You can lead a horse to the scratch-and-dent store

Like seemingly every other college student, I was seriously broke throughout my 3 years in school. Thankfully, dual-enrolling during high school saved me a tremendous amount of time and money, and is likely the #1 reason I graduated free of student loans. I worked my butt off in high school, taking the hourly class cap, working 20-30 hours a week, socking away every dime which wasn't poured straight into my cars gas tank/insurance bill (2 grand a year and no comp/collision?!) until I had a couple thousand saved up on graduation day. I paid my own admissions fees, SAT/ACT fees, then when I was accepted to USF, paid my own deposits, parking permits, yada yada. Bought my own room decorations, sheets, storage bins full of ramen :) and I made it through my freshman year without a job. I did try to find one, but I drove home every weekend, and anyone in a college town will tell you, when you're trying to beat 40,000 other students in the race for the few part time jobs available, not working weekends is the best way to shoot yourself in the foot.

Looking back, older me would tell froshie that the job hunt, more than any job itself, is the best instructor about job hunting about the interview process post-graduation. It's key to know how to sell ones self, what an outfit says conveys, which hairstyles work and which will have you nervously twirling a curl. Always bring a pocket mirror and an umbrella. Bring your purse inside, but turn your phone off first. A friend of mine made a laminated card with the names, numbers, and addresses of his references. This struck me as brilliant. Never only list the 'ideal' hours you want. List every possible freaking hour which you'll drag yourself there, and trade with your coworkers if necessary.  


Go to every crappy free campus event you can. Most of them have free food (yay) and you'll get to see some of your classmates outside of class, which is a great way to learn which of them are drunken jerks which you won't want to join a study group with. (True story) Also, some schools offer free use of the outdoor facilities on the weekends (mine had 5$ canoe rentals). Take advantage now!

Stop being a brand new snob. Or a brand name snob. Whatever. Both. Consignment shops are your friend. Sav-a-lot is amazing. Google 'Scratch and dent grocery' and see what comes out. Check out Freecycle for gently used everything. There are places you can go for free and cheap things which don't require being murdered through Craigslist or signing in blood for your Walmart purchases.
One of the best jobs I ever had was an on-call server with a catering company. By law they have to dispose of their leftovers every night. I was glad to box them up to take home, rather than see them in the dump. Get creative, and see the savings stack up. If you're in a rural area, trade labor for farm goods (it's a good deal, free tanning and organic veggies often go hand in hand).


Live off campus if at all possible. It is so much absurdly cheaper your eyes will bulge, and you won't ever get in trouble for your roommates vodka/partying/loud stereo with the RA. If you're in your third year and waiting to graduate to get married, don't tell your parents I told you, but go ahead and sign the paperwork now, and just hold out for the big party after graduation. Seriously, my hubby and I got 25k in grants over the course of several years just because as married students we were no longer 'dependents' of our parents and could file for student aid on our own. It was a lifesaver for several lean years. Yes, we're still together, and we knew we were going to get married before we even went to college, so it made sense for us. Use good judgement.  


For more ideas on learning the ins and outs of college finance, check out FastWeb's search engine for grants, loans, and scholarships (and learn the differences between the three!) Track your spending (and feel the shame of that third trip to McDonalds this week) with Mint (look, pie graphs and bar graphs!) For more of what the majority of your time in college is really spent on, check out The Oatmeal and remember, wasting time drunk and stupid isn't the answer. Cat videos are the answer. 

Sometimes, it is easy being green.

Crookneck squash                                                          Butterhead lettuce



“The best thing for being sad," replied Merlin, beginning to puff and blow, "is to learn something. That's the only thing that never fails. You may grow old and trembling in your anatomies, you may lie awake at night listening to the disorder of your veins, you may miss your only love, you may see the world about you devastated by evil lunatics, or know your honour trampled in the sewers of baser minds. There is only one thing for it then — to learn. Learn why the world wags and what wags it. That is the only thing which the mind can never exhaust, never alienate, never be tortured by, never fear or distrust, and never dream of regretting. Learning is the only thing for you. Look what a lot of things there are to learn.” 
― T.H. White, The Once and Future King


Well, if I'm going to start learning, really start learning intentionally and not at the expectation of society or necessity of performing a job, I may as well start by learning a necessary skill, something that kept who knows how many of my ancestors from starvation.

I have about 300 sq ft of tilled earth, with corn that I need to hoe endlessly, lettuce, squash, cucumber, tomatoes which I think the bees are afraid of, peppers, eggplant, carrots that wilt every time I look at them, beans, and a few accidental mushrooms which I've been told are edible but am not hungry enough to try, just on the off chance they're the Alice in the looking glass kind, or even the regular old poisonous kind.

We spend too much time mastering a single sector of information at the neglect of so much else. With only one lifetime to learn, it's my goal to diversify. Hopefully more of it sticks that way.

So, what do I know so far?

Enough about dead white authors to earn a Literature degree. Enough about Florida's auto insurance requirements to earn a insurer's license.

Those are the measurable things. Really, they're the ones I'm hardly proud of. Show up, nod your head, memorize the lines and off you go. Memorization comes easy to me. But in reality, to paraphrase Jane McGonigal, there are too few save points, few boss fights, little else to mark merit or achievement than these designations. If parents want their kids to clean their rooms and do their homework, they should give XP for it and make it voluntary, then the little buggers would be begging for more chores.

Really, I'm much more proud that I'm a fabulous cook. Like, 525 cooking skill IRL people. Real life needs honorary titles beyond PHD's to celebrities. (Not counting the Mythbusters) Right now, I'm at, like 'Journeyman gardener.' 'Apprentice homemaker' (I think my mopping skill degrades over time) 'Master penny-pincher' etc.

I'm not a terrible gamer either, with the caveat that I am very picky about which class I play

So, this week's tangible learning goal- finish watching Itunes U classes on Business and Investments, then talk to hubby about how his 401k is doing.


(For a real 'Master Penny-Pincher', head over to Cheeky Bums blog and check out their coupon- free savings strategies. For more on Jane McGonigal, check out her book Reality is Broken)