumbo real estate logo branded on the front and back, but it was another brilliant business ploy by the management company. I appreciated the fact that we were allowed to keep the tips.

What if…

I also needed to think pessimistically for a bit while planning my trip to Washington, D.C.  I came up with worst-case scenarios in order to prepare for them. I made sure that my parents had all of my contact information for the time I would be up there. I gave them the contact numbers for the people in charge of where I was to be living, the university campus I would be staying on, and my work numbers. But there is another thing that everyone should think about when traveling whether it is for just a weekend or for an extended period of time like I am—what if something happened to my wallet? It is so scary to think about, but it does happen so it is better to be prepared in advance than let it surprise you. In order to prepare I hid a bit of my money in my suitcase as I was traveling because if something happened to my purse or wallet when I was in the airport, I knew that when I got my luggage I would at least have something. I also hid some of my money in my room when I got there so, again, if something happened, they would not have everything. Another important thing to think about is what you keep in your wallet, specifically the cards you carry around. I decided to take only the essentials—two forms of ID (my license and school ID), my debit card, and my credit card. Just in case something happened to them, I wrote down both my card numbers and the number to call if they needed to be cancelled and gave them to my mom so I could call her if something happened. Thankfully, because I have a student account, it has protection for purchases or withdrawals that I do not make when my card is stolen, so I did not have to worry about that. I also wrote down my license number and the number to call if it is lost or stolen. Further, I do not have my social security number on, and I hope that because of that it might be just a little easier to protect myself from having my identity stolen if my license is stolen. I also did not bring my checkbook because I figured that there was nothing I could need to write a check for that I could not use either cash or a card instead.

Because of all this preparation, I feel at least a little better about what I can do if the worst happens.

Orientation

Last week, I volunteered to help with a freshmen orientation program before their classes begun. I had gone through the same program when I began school, and now felt compelled to give back to the same program. The benefits for the freshmen were to help them get connected and show them the sights on campus. I was able to tell the about the steals and deals on campus. What to spend and where to spend it. We showed them the good restaurants and past time areas. I even told a couple of the guys the hot spots for dates. Besides achieving the warm fuzzy feeling for doing good deeds, I also received free breakfast and lunches because the program included these two meals. The cost was assessed to the students in the registration fee. At the end of the week, I was exhausted from the young energy of the freshmen. I desperately needed a weekend to recover from the camp counselor effort.

Cash

Thirdly, I knew I needed cash in my wallet to pay for everything from lunch to a cab ride, so I had to withdraw all that I thought I would need from my account before leaving town. I know it is not safe or practical to carry around a lot of cash, so I got as little as I thought I could without being pressed. Because of this, I resolved to use my debit card or credit card for even the smallest purchases. If there was an opportunity to use my card, I would, so I could have cash for the times when only cash is accepted. I think I will even be able to make it through my time here with some still left over, though I am projecting $20 or less right now- just enough to get me something at the airport if I need it. Another reason I brought cash with me is that I did not want to incur withdrawal fees from using other banks’ ATM machines. Though it is usually only three dollars per withdrawal, that money can really add up. As I have been up here, I have really learned the benefit of this decision I made in advance. A lot of my friends here are using a lot of cash to pay for things when they could use their debit or credit card, and thus need to withdraw money from their account several times a week. They check their accounts online regularly, and each time they do, the large amount of fees they are accumulating is the topic of conversation that day. I am glad that I do not have to contend with this.

More about my preparations in my next entry.

Credit Card

I have never had a credit card before. I have just relied on my debit card, which works just like a credit card, but as I am approaching my senior year, I know that I need to establish credit. I also see how it may be dangerous to rely only on my debit card when I am in Washington, D.C., because I might take all of the money out of my account, and without any way to immediately put more money in, a credit card might be nice. With the student account I have at my local bank, they have just started an option for students to have a low-limit credit card to use. This will help me establish credit, but it also is set up to work as a safety net. If I ever write a check for more than I have in my checking account or withdraw too much, it puts the balance on the credit card so I will incur no penalties. Though I never plan on doing that, it is good to know I have it just in case. Because the card is attached to a student account it has an astronomical interest rate, and though I will not get into the lecture now (I know I will be posting later about getting a more permanent credit card when it gets closer to the time when my student account will expire with my graduation), I will never spend more than I know I can pay off, so that is not a problem. Having a credit card to use will also help me because the bill will come after I have made the purchases so maybe I can use my check from the job to pay it off.

As I mentioned above, I am sure I will have more on the credit card search in a post later this school year.

More about my preparations in my next entry.