When I was in high school I worked two jobs. The only money I budgeted was for gas and the rest went to food, clothes and friends. I never felt the need to put money away for a rainy day because in high school, on rainy days I would watch netflix. Fast forward a few months and I am obsessively budgeting my expenses. I don’t have time to maintain a job with classes and extracurriculars so I’m stuck saving my last few summer paychecks and begging my parents for money.
In the beginning of the year I figured that I wouldn’t spend a lot of money at school as I have a meal plan and dining dollars which are valid at some on-campus restaurants. Although I typically have food covered for my finances I find myself still losing money from postmate orders or trips to Honeygrow on Penn’s campus. I try to take advantage of my meal plan as much as possible so that I stock up on groceries and snacks in my dorm. I steal tons of condiments and granola from Chick-fil-a. When I go to the Hans I take fruit, bring tupperware and put cereal in it for later, and fill my to-go box to the absolute maximum. On days that I go to endless breakfast at Urban Eatery I sneak some muffins or bagels for later. There’s been nights that I don’t have a meal swipe and I’m low on dining dollars so I tag along with friends to clubs that offer free dinner. That way I get to meet new people while getting some pizza.
Even with Drexel’s pricey tuition I find myself spending hundreds of dollars every quarter on textbook and various school supplies. Fall term I spent nearly $500 on books because I didn’t know that I was allowed to be cheap. I won’t spend a cent on books until I search the internet for PDF copies of textbooks or go on slugbooks to find the cheapest possible copy. I buy the older editions of books if I don’t need the most updated version for homework questions or split the costs with a friend if we have a class together. I wait to buy books for about week into the term to see if we even use the textbook because most professors just recommend books for reference.
I’ve been pretty desperate to save money this year where I just say screw it. There’s been times when buying a pack of toilet paper is just too expensive so I take some from the gym in my residence hall. I’m not the only one who has done this because on multiple occasions I’ve found it empty of rolls. I keep quality to-go boxes from restaurants to have some tupperware to use for packed lunches. For Christmas I asked my mom for deodorant and household items because I don’t want to spend my own money on them. I order from Chegg to get free laundry samples or just don’t do laundry until I go home so I can save on detergent (I’m not even halfway through my first bottle of detergent from September). I will take a free merchandise from any club table and listen to them talk just so I get a new water bottle. I will walk anywhere as long as the distance is less than four miles. I’ve walked to Center City in the rain during the winter just because an Uber was too much money. Yeah, I’ve been desperate, but I had money at the end of month.
Saving money is hard and takes some creativity on campus. Living at a school that’s in the middle of the city surrounded by trendy stores and restaurant also leaves you surrounded by temptation. Skipping out on Wahoo’s so you can afford your Amazon Prime payment may suck in the moment, but you’re developing strong will power that you’ll need when you’re on your own.