Giving myself a pat on the back for these choices I made
I have always prided myself on being good with money. I am never impulsive and always think things through before making a purchase. This year, I have become more conscious than ever regarding where my money goes as my grad program has taken a hefty chunk out of my savings. Therefore, I have had to stop myself from making certain purchases I would have made before. That being said, some financial decisions I have made this past school year have paid off, so I’m here to tell you all about them.
My Apartment
Since I was unable to visit Madison before moving for grad school, finding somewhere to live was a crap shoot. My two criteria were that it had to be fully furnished and within walking distance to my classes. I found an apartment building centrally located, less than a ten-minute walk from most of my classes, multiple grocery stores, restaurants and bars. Equipped with a gym, patio and study room, it has everything I could ask for. It’s not cheap by any means, but being so close to everything and having all the amenities makes it worth it for me.
Badger Sports Tickets
I purchased men’s hockey season tickets and the Area Card, which allows access to all women’s sporting events and wrestling. The hockey tickets cost $120, working out to be just under $6 a game (including playoffs), and the Area Red Card was $25. Even if I wasn’t able to attend a hockey game, I always managed to resell my ticket. The Area Red Card also came in clutch often, making $25 seem like nothing. With men’s and women’s hockey and volleyball having such amazing seasons, it was great to have a front-row seat to cheer the Badgers on this season from the student section. Investing in these early in the year was a solid decision all around.
Going to Canada for Spring Break
You may be thinking: Why Canada for spring break? It’s not exactly traditional. Well to be totally honest, I didn’t fancy spending big money on a tropical vacation. Prices skyrocketed this year, making places like Florida and Mexico quite unaffordable. However, I still wanted to go somewhere. I have always wanted to go to Canada, so I decided to tick it off the bucket list by visiting Toronto and Montreal in late March. While the weather wasn’t what I was exactly looking for, I am happy that I got to see two new cities and not break the bank for flights, hotels and food.
Not Buying Snow Boots
This is controversial, but no snow boots were the way to go this winter. It being my first year living in Wisconsin, I was not equipped with snow boots like most. Everyone told me I had to purchase them to make it through the colder months. I decided against that, seeing as the weather was mild enough. Now, did I slip on the ice? Yes. In my defense, it was in early April when you would think the snow would have stopped. So overall, I’m glad I didn’t drop $100 on some snow boots.
Not Purchasing Required Textbooks
At the beginning of each semester, it is always stressful when professors ask you to buy one or multiple textbooks. The worst part is that these books are rarely affordable. I usually get away with not buying the book. However, this semester, I found myself in a class where I needed not one but three books to complete weekly assignments. Instead of hopping on to Amazon and ordering them, I scoured the Internet for PDF versions. I found one, but the other two were nowhere to be found. I then discovered that as a grad student, you have access to books from the UW Madison Library for a whole semester. I managed to pick up the other two and didn’t need to spend a single penny instead of dropping $53 on books that were only used for half the semester.
Are there financial decisions I would take back? Absolutely. Sushi Express every week is not a necessity. Nor are the late-night drinks at the bar. Overall, I’m pretty happy with how I utilized my savings and hope to continue these good habits next year.