My Finances

Going to college definitely affected how I thought about money. Before, I didn't have many things I had to spend money on, besides gas. Other than that, my parents provided for me. Most of the time when I spent money, it was on unnecessary items like clothing, shoes, food, froyo, toys, and gifts; therefore, I was pretty frugal with my money since I knew I didn't need anything. Now that I am in college I have to spend money all the time. First of all, just by being here at BW I am racking up a big debt. I am paying for my room and board, unlike when I lived at home with my parents. Also, I have to buy most of my food, instead of just going to my kitchen fridge. However, I still try to keep a budget. I try not to buy more food than necessary, and I hardly ever order pizza or get dessert. Also, I have set a goal of how much money I would like to have on my Jacket at the end of the semester. The other difficulty about money in college is the Jacket. Before, I never used a credit or debit card that much. I always paid with cash. Handing over the bills helped me visualize whether the item I was buying was truly worth the cost. Here, I just swipe my plastic card. Sometimes it feels like monopoly money. Up until about last week I had very good spending habits. In a moment of weakness I bought more food than necessary because I was going to "save it for later" but never got around to finishing it. I have done this a few times now. If I can stop doing so and keep to my good spending habits, then I will be in good shape to reach my goal.