Show me the money, honey

Money, I’ve discovered, is a constant concern in grad school. Now that I’m on my own and paying for myself, I have to be wise with how I spend my cash. Not that I wasn’t careful with money in undergrad, because I was. I budgeted my money even then, making sure that my hundred-dollar-a-month allowance would last until I got my next check. Back then my parents were paying for college, and I’m immensely grateful for that. I don’t know if I would have decided to go on to grad school if I’d had undergrad loans to pay back. Now, though, I'm on my own, and I'll have to pay back money that I borrow. In three years, I don’t want to regret money I’ve spent frivolously, as I struggle to pay back huge grad school loans. So I’m trying to be careful now and save as much as possible.

I used to play this game in college where I’d see how long I could go without spending any money at all. Usually after I’d bought groceries and gas for my car, I could go a couple of weeks without spending a dime. (Okay, maybe I’d scrounge up 6 quarters to go see a movie at the dollar theater, but that doesn't count!). Really, when I wanted to I was highly successful at not spending money. Grad school is a different story, however. Little costs always seem to creep up on me. I seem to constantly have to pay for one thing or another, whether it’s a bill, class supplies, or extra groceries (I seem to run out of food a lot quicker now- I’m not quite sure why).

Plus, living in a city is expensive. If you go downtown on the weekends, you have to pay for parking (unless you’re incredibly lucky). If I go out to eat with classmates, I can expect to pay an arm and a leg for a burger, even if we just go to a little diner. Fortunately, I’m starting to find some places that have really great deals, so that’s always a plus. Actually, the fun side of being frugal is trying to find good bargains. I love it when I can use a coupon or get something on sale. (Once I got free coffee for an entire week, thanks to McDonald’s coupons promoting their new frappes). I guess my conclusion is that while money can be stressful, it’s just another resource that God gives us. Our job is to use it in a way that is glorifying and honoring to Him. We can spend it carelessly or worry about it needlessly, but the real challenge is finding that balance in the middle- being responsible with what we have and trusting God for the rest.