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In the midst of my college career,
my credit score took the biggest plunge
and, consequently, so did my self-esteem.
At 20, I maxed my credit card out
thanks to a series of unwise spending decisions.
And I ended up really paying the consequences.
After that catastrophe, it took me almost a full year
to even be able to begin paying off my outstanding balance
in full each month.
There were, of course, a few things
that especially led me down my path of unhealthy spending
habits.
Here are five spending areas I would suggest steering clear
of if you want to avoid a financial crisis like mine.
Number one.
I deleted the Starbucks and Postmates app.
Let's talk about the Starbucks app.
I didn't realize how much I was spending on Starbucks until I
noticed I had to hit the reload $25 button on my app
every few days.
If you can get out of your unhealthy caffeine addiction
sooner, and realize the beautiful wonders water can
do for your face and overall health,
you'll definitely save your money
for better and bigger investments.
Additionally, apps such as Favor or PostMates
that deliver food to you may sound amazing
when you're in the middle of a study session
in the library learning about cost pull and demand pull
inflation, and food delivery can certainly
be a welcome treat when you're spending more time than ever
at home.
But trust me when I needed to stop indulging myself
so frequently.
If you have these apps, you probably
know how addicting they can be.
If they're causing you problems, do your wallet a favor
and delete them.
Number two.
I learned it's OK to be an outfit repeater.
Remember when Kate Sanders told Lizzie McGuire
she was an outfit repeater?
I blame that integral television moment
for my actual fear of being an outfit repeater,
specifically when it comes to dresses.
In my university towards the end of every semester,
it would be formal season.
I would go online looking for affordable dresses
at online boutiques such as Lulu's, Toby, et cetera.
I didn't have time to just go to the mall
when I had to juggle all my classes and organizations
I was involved in.
And you know what, online shopping can be addicting.
Those dresses I got were beautiful
but the shipping fees that came with them were not.
Spoiler alert.
It's OK to wear the same dress twice
or to have to constantly wash and rotate
the same three pairs of sweats.
I promise Kate Sanders won't find you.
And if she does, you could always
call her an outfit rememberer.
Number three.
I stopped buying furniture and decor I didn't need.
I wanted my college apartment to look like those lavish fun
ones on Pinterest.
Who doesn't want their apartment to look cute and inviting?
But let's be real.
I was only in college for a few years.
And I always knew I'd move out of my living situation
soon after graduation.
While I needed furniture that is sturdy,
I didn't need geometric accent decorations
from Urban Outfitters that I definitely
could have made myself.
Number four.
I stopped spending money at the same rate my friends did.
Unfortunately, it took me some time
to realize that some of my friends
actually came from wealthy households.
For some reason, just living in the same neighborhood as them
made me assume we all came from the same basic socioeconomic
background.
When I started paying more attention to their spending
habits, I eventually figured out that that
wasn't the case at all.
It's definitely OK to opt to stay home
instead of hanging out with all your friends
when they can spend money you don't have.
I noticed some of my friends were
able to live off of eating at fast food chains
and restaurants and never cook for themselves.
I don't know how I was able to eat at the same fried chicken
place every day for months.
It's upsetting not getting the lucky receipt with the one
free chicken sandwich after doing an online survey,
but it was even more upsetting realizing
I would have saved hundreds if I had just learned
to cook my own meals sooner.
Number five.
Not every experience is worth dropping money for.
I don't know about yours, but how
were all my friends constantly going out of the country
and taking the most beautiful Instagram-worthy pictures?
Some experiences are definitely life changing.
I never thought I would go to music festivals five years ago.
But after going to some, I found out they were amazing.
It's good to be open-minded and experience
new places with your friends when opportunities
present themselves.
And goodness knows we miss them when they're off the table.
However, hindsight is 2020.
It's easier to see how much you were
spending on major experiences when
you take a break from them.
Between food, travel, potentially lodging,
the costs can seriously add up.
I had fun at that concert in a different city.
But was it really worth the $400 total I spent on that weekend?
I've learned that missing out on some experiences
is a fair trade if it means saving for even
better ones in the future.
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