I spend way too much money

[Spiffor]

20k a year is fricking amazing. I had 9k€ a year during the best times of my studies, and I always had a large surplus (besides, I considered it like a huge income for a student).

But indeed, I never ate out nor did I drink out. My only luxury was about 150€ a month in transportation to Paris (which is already quite a bundle).

[Spiffor]

And what Oerdin said. Booze and eating out are big nonos as far as fitness is concerned.

Another thing I'd suggest is to pay everything with cash, and to carry only a small amount with you at all times. That way, if you're carrying only 20$ to the bar, you won't spend any more than 20$ that night. If you do it systematically, it'll significantly help reduciong your consumption.

[Jon Miller]

umm, 9000 would not cover rent + books + utilities + phone (Basically essentials)

20$ at the bar is two drinks..

note in my undergrad, I had to pay over 25k a year, I made a lot less then that (just truition was over 17k)

Jon Miller

[Traianvs]

This is puzzling for me as a student...

20K a year is 384.61 a week

I live on €45 a week (not including rent) and I get wasted 3/4/5 times a week, depends (so I live on some €2000, for one schoolyear), but on the other hand a lot of the alcohol is free so in my case it's exceptional

You live in an awfully expensive country my friend
OR maybe you're going to clubs where a beer costs €5 rofl

[Traianvs]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
umm, 9000 would not cover rent + books + utilities + phone (Basically essentials)

20$ at the bar is two drinks..

note in my undergrad, I had to pay over 25k a year, I made a lot less then that (just truition was over 17k)

Jon Miller

$20 is 2 drinks???? fook me! What the hell are ye drinking... the finest whiskeys in town perhaps??

[Jon Miller]

no... I guess at cheaper bars 20$ is 3 drinks or 4..

but 10$ per drink at a club is the norm (haven't been to one in ages)

so ok, 20$ is 3 or 4 drinks..

still not enough to get a good buzz for the evening

20k has to pay for rent, car, utilities, phone, etc.. besides food, games, clothes, cool toys, etc

JM

[Traianvs]

Hmm, where I sttudy nearly all bars are cheap as ****, but then again there's 35000 inhabitants and 40000 students living here so the whole place breathes students and cheapness

but we do get the good stuff! move to Leuven I say

[Immortal Wombat]

8 - 14 whiskeys? Bloody hell.

Personally, I find that not buying things is a good way to save money.

[Jon Miller]

well, college park is a college town...

so everything is expensive

JM

[Bereta_Eder]

gdong.
college towns are supposed to be extra cheap, at least from what i've seen.
eating out is a big big gaspillage of money. so maybe you could try and change that first.
then from my experience, I've found that saving money from "stupid expences" to "invest" them in "smart" expences is good. i never follow it but i tried it once and it worked.

[Dinner]

Compared to Europe or Japan it is ridiculously cheap to eat out in the US though still much more expensive then Latin America or the rest of east Asia. I guess it boils down to the lack of health insurence and the large quantities of illegals or the poorly educated native underclass. They work cheap so eatting out on a student's budget is much more affordable.

There is still the problem that most of the $20k Jon gets per year will be either student loans (which must be repaid) or work study (meaning a subsidized form of work for students). Work study is great and the project should be greatly expanded but the student loan business is a racket and there should be more out right grants and subsidies to schools in order to make them more affordable.

My father attended UCLA from 1969-1973 and he graduated owing less then $1000 in student loans. Even adjusted for inflation and buying power that is a tiny amount. Grants from both the state and the Feds paid for the rest and much of his cost of living was paid for either through cost of living grants (LA isn't cheap) or through work study programs which allowed him to get experience in his career of choice (electrical engineering). More people should have that chance.

[Jon Miller]

actually, as a graduate student I get paid 20k a year..

my undergrad I didn't really ge tpaid.. and it was 19k or so for tuition.. but I had scholarship then

I don't know where you eat out.. but most meals here (on the cheap side) are 10$-5$. That is for stuff like Noodles, Chipotle, College Park Diner, Quiznos, Subway, Taco Bell, etc)

that still adds up really fast, what I mean by not cheap is the housing (the food is cheap compared to many areas)

Jon Miller

[Verto]

Originally posted by Jon Miller
actually, as a graduate student I get paid 20k a year..

my undergrad I didn't really ge tpaid.. and it was 19k or so for tuition.. but I had scholarship then

I don't know where you eat out.. but most meals here (on the cheap side) are 10$-5$. That is for stuff like Noodles, Chipotle, College Park Diner, Quiznos, Subway, Taco Bell, etc)

that still adds up really fast, what I mean by not cheap is the housing (the food is cheap compared to many areas)

Jon Miller

Does Canada not have Jack in the Box?

*prepares to begin bombing in five minutes.

[Urban Ranger]

Originally posted by Timexwatch
Have you ever been drunk on cheap American beer? It's the worst goddamn buzz ever. I'd rather be sober. There's a reason why Jon pays money for the good stuff.

No, that's a good reason to be sober

[DaShi]

Seriously Jon, you need to make a budget like Oerdin says. Cut back on the alcohol. Cut back on the video games (you've already said you were worried about your grades, spend that time studying). Most of all, cut back on the sexy parties.