I may have mentioned before that I have been tasked with researching financial literacy programs and resources for college students and beginning the process of developing a program and iniatives tailored to Ole Miss students and alumni. This is a daunting task. There are so many questions to answer...what should we be teaching? How can we format it so that there's at least a CHANCE it'll sink in? How should it be organized?
So, just for research purposes, I thought I'd ask anyone who has a minute to answer a couple of questions for me. Feel free to answer in the form of a comment, or if you'd rather not share with everyone, just shoot me an email.
1. What do you wish you'd been told about financial aid or finances in general when you were an entering freshman? (Examples might be "what interest on a loan is," or "how the debt I'm taking out now will affect purchases I'll want to make in the future, like a home or a car," etc.)
2. How do you think an instructor could have given you the above information so that you'd actually pay attention and digest it?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Sunday, July 12, 2009
the b word...
No, not that one. I'm talking about....dum dum DUM...a budget. As in, starting in August, I am going to begin following one. I'm sure this will provide a whole new world of topics to blog about, so hopefully you'll bear with me.
At present, the only "budget" that I keep is basically as follows: I get paid twice a month. And twice a month, I pay half of my monthly rent, bills, and expenses. Then I just...live. I buy groceries. I go to lunch with friends. I gas up my car for a weekend trip to Florence. I buy the odd item of clothing. I don't spend like crazy...at the grocery store I often avoid the expensive cheeses. I go out with a friend and order a beer instead of a glass of wine or a martini. I browse a clothing website and then steer myself to navigate away from it without placing an order. More often that not I'm relatively pleased with the amount of money left at the end of the two weeks. But I don't have a PLAN.
So I was inspired today during a long drive with a friend. Char has, from a financial standpoint (among others), always impressed me. She went to college with very little outside assistance. She needed her financial aid, and very rarely did she abuse it. Given the option between a part time job or another loan, she chose the job. When it came to using a credit card, Char treated it just like a checking account, never charging more money than she would have available to pay at the end of the month. When we graduated from college, Char seemed to have her student loans paid off in no time. And for the past several months, she and her hubby have dutifully followed a very specific budget.
In Charlotte's budget, if you habitually spend money on something once a month, every three months, etc....there's an allotment for it. And that six pack of beer? That's not groceries, that's entertainment. There's no sliding things that have fuzzy lines into larger chunks of the budget.
This does not sound fun to me. In fact, this sounds like something that requires a dreadful amount of time and attention and THOUGHT. I mounted a fierce attempt to poke holes in my friend's reasoning during our trip. But it's so much harder to grocery shop for one person! And I'm in a long distance relationship, so since we only see each other on the weekends, it's important for our relationship to make those weekends special (aka, often expensive). I can't really just create ONE budget that works for me all year long, because I spend more and less depending on what I'm involved in during various parts of the year. Char calmly and patiently shot down every excuse I provided. Because, yes, that's what they are. Excuses. I CAN figure out a realistic grocery budget for one person, I just have to take the time to pay attention to what I'm buying, how long it lasts, and how much it all costs. And yes, of course my weekend time with the fella is special, but it's special because it's the time we get to have together, not because we go out to eat multiple times/stay at the bar longer than we intend to/convince each other that it's really OK to buy those sunglasses, that scarf, that CD. It's no less special when we buy a bottle of cheap wine, cook an inexpensive dinner at home, and just hang out on the porch listening to music and talking. And finally, yes, it's definitely true that I spend more at certain times of the year...like on presents for family and friends at Christmas, and less at others, like groceries during football season (hosting a house full of football fans is beneficial when they tend to leave copious amounts of tasty leftovers from the Grove). As Char pointed out, that's the beauty of the budget. During the easier months, you hopefully wind up with surpluses in one or two categories. Those surpluses can then be tucked away to get you through the more expensive times, or put on top of debt based monthly payments.
In the end...Char wins. She'll be sending along her handy-dandy Excel worksheet, and I'll be starting a new punishment...I mean, project...
I'll keep you posted.
At present, the only "budget" that I keep is basically as follows: I get paid twice a month. And twice a month, I pay half of my monthly rent, bills, and expenses. Then I just...live. I buy groceries. I go to lunch with friends. I gas up my car for a weekend trip to Florence. I buy the odd item of clothing. I don't spend like crazy...at the grocery store I often avoid the expensive cheeses. I go out with a friend and order a beer instead of a glass of wine or a martini. I browse a clothing website and then steer myself to navigate away from it without placing an order. More often that not I'm relatively pleased with the amount of money left at the end of the two weeks. But I don't have a PLAN.
So I was inspired today during a long drive with a friend. Char has, from a financial standpoint (among others), always impressed me. She went to college with very little outside assistance. She needed her financial aid, and very rarely did she abuse it. Given the option between a part time job or another loan, she chose the job. When it came to using a credit card, Char treated it just like a checking account, never charging more money than she would have available to pay at the end of the month. When we graduated from college, Char seemed to have her student loans paid off in no time. And for the past several months, she and her hubby have dutifully followed a very specific budget.
In Charlotte's budget, if you habitually spend money on something once a month, every three months, etc....there's an allotment for it. And that six pack of beer? That's not groceries, that's entertainment. There's no sliding things that have fuzzy lines into larger chunks of the budget.
This does not sound fun to me. In fact, this sounds like something that requires a dreadful amount of time and attention and THOUGHT. I mounted a fierce attempt to poke holes in my friend's reasoning during our trip. But it's so much harder to grocery shop for one person! And I'm in a long distance relationship, so since we only see each other on the weekends, it's important for our relationship to make those weekends special (aka, often expensive). I can't really just create ONE budget that works for me all year long, because I spend more and less depending on what I'm involved in during various parts of the year. Char calmly and patiently shot down every excuse I provided. Because, yes, that's what they are. Excuses. I CAN figure out a realistic grocery budget for one person, I just have to take the time to pay attention to what I'm buying, how long it lasts, and how much it all costs. And yes, of course my weekend time with the fella is special, but it's special because it's the time we get to have together, not because we go out to eat multiple times/stay at the bar longer than we intend to/convince each other that it's really OK to buy those sunglasses, that scarf, that CD. It's no less special when we buy a bottle of cheap wine, cook an inexpensive dinner at home, and just hang out on the porch listening to music and talking. And finally, yes, it's definitely true that I spend more at certain times of the year...like on presents for family and friends at Christmas, and less at others, like groceries during football season (hosting a house full of football fans is beneficial when they tend to leave copious amounts of tasty leftovers from the Grove). As Char pointed out, that's the beauty of the budget. During the easier months, you hopefully wind up with surpluses in one or two categories. Those surpluses can then be tucked away to get you through the more expensive times, or put on top of debt based monthly payments.
In the end...Char wins. She'll be sending along her handy-dandy Excel worksheet, and I'll be starting a new punishment...I mean, project...
I'll keep you posted.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
a couple of websites peeerfect for wasting some time and having some laughs.
These two sites are my go-to for a quick minute of stress relief and buoyancy in the middle of a stressful day. After all, what's funnier than stuff that white people like or hipsters?
Stuff White People Like
Look At This F***ing Hipster
Stuff White People Like
Look At This F***ing Hipster
Monday, July 6, 2009
my new favorite spot on campus.
Today my friend Tayla asked if I wanted to try out the new Einstein Bros. Bagels in Anderson Hall. I'm a food and coffee junkie, so I readily agreed. I really didn't know what to expect, since I've never been to an Einstein Bros. before. I did know that I often find myself at work hungry at mid-morning and desperately needing something filling and savory. The Java City coffee shop in the Library is great, but as far as morning fare goes, you're pretty much limited to muffins, a few stray pastries, and the occasional dry plain bagel. When I've reached that stomach rumbling, not-going-to-get-through-this-meeting-without-a-fix, can't focus for lack of sustenance state....a smallish slightly stale danish just isn't going to cut it. So obviously I had a wealth of hopeful expectations as I headed down the sidewalk with Tayla.
I was definitely not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I'm now a little dismayed by how close this cute little shop is to my office...because upon entering I found a pleasant little spot tucked away in the Engineering building and STOCKED with every savory and sweet treat imagineable for a hungry girl in search of a hearty breakfast. Even super fresh looking large fruit cups and yogurt parfaits! Nice healthy option....but instead I went with an Asiago bagel with garden veggie cream cheese. And it was totally worth the calorie splurge. I also love the variety of coffee drinks, and especially the self serve coffee station. I will definitely be back in the near future to try a wrap or salad for lunch....
So if you're a regular on campus....you should most definitely head on over.
I was definitely not disappointed. As a matter of fact, I'm now a little dismayed by how close this cute little shop is to my office...because upon entering I found a pleasant little spot tucked away in the Engineering building and STOCKED with every savory and sweet treat imagineable for a hungry girl in search of a hearty breakfast. Even super fresh looking large fruit cups and yogurt parfaits! Nice healthy option....but instead I went with an Asiago bagel with garden veggie cream cheese. And it was totally worth the calorie splurge. I also love the variety of coffee drinks, and especially the self serve coffee station. I will definitely be back in the near future to try a wrap or salad for lunch....
So if you're a regular on campus....you should most definitely head on over.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
you must be joking me.
A while back my fella mentioned a movie he had paused on during some bored late night channel surfing. Idiocracy, featuring Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph (on an unrelated note, who else REALLY wants to see Away We Go?). In the movie the characters are part of a government "hibernation" program in which they wind up sleeping for 500 years, only to awaken and find an America that has grown stunningly and ridiculously stupid.
The movie isn't great, but the point is uncomfortably...probable. Part of my job in the Office of Financial Aid involves reading written appeals submitted by students who have been placed on financial aid suspension, mostly due to some truly miserable grade point averages. I'm usually horrified by the writing skills I encounter from students who have acquired well above freshman standing. Students who graduated from high school. Students who passed freshman comp. Who is passing these students? And what's going to happen when they get into the real world? How will they cope?
Well, based on Pizza Hut's apparent new plan to re-brand...just fine. It's hoped that this new design will appeal to the "texting generation." Or, you know, the generation who can't bother with the time to write things out.
See for yourself and tell me what you think...
The movie isn't great, but the point is uncomfortably...probable. Part of my job in the Office of Financial Aid involves reading written appeals submitted by students who have been placed on financial aid suspension, mostly due to some truly miserable grade point averages. I'm usually horrified by the writing skills I encounter from students who have acquired well above freshman standing. Students who graduated from high school. Students who passed freshman comp. Who is passing these students? And what's going to happen when they get into the real world? How will they cope?
Well, based on Pizza Hut's apparent new plan to re-brand...just fine. It's hoped that this new design will appeal to the "texting generation." Or, you know, the generation who can't bother with the time to write things out.
See for yourself and tell me what you think...
Monday, June 15, 2009
one hurtin' pup.
It's a little bit alarming how stealthily and sneakily your youth can get away from you. Not to say that I'm OLD. I'm not, especially by modern standards. But here, in this no man's land between college graduation and full blown adulthood, with PTA and retirement plans and kitchen renovations and such...that's where your youth seems to find the perfect environment to make a break for it. Why am I writing this today? Well, mainly because I woke up unable to trek much further than the distance from my bed to my couch due to back pain, and find myself home from work, trying to figure out whether said back pain is the result of playing tug with my dog or from being certain that I could tote my heavy load of groceries in one trip rather than two. And also, incidentally, trying to decide which of those causes would be more pathetic. I'm prone to blaming it on the dog.
Anyway. Perhaps you don't acutely notice the signs because mentally, you still FEEL young. I do. Yes, I want those adult things, and some of them I already have. But I still FEEL like Katie at Ole Miss, who goes to rock shows and eats out with friends and plans vacation trips and gets excited about something new and cute to wear to the Grove (though thankfully, that something no longer involves quite as much effort or sparkle as it did in undergrad). But lately, in a personal world where I've gotten a little more reality than I'd like, I've started to slowly grow aware of some things that are missing...things that used to be givens for me. I can no longer spring up from an Indian style position on the floor. Just one extra beer or glass of wine can suddenly lead to a massive hangover...and that one extra is tacked on to an overall tally that is CONSIDERABLY diminished from my undergrad or law school days. A day at work in shoes that aren't super comfy or supremely broken in leads to unavoidable pain by 5 p.m., and even a day out at Double Decker in flat sandals leaves me with sore ankles and calves. And a late night out for a concert or gathering on a week night? Yeah. If it means that I'll be showing up at work on less than six hours of sleep, it's probably not going to happen.
When I look at all of these little signs amassed together, it's shocking. The only conclusion I can reach is that I've let myself get old. I've LET these things slip away, or build up, or what have you. I've eased into an everyday life where I am so sedentary and such a procrastinator that these things are inevitable. I guess the good news is that a lot of this "youth" can be reclaimed. I know many people much older than I am who don't seem to have all these issues. They walk, they eat healthy, they play tennis, they do yoga. I may never be able to work with 100% productivity on less than six hours of sleep ever again, and that's OK. But I'm not going to accept the fact that I'm just too old to enjoy a long day walking around at a festival.
So the question becomes...where to start?
Anyway. Perhaps you don't acutely notice the signs because mentally, you still FEEL young. I do. Yes, I want those adult things, and some of them I already have. But I still FEEL like Katie at Ole Miss, who goes to rock shows and eats out with friends and plans vacation trips and gets excited about something new and cute to wear to the Grove (though thankfully, that something no longer involves quite as much effort or sparkle as it did in undergrad). But lately, in a personal world where I've gotten a little more reality than I'd like, I've started to slowly grow aware of some things that are missing...things that used to be givens for me. I can no longer spring up from an Indian style position on the floor. Just one extra beer or glass of wine can suddenly lead to a massive hangover...and that one extra is tacked on to an overall tally that is CONSIDERABLY diminished from my undergrad or law school days. A day at work in shoes that aren't super comfy or supremely broken in leads to unavoidable pain by 5 p.m., and even a day out at Double Decker in flat sandals leaves me with sore ankles and calves. And a late night out for a concert or gathering on a week night? Yeah. If it means that I'll be showing up at work on less than six hours of sleep, it's probably not going to happen.
When I look at all of these little signs amassed together, it's shocking. The only conclusion I can reach is that I've let myself get old. I've LET these things slip away, or build up, or what have you. I've eased into an everyday life where I am so sedentary and such a procrastinator that these things are inevitable. I guess the good news is that a lot of this "youth" can be reclaimed. I know many people much older than I am who don't seem to have all these issues. They walk, they eat healthy, they play tennis, they do yoga. I may never be able to work with 100% productivity on less than six hours of sleep ever again, and that's OK. But I'm not going to accept the fact that I'm just too old to enjoy a long day walking around at a festival.
So the question becomes...where to start?
Saturday, June 13, 2009
too many good things.
Oxford continues to draw in absolutely fantastic opportunities for entertainment. And I LOVE David Sedaris. Of course I do. So why am I not just blathering on about how GREAT it will be to see him live? Because there's another thing that I really, really, truly love. And that's Ole Miss Football. Which poses a problem, since October 10th in Oxford, Mississippi will not just revolve around an Evening with David Sedaris, but also around the Ole Miss-Alabama football game. Which is, as of yet, to be announced time-wise. In a perfect world, the game will be at one p.m., followed by dinner and a couple of (celebratory, I desperately hope) drinks in the Grove, and then a nice stroll down to the Ford Center for a a belly full of laughs. In reality...well, some people are going to have a tough decision to make. And something tells me (I'm so sorry, David) that if that's the case...I'll be hawking two David Sedaris tickets. Hey, we all have our priorities.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)