About three years ago, I was a senior in high school with only the wind guiding my plans. My parents didn’t like that idea and urged me to apply for scholarships and attend a four-year university. All I could think about was debt. Historically, I have always been hard-headed and this situation was no different. I decided to stay true to myself.
Before transferring to NC State, I attended every community college in the state. That’s a joke, plus or minus two.
This was my first experience with budgeting and sadly, this sometimes meant eating cereal for breakfast, lunch and dinner because I was too proud to ask my parents for money. I worked a job and many of my peers did so as well, but my hours were nothing in comparison.
While attending community colleges I met some of the most committed, hardworking people I have ever met in my life, students who would go to school during the day and go straight to work afterward. These friends often shared with me their everyday frustrations of making enough money for rent, gas and food while also having enough time to devote to school. Many of those friends no longer attend school, and quite frankly, they are not to blame.
After transferring to NC State, I quickly forgot the frequent disparaging looks people would direct my way when I told them I attended a community college. The overall mindset in the academic world that attending community college is of little worth, or that those students are unambitious is completely false.
It all comes down to one thing: money.
Now that I am in my junior year of studies at NC State, I found it impossible to balance working long shifts with my academic and social life. I was on the edge of a breakdown, so I quit my job.
No paycheck each week meant I had essentially no money going into my bank account consistently and I had to make sure I didn’t burn through my savings. I started walking dogs in my neighborhood and babysitting as a flexible, but somewhat reliable way to make cash quick. I also started selling my used clothes on Poshmark, an app that takes a reasonable cut of your earnings and sends you a free shipping label.
My experience living in a single-parent household has come in handy in my years in college. Bargain shopping has always been a large component of that, since I rarely buy anything new. From coffee pots to the clothes I wear, you can bet they were on a thrift store shelf.
I do most of my shopping at Food Lion and try to spend the least amount of money possible while also not giving up a healthy diet. This still proves to be difficult, since in the U.S. junk food is almost always cheaper than healthy food. The three staples of my diet are oatmeal, frozen veggie protein packs and Garden of Life meal shakes.
When a new semester begins, I wait until the absolute last minute to “buy” books. I try and make sure we are actually going to use them. I rent all of my books on Amazon if possible, and the ones I cannot find, I look around for the lowest price and buy used. When some books are simply still too expensive to buy, I use the textbook copier in the library. It isn’t the most convenient option, but it is free.
As a student at NC State, I have put all my energy towards living a frugal as possible so that I can devote the time necessary to my studies while also being somewhat independent. However, that does not mean I don’t treat myself. Finding the balance that works for you is what is important — not driving yourself crazy being stingy.
