Before starting college, people would warn me about the insane amount of money they spent first semester. I was stressed. Is it really necessary? Are they just frivolous spenders?
I decided to track everything I spent my first semester of college to find out for myself. Excluding tuition and room and board, I found out that it really isn’t necessary to spend upwards of $1000 just to have a good time.
While I was pretty close, I added up all of purchases and found that I spent a total of $774 last semester. Here’s a breakdown of what I spent it on…
FOOD- $244
I split this one into two categories to keep myself a little more organized and provide a little more insight as to where I dropped $250.
Groceries- $89
This number was surprisingly low because I felt like I ate a lot when I was in my room and kept a lot of snacks in my bag so much so that I feel like it’s wrong.
Although, maybe a pack of Babybel cheese, a box of crackers, and a 40-count pack of rice crispy treats don’t cost as much as I feel like they do? I do smuggle a considerable amount of fruit and bagels from the dining hall on the daily.
Dining out- $155
Probably 30% of this is for tipping because I know that the people I’m out with are poor tippers, and I always feel an overwhelming amount of guilt for just existing in a restaurant.
Clearly, I hate going out to eat. So, I tried to avoid going out when my friends went. However, by the end of the semester, the thought of eating hickey food 3 times a day 7 times a week was debilitating. So, I made a lot of Subway runs during finals week.
CLOTHES- $85
I am very proud of myself for this one. I am generally very happy with my wardrobe, so I try not to buy clothes, but it can be hard sometimes!
Although, $50 of the $85 was from a thrift haul and Marshall run when I was home. My other biggest accomplishment last semester was spending $15 in total on a formal dress. Call me thrifty, I guess!
ENTERTAINMENT- $35… $75
This one is on me. What should have been a measly $35 more than doubled when I reassured my friends that they didn’t need to pay me back.
Do I regret it? Kind of, yes. However, it felt like the right thing to do at the time because they do drive me around quite a bit and I did cause my one friend quite a bit of trouble at the event in question.
But, in the future, I will not let my guilt hand over $40 because that is way too much, even for their valiant efforts.
MISCELLANEOUS- $88
I included things like a new perfume, laptop charger, earrings and gifts for my sister and mom in this category. I pretty much refrained from online shopping for things other than clothes because having to wait 2 weeks for it to arrive in Olean is pretty unappealing!
ESSENTIALS- $97
This category includes any toiletry refills from the beginning of the semester. I had to restock my pricey mouthwash twice as well as razors and other odds and ends.
All these purchases amount to $744. I’m not quite sure if this is an appropriate amount to spend in a 4-month period. However, I feel like it wasn’t an unreasonable amount. We’ll have to compare at the end of this semester to see!