It's coming, are you ready ?!?

You know it's gonna come.  You have watched it happen for years to other people, and you think you know what to do when it happens.  You think you are prepared, but you are not.  It will hit you out of left field and next thing you know you are fully immersed in it.  What is it you ask?  It's life, and it's is coming full steam ahead.  Are you ready for it?  That is a rhetorical question cause i know you aren't.  So let me give you some advice from someone that's been hit in the face with it and fell flat.

At one point in my life I was a young college student (freaky, I know) and my focus was on school, friends, family and church.  My life was pretty even kill.  I paid for school, lived at home and abroad.  Had a car. Worked, you know the basics. I had everything under control.  But with one fall swoop of the Grim Reaper's scythe, my life was drastically changed.  If someone had told me all that went into the process of keeping myself financially sound, maybe my results would have been different.  There were things that I was now in charge of like house payments, homeowners insurance, life insurance policies, electric, water, gas.  Every thing came down at once, and every one wanted money I didn't have.  I failed miserably, but in my failure I learned a lot.

One of the things might sound like an old cliche but here it is.  Its never too early to start planning your future.  I know that my case is somewhat dramatic, but there are plenty other natural and unnatural disasters (MIP's, anyone?) that can throw you into financial uncertainty.  You need certain fall back plans.  The reality of being a student now is that most of us work. We have certain expenses like rent, tuition, car insurance to pay.  You work to pay your bills, your tithes (if you pay those, some people don't), and you extracurricular activities, but how about paying yourself?  I mean its your money, so why not put some away for yourself?  You never know what may happen, its good to have a savings nest egg. 

Basically for ever pay period you have take out 20 dollars on the net, or 10% of anything over $200.  Have it either debited out of your direct deposit or when you take your check to your bank cash it and put the money aside.  Let it collect in a savings account with no debit card.  I repeat NO DEBIT CARD!  This will enforce three things in you, Discipline, because you have to make a concerted effort, Budgeting, cause you have less disposable income, and creativity, because..... well you don't have 20 bones for a movie so you better learn how to enjoy sock puppet theater. Lets be honest, a nest egg is good to have if maybe you break your foot, or get laid off, or didn't quite wobble home before mister police officer could stop you wandering down the street.  You will be glad you had that savings.

Another helpful thing, and I know this may be difficult for some, but invest in a mini-fridge and some cooking skills. Nationally, students spend about 11 billion dollars on snack food and beverages a year.  The trend at studentuniversity.com is that even student on meal plans spend more disposable income on fast food.  A quarter-pounder extra value meal is about 4.75 in Logan Utah.  For less than 16.00 bucks (4 trips to McDonalds)  you could wrap out about 16 extra value meals.  I'm not a math wiz by any means, but that about a buck a meal.  Plus cooking can be a cheap social activity that everyone can get into.  See new ideas for the people putting the money back. ehh, ehh?

Finally,  something you may not ever think of, and let me apologize before hand if it seems morbid, but life insurance.  In the case that the Grim Reaper swings his scythe your direction early on, those little policies that your mom and dad have may not be enough to cover all of your expenses.  Investigate how much you really need to take care of all of your needs you will find that monthly coverage with a good plan will cost you are the family less than you think.  Then take it to your families to investigate.  They just might think you are getting something out of this college experience and throw more money your way.  Can you say Las Vegas anyone?

This isn't a perfect science, and I mess up all the time, but it's something to try to prepare yourself for the real world.  Isn't it worth it to gve yourself a fighting chance in this crazy economic world?  Either way you look at it,  Nathan Christensen still had to read this blog.  What up NATE!!!!