Feeling the pinch
I'm so poor! I knew that being a student would mean delaying the high-life for a few years, but this poverty is ridiculous! I'm not used to it. It's driving me crazy! I can't go out, can't buy any new clothes or CD's; can't go to concerts or the cinema. Hell, I can't even buy the food I like - I've been living off beans for I daren't think how long. It's got to stop I tell you!
So, the first thing I did was go and get myself a part time job. Nothing fancy (and neither is the pay), but it keeps my in britches, as my mom might say. Still, the pay's pretty bad, and I can't work that much due to study, so it doesn't solve the problem outright. I started looking at ways of making a subtle difference. Like things I might spend money on but don't have to (despite what I said above, food is something I enjoy a little too much…), things I could maybe sell (not much there, although some old books and CD's I don't listen to anymore maybe); and also some potential ways of saving more.
One way in particular my friend told me about was looking closely at the way you bank. Not that there's much money going in (too much coming out!), but what mom and dad send to help out (much appreciated) should be able to garner a little interest for the period it stays there. So, I've opened a savings account and, although it seems a little loopy with what I've been saying, I'm putting somemoney in there every month. It's a really great incentive for being that little bit more frugal, and it really doesn't have to be much. I'm ony putting ten dollars a month in, but even that is enough to start things going. It's got a really high interest rate, so I know it's growing all the time! Which is nice.
I also checked out how good my current account was in terms of interest and flexibility and realised that it was really bad! I'd had the same account since I was like 12, and I'd never even thought of changing. That is, til now. I had a shop around and discovered some current accounts that have nearly three times the amount of interest than my old one! So I switched! Simple. Anyway, none of this is going to make me rich, but it does make me feel like I'm not just pouring my money down the drain.