Bills. Bills. Bills. It seems that the only thing I get in my mailbox these days is greedy little “give-me-your-last-nickel-or-suffer-years-of-bad-credit” letters that are slowly sucking away my life. And my money, nickel by nickel, stamp by stamp.
As a student, debt was expected, that was a given. I knew there would be student loans and that money would be tight through the four years I would spend at this great University as I received my great education.
But, I did not however realize that every shiny nickel that entered my wallet would be held onto as if it was the last one that my teary eyes would see and my little fingers would clutch.
This University is great and I am getting a great education. I am also getting up to my eyeballs in debt that has resulted from the high price of getting a higher education as well as a lesson or two on how to manage my money better.
Some debt is almost unavoidable. Student loans for instance, they will always be there. Student loans follow one to the grave and are still expected to be paid. Accept this and move on.
But on the other hand, it seems that college students are destined to be in debt regardless of loans.
Looking at what caused my debt I found that it was my three credit cards and my phone bill, which is significantly high at this time.
Ah ha, you say! Credit cards are the reasons for all my debt trouble. Well, technically they are but let me clarify why they are. This is something I think most students here who own credit cards will understand, and that is that my credit cards are used to pay for the necessities, which are unable to be paid for with my few bucks.
College is expensive and I am not just talking about tuition and room and board either. There are so many other expenses that have to be paid for.
Books, for instance, are outrageously priced and it seems that one cannot get out of the beloved Bookstore without dropping at least $300. I do not know one college student who carries around that much cash.
Of course there is food. Yes, a student could eat on campus, but, well, that is another column in itself. So we are in constant search for a cheap meal, but even that gets expensive. Even if one eats the same cheap meal three times a day, times seven days a week it begins to add up.
Then we have clothes and I do not mean new ones, I mean clean ones. When the last pair of socks is dirty one begins to scramble around in search of quarters. This is no easy task and sometimes one might debate over doing two loads of laundry or using that $2.50 to have a wholesome meal at El Merendero.
Entertainment is always important too and, despite what my grandmother thinks, entertainment is a necessity too.
I am a hardworking person who puts in long hours in the classroom, at work and for my sorority, just as my grandmother does. So why is it that she can spend her money on fun things that bring her enjoyment and I cannot?
It also seems that even if students did have a job that allowed them to earn what little money they could they would still be limited. There are just not enough hours in the day.
It is tough to got to school full time, to work toward that degree and have a job that allows one to make enough money to support oneself. But no matter how hard it becomes, it is important to remember that we are on a noble mission and shall be rewarded for our struggles.
Michelle Thornton, a senior journalism major, is managing editor of the Campus Times. She can be reached by e-mail at mthornto@ulv.edu.
