It Doesn't Get More Frugal Than This...

Alright, so as things get closer to my entering graduate school and I am still working part-time, my budget has become even tighter. I am now operating on $10/week! Well, technically that’s my spending money, including charity. Basically it’s enough to do some couponing, go out to coffee with a friend, or do something else small to keep myself happy. I’ve also been very lucky with my expenses these past weeks, only spending $5/week and the rest going towards a planned expense. This goal is officially complete! I’m also spending a little under $10/week on gas (unless of course prices continue rising), and approx. $22/week on my train ticket (I buy a monthly pass for $89). So, I guess, technically, I’m spending more like $42/week. Overall, I’m willing to share that I make $18/hr before taxes, about $14/hr after, which comes out to be $471/week. Maybe someone can recommend a savings tracker that we could add to the blog to watch my savings grow. Any additional money that I come into probably won’t be much, the only foreseeable extra income will be $3 every so often from my participation in PineCone Research studies.
The rest of my money is getting stored away for graduate school or moving out. I say “or” because at this point I’m not so sure about going to grad school. I think in this economy it is wiser to be wherever I am employed full-time, whether that is up at school (if they give me a job) or here in CT if my boss can bring me on full-time later this year. Another way I’m looking at this from is that the field I want to go into (Museum Studies/Archiving) will probably be experiencing budget cuts as the recession continues, meaning fewer job openings, and people currently working in the field will be staying in their jobs longer instead of retiring, so that they can keep their benefits (darn you, Bush, and your Medicare reform!). The economy is a huge issue for undergraduate students, who more than ever this year are putting off college to save up money for a year (Boston Globe), so it’s surprising that the hardship for graduate students is receiving so little attention, since we are the segment of the student population who receive the least financial aid.
Good luck, femmes!
Ali
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