This article is dedicated to the freshmen who come into college with about $6,000 saved up from the Summer and then managing to get their balance down to -$35 by Thanksgiving Break. Here are 5 tips from your friendly neighborhood Californian on how to avoid this fatal mistake and avoid the path I once took.
1. Limit alcohol spending and consumption.
Freshmen year is all about pushing beyond your limits and discovering yourself. Sometimes these limits involve pushing your physiological limits such as the filtration rate and living chances of your liver. However, pushing yourself on Wednesdays, Friday, and Saturday, all day, right before class, every week, is one of the leading causes of bank negativity. I highly suggest drinking and going out should be limited to special occasions. This allows you to keep your tolerance at a reasonable level and in addition, you won't find yourself spending up to $100 at the bar or liquor store out of the bank per night just to get a decent buzz.
2. Use your Dining Dollars if you are trying to avoid Brandeis.
Yes, we all know Brandeis will make you discover that your bowels are able to make movement and sounds that you never thought possible. However, luckily enough the other food services on campus aren't too bad to make you question if a trip to the ER is really necessary. You're probably thinking, "Why not just grab fast food off campus?" or a really popular thought, "How about we grab Cane's?" Yes, they are all popular choices of fast food. And sure grabbing food outside won't kill your wallet if it's only once in awhile. But make sure you keep a weather eye out on recognizing when once-in-awhile doesn't become a full-blown addiction.
3. Avoid being drunk in your room.
The walk back from the Jay is never a boring walk. The festivities that occur afterward may even be better. However, if the festivity continues, avoid letting the festivity come to your room especially if you're absolutely gone. I will explain how this saves money in a little bit. By being full-blown gone in your own room, the possibility of you breaking something in your room, or getting a knock from the friendly neighborhood RA increases. Breaking something and having the RA come over just result in unnecessary fines.
4. Avoid online deal shopping.
Yes. There are places out there that sell cheap clones of GoPros or really nice watches for like $10. Again, just like with grabbing food outside, every now and then doesn't hurt. As soon as you realize you've been getting packages for the past 2 weeks every day, that is the point you have a problem. Also, the most important question you must ask yourself with any shopping, in general, is, "Do I need this? And will it make a difference in my day-to-day life if I don't have this?" If you answer no to any of these, you may have to reconsider hitting that "process order now" button sitting underneath your thumb on your iPhone.
5. Practice responsible money management.
No, I am not telling you to hire someone to aid you in filing taxes. What I am telling you is always have an idea of how much money you have in the bank, have an idea of how much you're going to spend, and don't spend more than what you intend. Nothing hurts more than seeing a bank statement telling you that you have less money than what you thought you had. It is a harsher feeling than breaking up with your long-distance sweetheart of 3 weeks who lives all the way on the west coast.
Remember college kids, being broke leads to not having fun, no fun leads to misery. Avoid being broke everyone!
