Let's Be Honest...

          Ok so its time I'm honest with myself and everyone around me.  Believe it or not I don't like people knowing my struggles but I feel as though this is one many people can identify with and are too afraid or embarrassed to confront.  So here it goes...

          Ever since I started college, I've been living far above my means.  I took out more than I needed in school loans and spent money I didn't have on things I didn't need.  Did I do it to impress someone? Yes, myself.  I wanted things I had never had before, like a real Coach bag and the latest laptop or phone on the market.  I felt I could finally get those things, after spending all my life saving and putting away, because I could finally afford to.  You see my head was filled with the statistics my school was spitting out.  "Average starting salary for undergrads is $54,000".  "Less than 1% student default rate on loans".  In my eyes I could live it up in school because I could pay it all back once I was done.

          Were the stats right?  Yes, but just because you can pay it back doesn't mean you can afford to.  What I failed to realize was just how much being an adult would cost, let alone $54,000 isn't what you wind up taking home at the end of the day. 

          It's now, a year after I graduated college, that I'm finally coming down from my financial high to face reality.  You can't live Oprah's life with an average person's salary.  So this month I'm giving my budget an extreme make over and going on a financial detox diet.  What will this consist of you ask?

1. No Eating Out:  Alright let's face it, eliminating this completely would also extinguish most of my social life, but drastically cutting down on the amount of times I do and making sure I always bring lunch and make breakfast will save me about $120 a month from my regular $250 budget.
2. No New Stuff:  I'm embarrassed to tell you the amount of money I spend on shoes, gadgets and clothes a month, so I won't.  The aim this month is to buy NOTHING (minus the essentials like personal care and household necessities). 
3. Traveling:  Yeah as much as it pains me, I will not be going anywhere this month minus my annual trip up to Maine for the 4th which requires less than a full tank of gas. 

         That is where the majority of my money goes so its time to address those areas head on.  While this is a trial to see just how much I can save in a month, it is the first step in a much longer process of paying off all the debt I've accrued in the last 5 years and beginning to live within my own means. 

25 Days of Blessings: My Education

          Yesterday was a productive day, for me at least.  Still nothing to do work related but, I took a chunk of my day and dedicated to filling out my grad applications.  3 down 2 more to go.  On the list, in order of preference is NYU, BU, BC, Rutgers, UMass Amherst.  I first was just applying to NYU just as a reach school but the more I think about it the more I want to go, even though I'm not a fan of New York.  Since I'm a Boston girl at heart I had to apple to BU and BC especially now considering moving back, it only makes sense.  Rutgers I wouldn't mind going but I put it on my list to get out of my comfort zone and UMass Amherst is in the middle ground of CT and Boston if I decide I want to stay here (highly unlikely). 


          The whole college application process is nerve racking.  You hope that you get into all your choices because rejection blows.  I guess I'm a little spoiled when it comes to college rejection because I got into all 5 of my undergrad choices.  Bridgewater, WPI, Tuskegee, American, and Quinnipiac all said yes to me.  So to be honest with you, I'm not sure how I'll take it if I get denied from these schools and these aren't easy schools to get into.  We'll see how it all pans out, hopefully all for the better.

          But going through the app process made me realize how blessed I am to have my education.  Your degrees are permanent.  Once you've gotten them, no one can take that away from you...ever.  Some people spend all their lives trying to achieve at least one college degree and I'm 22 years old with a BS in Civil Engineering, a BA in Environmental Studies and well on my way (hopefully) to getting my Masters in Higher Education. 

          WPI may have put me through hell, but I came through the fire and found myself on the other side with more opportunities than I could have ever imagined.