The only thing I miss about high school is the free textbooks given out the first day of class at the beginning of each year. As a college student, that is just not the case. The average college student spends around $500 a semester on textbooks when there are so many more important things that could be bought with that money.
Food.
Yes, food. Because up to your freshman year of college, food was always in the pantry or refrigerator. Not spending money on food is a luxury kids take for granted. Budgeting your money for food will become a habit in college; eating steak for dinner will turn into macaroni and beef hot dogs, enjoy it while you can.
T-shirts.
Dressing up for class in college is about as rare as seeing your bank account over three digits. It just doesn't happen. T-Shirts will not only become your favorite thing, but sometimes hearing about free T-shirt handouts may be the only reason you will go on campus.
Going out clothes.
The biggest struggle all girls have in college is wearing the right outfit to whatever party scene you prefer. How do they expect us to afford a $40 dress when we just spend $100 on a textbook that we will open once the entire semester?
Alcohol.
Sometimes the only way to get through the night is with a little bit of beer or wine, but that costs money too. Money that your parents most likely won't give you because they don't agree with having a drink on a school night. Bar specials are the gods of college students. Two for the price of one?! How could you say no to that?
Gas.
Obviously, on a college campus driving isn't that big of an issue, especially when there are buses that go to campus, or you only live 10 minutes walking distance away. But when your parents guilt trip you into coming home for the weekend because it's your great aunt's birthday party, it's hard to say no. Then, when you ask them for gas money they tell you to get a job and you're back to asking for rides because gas isn't cheap, and neither are textbooks.
Rent.
Living in an apartment or house is not cheap. You work all summer so that you can afford to live on your own and then bam, you have a $500 textbook bill and there goes next month's rent, the leasing office doesn't understand that though, so you have to basically skip having fun for the next month just so you don't get evicted.
