As January comes to a start, the realization has set in for everything that needs to be paid for within the approaching year. A new year creates a visual timeline in our minds of all of the money we will eventually be spending. And this is not a good vision.      

Saving money is no longer possible. Just with this new year, payments outside of college, Alpha Phi, my car, and a normal living, include: spring break in Fort Lauderdale, a month of my summer spent in Barcelona, and fall break in Las Vegas. All of which include security deposits, multiple down payments, traveling and hotel expenses, and the extra money spent just while I’m away on food, drinks, etc.

What these payments do not consider are also the many spontaneous and unplanned trips I catch myself taking. For example, spending two days in Chicago to bring in the New Year was not a smart decision for saving money. Going to Nashville and Memphis with my boyfriend’s family can also go on this list. Not to mention the hundreds of 21st birthday celebrations coming up that entail traveling. These include going to Michigan on a ski trip for one of my best friends birthday. And let’s not forget that formal season is coming up. This can include other unexpected expenses.   

What none of the above mentions is the amount of money I spend weekly. I catch myself with a problem when it comes to paying for alcohol. The bars and liquor stores have been killing my bank account lately. Paying for gas, although it has been on the cheap end, is still another payment that has been preventing me from saving my money. And then in the fall, I’ll be making my monthly apartment bills for living. Fortunately, I’m not a big shopper, so I don’t have to spend much money in that category. But overall, paying for food, drinks and gas drains my account very quickly — too quickly for me to be able to afford any of the trips and experiences listed above.  

 So with a new year, all of these payments are creating a visual timeline in my head. With this, I’ve been thinking of a solution in order to avoid the financial stress.

1) Spend consciously. Only pay for things I really need, such as

toiletries. 

2)   Spend even more consciously at the bars. This just means not being an idiot with my debit card while I’m out. Simple.  

3)   Drive when needed. I don’t need to be going on joy rides and wasting gas. With this, my friends and I need to be fair with taking turns driving. (I’m guilty of not being fair with this.) 

4)   Be organized. My dad always helps me with “reconciling” my bank account with an excel worksheet — basically, keeping track of all of my spending and all of my income. I’m also guilty of being bad at keeping up with this during the school year when I’m not making any money. 

5)   Find an income. This can be the easiest and most beneficial solution. If I can find a job of some sort, whether it’s writing for the Odyssey, tutoring in Spanish, or working ten hours a week on campus, any kind of income is awesome.   

And my most important solution for this financial stress that I’m having is this:

Breathe. Money is important, but it also isn’t everything.There’s a reason I’ve worked my butt of the past few summers, and that is to live. To live and have experiences like the ones I’m having. Yes, I know how expensive these can be, but in the end, the experience is worth more than the money put down. We have our entire life to work and to worry about money, and right now, while we’re young and literately living in the best years of our lives, we should not waste our time with stressing about it. Memories with my friends, and unforgettable experiences while being young, are two things money can never give back in return when we’re older. So make the best of this money-spending time period, but also be conscious of what you’re doing with your debit card.