A paycheck-to-paycheck summer
I'm kind of mad at myself for renewing my lease with Campus Lodge. Not only am I getting gipped $300 in fees I initially paid that I thought would be returned if I extended my lease (they changed their policy and since it wasn't written into the signed lease, they don't have to honor it), but I also will be living on the extremely broke side. I thought that it was taxing to drive from Palm Harbor to Tampa nearly every day last summer, but rent payments plus school and books (no bright futures for the summer...*tear*) makes this seem almost financially impossible. (Plus I'll probably be driving home every couple days anyway just to hang at the beach and stuff!)
Another major pitfall is that my roommates will ALL be gone over the summer, so that means I'll be living with random weirdos for three months (and since I'm living co-ed right now, that could mean random GUYS, which I'm none too cool with). I guess I'll have to contact Campus Lodge and see if they'll make a note NOT to room me with guys this summer. Knowing the recent crap they're throwing at me though, I'm not too sure what to expect.
I've done the math - as long as I save $100 or more each month from my paycheck (roughly 60%), I can afford to take classes, pay rent and buy books. I'll also have to keep a steady job at the Oracle and do Peer Advising to afford to eat and drive though. Money will be incredibly tight this summer, but I think I can manage. I just need to be thrifty. I need to also pray that I get as much money in scholarships this year as the past two years so that I can afford next Fall & Spring! Yikes. And I thought this Oracle gig would provide me money to waste. Hah.
You know what really annoys me though? Orientation Team Leaders (I was going to apply to become one) get FREE summer housing! Had I known that BEFORE I renewed, I wouldn't have bothered with all this hogwash and I'd have one less thing to worry about this summer. Grrr.
My only problem is that Nate's spending spring break building homes for Katrina victims, and he wants me to come. I really think it'll be an amazing and truly rewarding experience (and an interesting article to boot), but I honestly don't think I can afford it. Currently the price is $75 for the whole week (I think we have to pay for meals though), but it soon will jump to $125. Seventy-five dollars doesn't seem like much, but that's almost (I'm afraid to admit) a week's pay, and when it comes to financing my summer I'm getting down to nickels and dimes to afford it. I just don't think it's too feasible right now. I hate turning it down, but it looks like I don't have much of a choice.
I know I could always get a loan, but since I didn't file a FAFSA last year, I'm not eligible for Stafford or anything. I'd have to get a regular bank loan, and I made one promise to myself: I want, at all costs, to graduate from college debt-free. That's one reason I chose USF over UF, and so far so good. I just hope I can keep this going.
Another major pitfall is that my roommates will ALL be gone over the summer, so that means I'll be living with random weirdos for three months (and since I'm living co-ed right now, that could mean random GUYS, which I'm none too cool with). I guess I'll have to contact Campus Lodge and see if they'll make a note NOT to room me with guys this summer. Knowing the recent crap they're throwing at me though, I'm not too sure what to expect.
I've done the math - as long as I save $100 or more each month from my paycheck (roughly 60%), I can afford to take classes, pay rent and buy books. I'll also have to keep a steady job at the Oracle and do Peer Advising to afford to eat and drive though. Money will be incredibly tight this summer, but I think I can manage. I just need to be thrifty. I need to also pray that I get as much money in scholarships this year as the past two years so that I can afford next Fall & Spring! Yikes. And I thought this Oracle gig would provide me money to waste. Hah.
You know what really annoys me though? Orientation Team Leaders (I was going to apply to become one) get FREE summer housing! Had I known that BEFORE I renewed, I wouldn't have bothered with all this hogwash and I'd have one less thing to worry about this summer. Grrr.
My only problem is that Nate's spending spring break building homes for Katrina victims, and he wants me to come. I really think it'll be an amazing and truly rewarding experience (and an interesting article to boot), but I honestly don't think I can afford it. Currently the price is $75 for the whole week (I think we have to pay for meals though), but it soon will jump to $125. Seventy-five dollars doesn't seem like much, but that's almost (I'm afraid to admit) a week's pay, and when it comes to financing my summer I'm getting down to nickels and dimes to afford it. I just don't think it's too feasible right now. I hate turning it down, but it looks like I don't have much of a choice.
I know I could always get a loan, but since I didn't file a FAFSA last year, I'm not eligible for Stafford or anything. I'd have to get a regular bank loan, and I made one promise to myself: I want, at all costs, to graduate from college debt-free. That's one reason I chose USF over UF, and so far so good. I just hope I can keep this going.