Two Months In: Budgeting, Romance, and Squirrels

Squirrels are so cute. Am I right?

Hello! I hope y'all are having a good day! I've been having a crazy hectic week (and next week is not much better) so please understand why this post is so late! It's another round of midterms and I've been occupied with a 10 page paper on philosophers. I'm not having a blast.

College has been a really great learning experience so far! I'm sort of getting the hang of becoming an individual. I have once again reached a point where I'm sleeping at like 2 in the morning... it's definitely a rough patch. College is not always like this! I have a few tips from the regrets of my college life (but never Smith. I am in love with Smith).

Budgeting

Let me just tell you how much I hate budgeting. It is literally the worst thing ever. I work tutoring kids and I make a decent  amount but no one would ever know because I spend that money so fast. October was just a terrible month where I spent more than humanly possible (okay not that much but I cried inside when I saw the little number on my mobile banking app). I went to 3 concerts, spent Fall Break in Boston, went on a shopping trip to Boston where I bought winter clothes/boots and some really nice sweaters. November will hopefully be a better month....Here are some tips to avoid bankruptcy, tips that I'm really bad at following.

1. Get a mobile banking/accounting app

This thing will literally save your butt and make you aware and sad at the same time.

2. Ask yourself if you absolutely NEED it

The answer is almost always yes, but you know it doesn't hurt to ask yourself and really think hard about it.

3. Do not repress yourself too hard core

I've learned that if I don't buy anything, I get really upset and start going on a buying rampage... don't let yourself get to that point.

4. Set a practical budget

"I will not buy anything "is not a practical budget. I have decided I can buy two big purchases (a nice sweater, some makeup, a pair of kick ass platform boots that I fell in love with, art supplies), eat out twice, and buy 3 small things ($10 or less) in one month. It's much easier for me to see money as tangible objects instead of setting a monetary limit.

Romance

I go to a women's college. This is not to say I don't have any romance in my life. Although I don't go on cute dates in Northampton where everything seriously looks like a scene of some insanely hipster movie (hopefully this will change), it's not THAT hard to meet guys if you really want to. On Halloween weekend, my house had it's only annual house party that is open to everyone on Smith campus and the other four colleges next to Smith. Guys come and I'll just leave my personal life at that. I don't really know how to meet any decent guys though. Guys you meet at parties are well... guys you meet at parties. I'm really not looking to have a one night stand with some frat guy too drunk to function/remember anything. There is this one person in my house who is from England and her boyfriend is from Norway and he FLEW ALL THE WAY TO SMITH just to see her. I want that kind of long term commitment where you really are in love with someone. I've just recently learned that while making out with a random guy is fun in the moment (here is my personal life again haha), it leaves you with such an empty feeling afterwards. I don't expect to repeat the same genuine feelings that I had in my first relationship just because it was both of our first times having a real relationship. This kind of love is more genuine and innocent as you get to know someone while exploring your own boundaries and individual motivations. Guys in college parties don't really care about who you are as a person, not so much as your name, as long as you're entertaining enough. So basically, I'm so single I don't even know how to describe it.

Squirrels

The squirrels make everything better. I cannot get over them. I just want to keep all of them and be their friend and ahhhh. Also random tangent. Today my house had a fire evacuation ( I was not present for this) because some person left a hot pocket in the microwave so long that it caught on fire... don't be that person.