I’m not one to say that I save money cautiously or I try to do what’s best for the economy, but after this year, I’ve noticed that I’ve been looking over my money more often. I just came back from Disneyland this Thanksgiving weekend and during my two days there, I realized that everything is so expensive. I wasn’t completely oblivious to this before, but every time I go, I always spend and don’t even think about how much money a shirt is let alone how much a churro is ($3!). I think that with the economy crisis, I’ve been looking at money differently. I don’t have the luxury to spend, but I need to do the opposite. That’s why this semester, I’ve been conserving money as a way to deal with this economic disaster.
After the economy crisis, I realized how this would affect my daily life. I want to be able to do so much, but I can afford so little. I worked at Old Navy this summer and, with the discounts they have, I tried to use them all every month. I thought I was saving money, but I just contradict myself when I spend to save. I want to get my job back, but I don’t know if it will help me make money or just make me spend again.
I can say that I have saved more than first semester of last year. Last year, I spent a lot on clothes, movies, and DVDs, but this semester, I’ve spent less. It doesn’t seem like that much, but when I spend, I really spend, so cutting back seemed like a whole lot to me. Last year I would watch a new movie every two weeks, but this semester, the last movie I saw was, “The Secret Life of Bees” (which came out in October).
My parents have always tried to get me to use up my meal plan, since they don’t want that money to go to waste. Last year, my flexi account for first semester ended with $600. This year, I did the exact opposite, so now I don’t feel guilty about throwing money away.
Even at this recent trip to Disneyland, I didn’t eat much nor did I buy that much merchandise. Compared to last year’s trip, I’m proud that I didn’t go over my budget. I think my lifestyle wasn’t that bad before anyway. I take the bus or walk, I e-mail my friends instead of running up my phone bill, and I recycle. I know my savings don’t seem like that much, but with my lifestyle, I’m proud that I didn’t succumb to any major purchases this semester. With the holidays coming up, I want to start making presents instead of spending more money. My friend suggested that I should take up knitting, so hopefully my friends and family will be happy with tiny scarves or a half-finished sock as their presents.
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