Going to college isn’t easy, and it tends to be especially hard on your bank account. For my first quarter or so at UCLA, I thought I’d figured out how to have fun while saving money. I’d never been a big spender at home, so why would that change even when I was in LA? By the end of the school year, however, I realized that definitely wasn’t the case. Do I have a spending problem, or is it simply the fault of the city and the cost of living in Los Angeles? I can’t seem to decide, but maybe going over what I spent my last week here would help.
Saturday June 7th:Â $9.92 for a Waymo, $14.00 at Layla Bagels, $4.92 at Go Greek
On Saturday, my roommates and I went out on a pre-finals excursion to Beverly Hills. We went on a study crawl and (of course) had to treat ourselves to our favorite spots to eat before the end of the year.
Tuesday June 10th: $10 at European Wax Center
I was in desperate need of some self care, so my roommate and I went to the European Wax Center in Westwood to clean up a bit. Both of us have subscriptions here, so the charge is just for the tip!
Thursday June 11th: $14.87 at Gogobop
My friends and I had one last meal together before the majority of our group left. I’d never been to Gogobop before, and it definitely lived up to the hype.
Friday June 12th: $60.90 for an Uber to the airport and $110 to check 2 bags
My last day at UCLA! After painstakingly packing for a few hours, I finally took an Uber to LAX and nearly had to pay an extra $200 for overweight luggage. But I managed to move around some serious weight to avoid the fee (I’m very proud of myself).Â
Grand total: $224.61
Finally, while going through these transactions, I realized that there’s a mysterious charge on my account that I can’t remember making. Maybe it was me? All of this to say, regulating spending at college was truly a lot more difficult than I expected. Looking back, this wasn’t actually a terrible spending week, especially since most of the expenses were tied to travel and moving out. But after my first year of college, I’m excited to go back home, earn back everything that I spent, and (hopefully) come back more educated on how to wisely spend my money.