After the cap and gown are tucked away and graduation photos are successfully posted, you are left with a pile of cash. How many times in your life will you just be handed money? Speaking from experience, it’s pretty awesome, but also overwhelming. Obviously you want to buy something, but the real question is, “What in the world will I do with this money?”
A Camera
Going into the next stage of your life is bound to be full of adventures, so invest in something you can take with you on all of your adventures to capture your favorite memories. I recently purchased an older model of the Canon Rebel from the Canon website. I got a great deal on the camera and two lenses by shopping the refurbished section. Make the most of your money by waiting for the best deals and pouncing on them when they come along.
Your Favorite Game
What is your favorite game to play with your family now? Having your own copy of this favorite game seems like the perfect thing to whip out with your hall mates on a lazy day and make new friends while playing a game you love. My favorite game just so happens to be Settlers of Catan. With a hefty price tag, Catan isn’t a game I would buy just any day. However, it was on the short list of things I wanted to buy for college, so this is the perfect thing to spend graduation money on. If you decide you want to buy Settlers of Catan, keep in mind the different expansion packs, including the 5-6 person expansion pack, to play with more people.
An Updated Wardrobe
Obviously you aren’t going to be able to completely replace your wardrobe, but buying a cute trendy tops, a new pair of jeans, or a comfy yet stylish pair of sandals is never a bad option. Get rid of some of the items in your closet you just don’t love anymore and use some of your graduation money to buy items you do.
A Nice Water Bottle
Drinking water is essential, and buying plastic water bottles all the time isn’t the most eco-friendly thing to do, not to mention it’s hard on your wallet. Buying just five cases of water bottles will be the same price as a nice water bottle (like a Nalgene or even a Hydroflask), so making the investment up front will really pay off in the end. Personally, when I have a water bottle filled with to the brim with ice cubes and cold water, I tend to drink more water. There are seemingly countless benefits of drinking water, and I’m sure we could all use a little more H₂0 in our lives.
Dorm Necessities
Anything from a single-serve blender to an electric blanket, and everything in between, are necessities that should not be overlooked. Let’s just brainstorm for a moment (aka me making my packing list for my dorm): a foam pad for mattress, a cute bed spread, decorations, cute lights, printed photos, a shower curtain, an extra long charging cable, a laundry bag, sheets, cute pajamas… The list goes on and on. Taking the time to buy a few of these things now will save you from fighting the crowds later when everyone is buying their dorm necessities a week before move-in day.
A Travel Fund
A travel fund is the best way to ensure that, at some point, you will travel. Whether it’s a road trip to the other side of the state or a flight to the other end of the world, traveling is the best way to broaden perspectives and truly experience the world and all the wonder it has to offer. Taking some of your money and setting it aside for traveling at a later time is not something you will regret, especially when you’re back home looking through the photos you took from your trip and thinking, “I am so glad I did that.”
A Savings Account
Along the same lines as the travel fund, I highly doubt you’ll wish you would have spent money instead of saving it. Of course, it is absolutely okay to buy some things with your graduation money, that’s the fun of it! But there will come a time when you want to buy something you’ve been saving up for for a long time, or need to pay off the last of your student loans, or even put a down payment on a house, and having a sum of money in your savings account will be a wonderful thing at that time. In order to have a lot of money in that account, it is crucial that you take the first step and actually save. Maybe it’s $10, maybe it’s $1,000. The most important thing is that you save.
Make a list of the things you’d like to buy (or save for) and note your top priorities. Watching deals, checking multiple sites and stores, and making sure you found the best deal for whatever it is you are buying can end up saving you loads of money and leave you with even more to use for something else. Take the time to write thank you cards to those who gave you your gifts, as a little card can go a long way!
What are you going to buy or save for with your graduation money? Let me know in the comments below!
