Ricki Herrera
Professor Kufs
English 114B
April 5th, 2016
A
College Student’s Lifestyle
If you are a college student, then you know that almost everything cost
money from the shoes on your feet, the pencils you write with, the place where
you sleep and so much more. Sometimes it can be very stressful trying to juggle
your finances with things you want and with everything that needs to be paid
for. In an article from Ohio State University, a professor states, “Nearly 60
percent of college students said they worry about not having enough money to
pay for school, while half are concerned about paying for their monthly
expenses.” This represents just how stressed out college students are and how
not having a lot or enough money is a big issue. Some students work their way
through college and spend all their time working to make money to spend on
their necessities. Money controls everything. Take a second to think, if you
did not have money, what would you eat, what would you wear, where would you
live, or would you even be in college? The little green paper plays a big role
in life and it influences us greatly. Money strongly impacts a college student’s
lifestyle, it controls what we do, what we eat, and how we use our
transportation.
When you eat, think about how
that food got in your hands, and no, I’m not referring to how it was made, I’m referring
to what you had to do to get that food. The only way to get food is to buy your
food, and the only way to buy your food is to use the money you or your parents
worked for, and food is important because it is a necessity that we need to
live. College students in particular try to spread out their cash to make it
last. When you are in college it’s not always so easy to buy healthy food
because the healthy food is always the most expensive food, so we go to our
next resort, junk food. I’m sure everyone has heard of the “freshman 15”, and
it makes sense that this happens because getting fresh food is so expensive so
we turn to eating junk food all the time. According to WebMD.com, a website
which provides valuable health information, “1 in 4 college freshman gain about
10 pounds in the first semester.” This statistic presents an effect on students
due to their eating habits and that the “freshman 15” is a real thing. At the
end of the day it all comes down to the money, and what one can afford. Your
eating habits in college depend on you and what you buy and can really affect you
health wise; it is important, if you are able to, to spend a little bit more
money on the healthier foods, because it will help you out in the long run.
When it comes to college, you
think of them as the best years of your life. You want to experience fun,
exciting new things with your friends. Sometimes you may want new clothes, or
the newest phone or to go somewhere fun. For some, its achievable, but for others that
is not always the plan, keeping up with the latest things can become very
expensive. The finances can stop you from getting the things you want, as much
as one may want to go out and do fun activities, college is when you really
have to learn to budget your money wisely. A very wise statement is stated on
Investopedia.com, “While there are some people who consider “budget” to be a
dirty word, it can actually be a saving grace. Much like sticking to your
educational plan, you can stick to a spending plan.” Do you think the word
“budget” is a dirty word? Money is a big deal in college and anywhere else, it
is so important to spend it wisely, even if you are not able to do everything
you want, it is better to be safe rather than sorry. If you invest in learning how to budget money
correctly just as you invest your time in schoolwork it can go a long way and
can be extremely helpful for the future.
Everything cost money, even
when it comes down to transportation. First of all, for the students who have
their own car, it comes with paying for car insurance every month or so and
paying for gas roughly about every two weeks. Sometimes cars break down or
accidents happen which creates more money issues. It is always a great idea to
have an emergency stack of money for emergencies like a car breaking down. To
save money students might use other forms like riding a bike or a skateboard.
If students do not have a car and they need to travel somewhere far they will
most likely use Uber, Lyft, the bus, or they might even carpool. Uber and Lyft
also cost money based on the distance you will be traveling, so it really
depends the distance you are going, the cost can either come out to a lot or a
little bit. Money effects transportation because the more you travel the more
you spend money and the less money you will have. Using other options like
public transportation might help save money, it just depends how far one is
willing to go to save their money. Some students even carpool, which also helps
save money, because you are catching a ride with someone who is going to the
same place as you. When carpooling, to be considerate of others, it is always
good to take turns with people. When driving your own car not only are you
paying for your own gas, but sometimes you have to pay for parking too.
Whatever you can do to save money Is the best option to go. The expenses also
vary on if your parents help you out or not. Some students have to do it on
their own and some have the luxury of their parents helping them out even if it
is a little bit. It is always good to plan out the way you are going to get
somewhere to see which way is most efficient to saving money.
Money impacts a college
student’s lifestyle tremendously. No matter where you go or what you do, it is
going to cost you. What college students do, eat, and how they use
transportation are just three of the many factors that money impacts and
effects in a college student’s lifestyle. From my experience I have learned to
budget in college because there is so much that needs to paid for and so much I
want to do, that I needed to learn how to save my money and how to budget so I
can still spend my money on things that I want and things that I want to do. I
think it is a good life lesson because it helps you become more responsible,
organized and prepared for the future. A famous quote that I have seen and I
think really pertains to all the money talk is “Do something today that your
future self will thank you for.” Students should think about this quote for
whenever they are making decisions to help them, like I mentioned earlier,
learning how to budget your money at a younger age will help you be prepared
for obstacles in the future that may occur.
Works Cited
"70 Percent of College
Students Stressed about Finances." News
Room. N.p., 01 July 2015. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
"Freshman 15: College
Weight Gain Is Real." WebMD.
WebMD, n.d. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
"How College Lifestyles
Affect Financial Success | Investopedia." Investopedia. N.p., 21 Mar. 2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
