Money In My Pocket

Summer Plans

Since applying to law school, many people have been giving me advice—whether they graduated from law school or not.  One of the best pieces of advice I have gotten, though, is to do nothing before entering the first year of law school.  Since getting out of school for summer, I have been living at home, saving the money I could spend living in an apartment and buying my own food.  Sure I will go out to dinner some with friends at home, but it will be nothing compared to what I would spend living on my own this summer.  That said, I have created a list of things I want to do this summer because for the next three years I will do nothing but study and work.  I have many books and magazines I want to read that I already own, so that won’t cost me anything.  The part where I will spend a lot of money is all the movies I have missed out on that I will have to rent or buy.  I guess all that money I am saving will go right back out.  Finally, I will not be working this summer, only volunteering my time at a local non-profit I like a lot, so I will have no income to offset all those movie rentals.  I’ll figure out something I am sure.  I’ll let you know when I do.

Man's Best Friend

Many friends have contemplated the adventurous thought of adding a canine companion to their life. Do I need to expand upon the joys of playing with a pup or just having that guaranteed friend no matter what? Most nix the idea after realizing their hectic and busy collegiate lifestyle. Others have the tenacity or stupidity to adopt a pet that probably requires more attention, care, training, and upkeep than the most demanding girlfriends. Ironically, some guys father a puppy in hopes of attracting a girlfriend. Either route, these friends have their hands full.

I am only one of those guys who have toyed with the idea of a dog. I have a short list of breeds that I am interested in, but have not dared to take the next step in the process. I have opted to wait until after graduation. That would be fairer to me and my new best friend. A wide-range of considerations needs to be meticulously thought through. The largest one continuously rang from my parents at age five when I asked for my first dog: responsibility. That encompasses expensive vet trips, toys, food, and any inflicted damage on property by young puppy teeth. Also, the required time to love, train, walk, and clean a pet. After graduation, a thicker pocket filled with time and money will guarantee a more enjoyable lifestyle with my dream dog.

School’s Over…For Now

I have finished my undergraduate career—my papers are in, my exams are completed and I am free.  Well at least for a while.  It feels great not having to do much of anything, and I will be living with my parents for about a month, so I will be saving money in the process.  I saved the big bucks, though, when I decided not to participate in the graduation ceremonies at my school.  I did not do it for financial reasons at all, but as I found out, it helped in that regard too.  All graduates have to pay for their diploma, but if you walk, you have to pay for cap and gown, honor chords, pictures, family in town, and so much more.  I did not want to participate because it takes so long to do nothing but walk across the stage, shake the president’s hand and walk right back off, taking no more than a minute tops.  It just seems like a waste to me, but I estimate I saved over $100 not doing all of that.  Great way to kick off the summer with more money to do fun things.

Banking Hours

For the last week of work, I was required to update the incoming co-op who replaced me for the summer. Today he happened to call about a few questions and mentioned this very interesting tid bit of knowledge; the idea of banking holiday hours for later use. He opted to work during Memorial Day and did not take his holiday hourly pay. He can use these hours at a later date just like vacation hours. Since co-ops do not receive vacation time this is quite a smart move. There is always a way around the system, and I am quite jealous that I did not think of this ingenious plan. I could have possibly extended my work term worked Memorial Day also and received these free hours because of the amazing men and women who have served our Nation. But I enjoyed the well-earned day like many of you did with your families.

Moving Out-I did it!

I did it!  I moved myself out again this year.  I did not have to pay for a storage unit or even get my parents to make the trek up to help.  I even helped a friend pack her car and still found time to volunteer one last time with an organization I was a part of this year.  I guess the real cost of moving out for me is time.  I spent a lot of my time this week when I was not studying for or taking exams getting my things together, taking loads out to the car, and arranging everything so I could fit as much as I could into a relatively small space.  This meant that it took me longer than others to move out, but it felt pretty satisfying to be self-sufficient enough to do it all myself—even the heavy lifting (well, not really heavy I guess).  I know there is no way I will be able to move myself in for law school in my first apartment, but for now it feels good to do it alone and save some money in the process.

Calling In Reinforcements

Last paycheck is in my pocket. A moving truck is at the door. Packed boxes scattered throughout the apartment. Freshly clean dishes for the first time in the dish washer. And dirty floors, sinks, tub, carpet, and refrigerator. Cleaning is definitely not my forte. So who am I going to call? Not the ghost busters but my mother and sister. The two greatest ladies of my life came in the clutch for my final move and restoring my apartment to the pristine condition which is required by the lease and not my normal living conditions. Both helped move out the couch, bed, tables, boxes and clothes like champs.

Then my least favorite activity came into play: cleaning. Mom was a little aggravated to find the vacuum in the same box she sent it in. You would be surprised how much more enjoyable cleaning can become with music and company. (If only I could find a way to incorporate it into a date, just kidding.) My game plan is to drop off what I can with my parents at their house while recovering for a day or two. Then move into a semi furnished apartment on campus for the summer. Luckily I was able to find a sublease for the summer from a co-op who will be working this summer. It sure is nice to find somebody on the opposite schedule of me.

A Business Man's Game

Everyday at work I learned something new. One of the largest lessons is how to interact with people and still obtain the desired results. Day to day activities are easy to complete. Although, my boss believes the larger items, i.e. contracts, new jobs, etc., can be accomplished during leisure sports. Anybody will agree that more work is conceived on the golf course than in the conference room.

My boss loves golf, fishing, sporting clays, and skeet shooting. I do not know which one he loves more either his love of the sport or the business interaction. I consider myself athletic, but golf is one sport I have not attempted. My boss wants to give me his spare set of clubs, so I can attempt the sport this summer. That way we can hit the course one afternoon next fall when I return for the next semester of work. Hopefully, there will be enough spare time between my classes this summer to practice. I know at other schools, you can earn actual elective hours with a golf sports class. Additionally, various business schools offer classes in golf etiquette and how to strike deals on the greens. (Pun intended) I’ll have to check into some sort of transfer credit from other schools. Right now I know an 18 hole round would result in an extra long Easter egg hunt.

 

Exam Week Comfort Foods

During exam week the dining hall where I regularly eat serves really unhealthy food I suppose as a comfort during exam week.  They have more limited choices, because many students leave when they have finished all their exams, meaning less students eating there as the week progresses.  I do not usually like to eat this kind of food, but considering that I don’t really have many choices, and study time is at a premium, I am forced to consume it.  They serve things like burgers and fries, fried chicken fingers and tater tots, burritos, fried chicken sandwiches, and more of the like.  Have they found that over the years students enjoy eating these types of foods while preparing for exams?  I would think that students who eat healthy foods have an easier time preparing for exams because of all the vitamins or whatever, but I guess the comfort foods have always helped too.  I just feel guilty eating all this then doing nothing but sit in a desk studying instead of working all those excess calories off.  But I suppose I should not complain.  It is my last week to use my meal plan and I might as well use what I paid for.

Moving Out

It is time to start thinking about moving out.  With final exams coming up I really need to start packing some stuff up because I have exams up until the last possible day.  I have always moved myself out, and this year will be no exception.  It will take two trips in my car to get everything home, but it is just so much easier to do it myself than have my parents come to help me as I see others do.  I would rather organize and pack everything my own way than have my parents or friends help do it and never be able to find my stuff again.  In years past, several of my friends have rented storage units for the summer to leave their stuff in town before going home or beginning internships.  This year, many of my friends will be graduating and will need to get rid of the units, which means renting a large vehicle to move out or getting many people to help them.  I am a pretty good car packer, so I think moving out all alone this year will be possible, though it takes up a good amount of time and effort.

Restaurant Let Down

There is a new restaurant in town and everyone is trying it.  I have had only raving reviews, so a group of us went the other day.  Lunch is not their traditional busy time, so that is when we decided to go because we did not want to have to deal with the crowds and wait that comes with it.  The place looks nice, but the food I ordered was bad in my opinion.  I was really disappointed.  I guess it was more that I was expecting something really good from what everyone told me versus me just trying and deciding for myself without prior knowledge.  The worst part is the meal was not inexpensive.  I really hate wasting money on a meal that I don’t eat much of because I don’t enjoy it.  Lesson learned I guess.