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The Battalion
Page 3 • Monday, February 23»
n
Show me the money
an effort to save money, students learn different ways to scrimp and save
;ctricity, Internet and credit cards,” Calhoun lone as I can. It is just more
By Tori Foster
THE BATTALION
When the thermostat in Candice Manila’s house
icginstodrop in the winter, it means that it is time to
nt on more clothes and pile on the blankets.
college students such as Matula are learning
ways to save money and prioritize on tight budgets as
Jiey fight to achieve a higher education.
“Tosave money, my roommate, Kara, and I don’t use
iaccefti theater, and live in blankets,” said Matula, a freshman
in Aug sychology major. "In the fall and spring when it is pret-
youtside, we just leave the air off and open the win-
lows. This cuts out a lot on costs."
’s parents began a savings account for her
aragetii] then she was young so she w ould have the opportunity
logo to college.
“They have saved up just enough money to get me
gMl Irough four years, so I can’t be on the five- or six-year
edit
prefeo
't casli
irmit
argei
ge
, ca |jfograni, or I will have to take out a student loan,”
said. "All my living expenses come out of my
it my parents have saved up, so I have to be fru-
redT ^causeonce the money is gone, it’s gone.”
While her parents do pay for most of her school and
Ivingexpenses, Matula works during the summer to try
mdhelp out with the finances.
Twill work in the summer and put the money in sav
ings to help with the bills and other things that come up
oughout the school year." Matula said.
For Stacey Calhoun, her second semester of college
isnon-stop, on-the-go as she works part-time and goes
toschool full-time.
work about 20 to 25 hours a w ; eek,” said
m, a freshman English major. “I know I could
mi more, but I still want to have a life and time to
stinly. Iwork to pay bills and for a little spending
money.Pretty much all of my money goes toward bills
mil food.”
Calhoun shares an apartment w'ith her boyfriend,
mhoalsohelps with the monthly bills.
“Hepaysthe full rent, and I just pick up the few other
bills like electricity, Internet and credit cards,” Calhoun
said. “We try and split the groceries, but he mostly buys
those too. We help each other out a lot money wise;
we’re a good team.”
Learning how to handle money was nothing new to
Calhoun when she came to college.
“My mom let me open my own checking account
when I was 16, and I also got my first job )at the same
time),” Calhoun said. “She told me that anything extra I
wanted I had to pay for. That really helped me learn
early to manage my money.”
Even though Calhoun’s mom is a single mother, she
tries to help her daughter out whenever she can.
"She does little things like paying to get my cat fixed
or sending me a check in the mail when I’m short one
month,” Calhoun said. "She pays my car payment and
insurance, which saves me because I never could do it
without her help.”
Calhoun said that as soon as she can, she will try to
pay her mother back.
"She has a tab on me that I really need to start pay
ing, but she understands how hard things are sometimes,
and she doesn't expect me to pay her back right away,”
Calhoun said.
Learning to live on a budget was not something
Michael McCullough gradually learned to do when
he came to college.
“I lived in an apartment by myself my fresh
man year, and so I had to dive right in on
the responsibilities of paying rent and
bills,” said McCullough, a senior . ^
journalism major. “I actually think I "
handled it better when I felt the pres
sure of getting stuff in on time. I had to ' v -
learn to do it because there was no one there
to hold my hand, so I got it done.”
McCullough said his way of saving money is to avoid
going to restaurants and to let the College Station
weather dictate the temperature in his home.
“I try to buy as much at the grocery store that I can,”
McCullough said. “Eating out is so expensive and bums
a hole in my wallet, so I need to live off groceries for as
long as I can. It is just more
cost-efficient.”
Living on a limited sup
ply of money has meant
that McCullough has had
to decide what extrava
gances he would allow
himself to buy.
“I spend my own person
al money on toys for
myself,” McCullough said. “I
love playing music, and so I
sometimes hunt through
Ebay for guitar equipment
pedals and other things
I guess if I had a girl
friend she would be
an extravagance
worth investing in,
but since I don’t, I
will continue to
buy things for
myself.”
See Save on page 4
Rylie Deyoe • THE BATTALION
lives will be saved
if you do NOTHING
African Americans are at risk for illnesses that can lead to the
need for an organ transplant, such as high blood pressure
diabetes, and heart disease. Of the patients awaiting a kidney
transplant, 35% are African American. Transplant success Y
increases when organs are matched between people of the
same racial and ethnic group. You can help by becoming an
organ and tissue donor and talking to your family about vour
decision.
Come talk to us at the MSC or the Blocker
Building on March 11 from 10am-3pm.
GET THE FACTS
■
TELL YOUR FAMILY
fra
Organ Donor
Card
TjjjjjuqiV
m
For more information:
www.donorworld.com
www.organ.org
TOLL FREE 1.800.788.8058
http://www.shareyourlife.org/africanamerican
» mu f amity about organ
\\^ty n ^oX9-gana and tissue.
Date.
conwnm.nUobeWjadonor