There are two kinds of people in this world: those who make money, and those who spend it.

After two years as a Vol and experiencing firsthand what it’s like to live on one’s own, I’ve come to terms with several unavoidable truths about myself: the only things I can “cook” are Cheerios and popcorn; the concept of cleaning confuses me, and I am really, really good at spending money.

Now before I catch too much flak on your end, I think it's only fair to note that of all the cash blown over the course of my college career, the vast majority of it has been my own. Like many a young student who’s found themselves bored and displaced between school years, I made the decision to get a summer job to help cover the dual expenses of college, as well as the costs of living like there’s no tomorrow. 

While some have found themselves straining a smile behind front desks or cash registers, I was introduced to the exciting world of moving, experiencing firsthand the exhaustion and all too real back pain that comes with carrying furniture twice your weight. Without boring you with the details, I eventually came to own an amount of money that, to my surprise, I could completely call my own. What better way to celebrate it than by getting rid of it as fast as humanly possible?   

Somewhere in between covering fraternity dues and waking up with outrageous bar bills I’ll never remember, my once large pile of cash managed to slim itself down to absolutely nothing; leaving me disillusioned and ready to start my summer job and the get-money-spend-money cycle all over again.     I suppose this would be the part of the article where I provide you the reader with some precious bit of knowledge as to how you can avoid my terrible fate and thus prevent all your hard earned mondey from running away from you, but that’s not what I’m going to do. I could tell you all the things you don’t want to hear (Eat out less, watch your spending, don't party so much) but in the end, you’re going to do exactly what you want and the only person who’ll be held accountable is you.   

Keeping that in mind, the only truth that can be garnered from living excessively can be summed up like this; life is short, and college is even shorter. The years spent as a Tennessee Vol may not be the high point of your life, but they will most certainly be the wildest. It’s a time when the gap between responsibility and freedom is at its peak and the memorable stories of the stupid things you did with your friends are made to last forever. I’m not encouraging anyone to be stupid with their lives, their money, or god forbid their education, but I do ask that you never forget how young you are, and that for the briefest of moments, the money you spend might just be a bit less important than the memories you make.