We can all recall that time between graduating high school and beginning our freshman year of college. For many people, myself included, going to college meant a chance to finally escape that small town that we called home. The summer began to come to a close, and we could hardly contain our excitement to finally start our new adventure. College began, classes and homework took over our lives, and we made new friends and experienced many memories with them. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, right? While most of my newfound classmates opted to go back to their hometowns for the summer, I've decided to stay in my cozy college town, much to my parents' disdain.
It is bittersweet not going back to that boring little town I used to call home. I have the actual freedom to do as I please, and I am no longer limited by what little my small town had to offer, but I miss the comfort being around my old friends and family brought. I've found a job waiting tables at the highest end restaurant in town, and, slowly but surely, I've started to make ends meet and pay my rent. The greatest part about living on my own? I am free. I am free to make my own decisions. I am free to spend the money that I have earned on whatever I felt like, even though most of it goes towards paying for rent and food.
College tends to create a false sense of "being free". It may be true that we are free to do whatever we want, however, the anxiety and stress caused by attempting to balance homework, practicing, a social life, a healthy diet, a halfway decent sleep schedule, and thousands of other factors often lead to our decisions already being made for us. With meals and a bed provided for us, it can be difficult to actually feel like you are on your own. By choosing to live in my college town over the summer, I made the choice that I will have to provide for myself. I have to stay healthy by buying actual food and drinks, not just going to the drive thru at McDonalds every time I'm hungry. I have to make sure I pay electric bills, wifi bills, and water bills, to establish that I have a comfortable living space.
At first, I didn't know if I could actually be fiscally responsible enough to save my money and actually make my monthly payments on rent and utilities on time, but that was the best part. I've learned firsthand about paying bills and spending my money wisely. I recall certain tweets and Facebook posts about how high school doesn't prepare you for living, paying bills, and doing taxes. Frankly, I'm very happy that I've learned these valuable skills on my own, because to me, it feels like I am building my own success. I didn't need anyone to "teach" me how to pay rent, or how to save money. I was able to figure it out on my own, and so can you, if you apply yourself.
