On Urban Dictionary, someone’s definition of a college student was, “A person who is poor, procrastinates a lot and somehow manages to succeed in completing a never-ending pile of homework. Often found with bags under their eyes, hyped up on caffeine, and eating top ramen while working on assignments for the next class.”
When you think of college students, you might think cheap and thrifty. At least for me, I’ve seen many online articles of college students who get quite inventive in order to save money, such as using a tennis racket as a colander to drain out pasta.
College costs a lot of money, and it adds up, from tuition to room and board to going out to dinner with friends. It gets overwhelming thinking about the thousands of dollars in loans you already have to pay back once you graduate, so some might think, “I’m just going to live my life and enjoy today, it’s not like $10 will make a big difference in the future compared to what I owe in loans.”
So I’ve compiled a list of possible persuasions that might run through your head when debating whether or not to buy something or not – usually results in spending.
It’s a special occasion. Whether friends are visiting from far or it’s your birthday, this is a common reasoning to convince yourself to buy something. This doesn’t happen all the time.
It’s only $5. “$5 is nothing, so it doesn’t make a dent in my bank account.”
I want more. Haven’t you just had those days when you’re looking at all your clothes in the closet and think, “I have nothing to wear.”
I REALLY “need” it. Making it an excuse that you don’t own a maroon dress even though you already have a red dress that works already.
I just want this one then I won’t get anymore. “Only going to buy one pair of black heels. I won’t buy any other styles in black.”
I need food so it’s an emergency. “I can’t just wait three hours until I can eat back in my dorm…
I want it all! As Sharpay sings in “High School Musical 3,” you just want it all which unfortunately ends up as the first priority instead of money.
YOLO. “Whatever it’s fine. F*ck this.”
It’s now or never. “When would I be able to buy this again?”
It’s on sale. “Might as well, it won’t be on sale for a long time.”
These things are always difficult to deal with especially if you are like me, who loves shopping. It helps to prioritize whether or not it’s worth it. Even though there are thoughts running inside your head to lean you toward spending, keep in mind what is more important.