You know the situation: you're out somewhere, you grab all the stuff you want, and then you check your bank account, realizing that you either don't have any money on you or your bank account consists of about forty-one cents.
SO you beg your friend to pay for the stuff you want, promising that you'll pay them back later. A question I hear often at the conclusion of this scenario is something along the lines of, "You got a Venmo?".
As we all know, as college students, Venmo is one of the main ways that we exchange currency between friends, coworkers, and even occasionally strangers. Amounts can range from one dollar to fifty or more depending on the situation. It is perhaps one of the most useful tools of our generation. I know it has a very special place in my heart. Here are 5 things that college students most often Venmo each other for.
1. Alcohol.
We all have that friend. The one that's over twenty-one. The second you hear anything about a liquor store run, you're on top of it and throw down twenty or thirty dollars so they can get you something. If you don't have any cash, Venmo is your BFF. And if you're the friend over twenty-one, you get that money sent directly to your bank account AND you get to keep the change. Everyone's a winner.
2. Uber.
When you are sharing an uber with a buddy or two, unfortunately, the payment can only come from one source at a time. Tne most generous friend coughs up the money so you can get your drunk, stranded butts home. By the next morning, you graciously return your share of the cost via Venmo. Thank goodness for that.
3. Food.
Friends that offer to pay for your food are the best friends. Even better friends don't ask for you to pay them back. However, being the broke college students that we are, every single penny counts. I'll offer to pay for your food now without hesitation. but I'll definitely expect that ten dollars to be chilling in my bank account by sometime tomorrow.
4. Coffee.
College makes us angsty adults that stay up late at night and don't get enough sleep ever. The solution? The bitter adrenaline that comes from our morning coffee. Sometimes, making a trip to the dining hall just for coffee isn't ideal, or sometimes, dining hall coffee isn't quite strong enough. Friends that pay for the reason you wake up in the morning are the ones you should keep around -- and probably pay them back so they'll keep it up.
5. To make up for a bad night.
You know the ones. You get comfy in your pajamas and are ready for a Netflix night when your friend invites you to go out. You really, REALLY don't want to, but they keep insisting that you'll have fun and that it's worth it. Eventually caving, you put on your party clothes and go out, only to experience the WORST. NIGHT. EVER. Nothing goes right and at the very worst, you come home tired, sweaty, and sober. When you wake up the next morning, you send a dollar or two as an apology, and you swear it'll never happen again.... until next week.