Being broke pays off
Poor: having little or no money, goods or other means of support.
If I describe myself in one word right now, poor would definitely be it.
Rent, gas, groceries, books, necessities, electricity bill, cable/Internet bill...somebody please stop me.
I thought that with having three jobs and all, money wouldn’t be so much of an issue this year. Big surprise, I was wrong.
So, not only do I not have any free time but I also have nothing to show for it.
If that’s not enough, let’s just go ahead and make things worse by throwing in more than $1,000 in car bills.
Yes, you read that number correctly; I have to put that much money into my car in the next two months.
I’m not very skilled at knowing the details of how a car runs. I know how to check my oil and the tire pressure and how to add washer fluid.
My car is broken, and all I know is coolant is leaking from somewhere and it’s going to cost $600 to fix. I was also told I need to get new brake pads soon.
I know this stuff just happens sometimes, but considering both my radiator and alternator already went on the fritz this summer, I think my car has put me through enough.
My amazing driving skills also got me in a car accident this summer, and it’s going to cost $500 to fix as well. So we can just slap that one onto my list of things to pay for.
College students are usually notorious for being broke, but this is ridiculous.
Now would be a good time to win the lottery or start a “help Alissa pay bills” fund, which, by the way, is accepting donations starting immediately.
This cut in available funds has changed quite a few of my usual habits.
Grocery shopping has been reduced to Ramen noodles, Lunchables and those small Totino’s pizzas.
My car, if it actually starts, isn’t allowed to go near a gas station until the gaslight comes on.
Additionally, things like alcohol, junk food and pop are what I’ve come to know as luxuries that may only be purchased for special occasions, which may or may not include weekends.
I even caught myself washing and reusing a Ziploc bag, which is something I always made fun of my mother for doing.
Even though being poor isn’t always the most fun, I think it’s pretty important for all college students to go through.
Yeah sure, it would be awesome to never have money problems, but what would we, as young adults, learn.
My parents are always offering to help me out financially here and there and I appreciate it. But I also appreciate the times when they don’t help me.
How else would I have learned to save my money and separate the wants from needs when walking through Wal-Mart (which is still an art I’m perfecting)?
Part of becoming independent includes struggling from time to time, and someday I’ll look back and be happy for the hardships I went through.