I hear it all the time, “Student loans are killing me,” “College should be cheaper,” blah blah blah. The reason we all think this way is because we feel we are entitled to the same cushy lifestyle we had back at home with our folks. At home, our parents took us out for dinner, we went to bars with our friends, we bought Xbox games and we got our nails done. That was all super fun, but now it’s time to get serious.
How many of us got our student loan refunds and within a minute turned around and got some sweet gadget off Amazon, bought a bottle of top shelf liquor, or got a gorgeous new sweater from Macy’s? Probably too many. This money is money you will have to pay back! These are loans!
Here is what you should do: pay your rent, your sorority dues, buy some lunch meat, some ramen, and put at least 40% of your loan refund in a savings account for when you really need it. Create a weekly budget for the rest of the semester, live and die by this budget, then embrace your new identity as a poor college student. Use your paycheck from The Rock to get a $4 pitcher at FAC.
It’s high time we start acting like responsible adults. We are so fortunate to have these loans available to us and I constantly see people throw them away. Look further than your next $8 Wendy’s meal.
Save so when you’re living with six roommates in Kansas City, working your first serious job, you can afford to fix your air conditioner in July.