Life After College: Making Sacrifices

January 19, 2010 Posted in Entertainment, HaHa, Reality

Woo! $1.00 off when you buy 12 cans of expired tuna!

Being an adult means making a lot of sacrifices. It’s about saying no to a dinner party because you can’t afford to bring more than stale bread ends. It’s about turning down movie offers because it costs 5 billion dollars to buy a ticket in NYC (and god forbid you want to see IMAX…bye bye, life savings!). And most unfortunately, it’s about buying store brands because you can’t justify shelling out for brand name mustard.

By Jenni

When I was younger (I’m referring to just a year ago) I would throw an absolute hissy fit in the grocery store if my mother even thought about buying non-organic eggs or frozen vegetables. The horror! I logically compared her buying non-free-range chicken to her murdering me in my sleep. But now I’m the one cruising the supermarket with a fistful of coupons and determination not to spend more than necessary. And if that means buying pre-opened food, cans with puncture holes, and expired meats on a discount, so be it. Like I said, it’s all about sacrifices. Like staying in on Saturday night because you have food poisoning from eating year-old salmon.

Penny pinching is one of my least favorite activities. It falls right between having to Google pregnancy symptoms and watching previews for Cougar Town. Yet the longer I’m out of school and the longer I go without finding out I inherited a fortune from a distant relative, the stingier I get. I practically fight over pennies on the street with homeless people. And that’s a new low.

Even for me.

I’m trying really hard to work on striking up a balance for myself. Like if I eat peanut butter crackers for a week for dinner, then I can treat myself by actually going out to dinner one night. But at the same time, I’m not getting out of control. By dinner I mean a side salad, an ice water, and a complimentary mint.

If I could go back in time and tell myself one thing when I was a college senior, it would be “You’re going to be poor so spend your drink money on lottery tickets and improve your pickpocketing skills.” But I can’t go back in time, because I depleted my Time Machine Fund on a ticket to see Avatar in IMAX. So now I’m stuck here in the present time, clipping coupons and eating old meat and wearing “irregular” socks under my faux Uggs.

5138410 CommentsLife+After+College%3A+Making+Sacrifices2010-01-19+19%3A00%3A36Jenni+-+Syracuse on "Life After College: Making Sacrifices"

Linda says:
Tue, 19th Jan 20109:53 am

Hahaha, I LOVED this. So true.

Needed the laugh, thanks.

holly says:
Tue, 19th Jan 201011:22 am

oh the 2 am/mid-class pregnancy symptoms google when you can't stop obsessing about it… definitely one of my least favorite activities! brilliant

Dia says:
Tue, 19th Jan 20101:19 pm

i live on my own too, freshman in college, but expenses paid by dear old mom and i whip out the coupons so fast. i dont care for getting things on discount, when i walk into a store i go straight to the clearance rack or if i see something for 88 bucks ill wait the next season or tewo and pray its in my size and get it for 10, even if it is summer and too hot to wear its those little things that are necessary

Sabrina says:
Tue, 19th Jan 20102:04 pm

I'm going to watch Avatar at IMAX tomorrow…I'm scared now. haha

nicole says:
Tue, 19th Jan 20102:41 pm

That's how life after college is for me. I'm happy when I get a free meal, even if it's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Tamara says:
Wed, 20th Jan 20103:40 pm

I'm still in college, but I got a part time job and am starting to pay for my own things (some of them). I can't believe how expensive life is!!!!!!!!!!!I thought I was making good money until I realized it was just enough to take care of my going-out and school expenses (not for food, not for health, not even for the gym).

Margo M says:
Sun, 24th Jan 20102:25 pm

I have to say that I paid a lot of my own stuff in college–but when I moved out from my quaint college town, I learned that life was WAY more expensive.

I stay away from my favorite foods if they are overpriced. I cook at home and eat as much as possible…so that I waste less. Now every piece of clothing that I buy is not accompanied by "needed" accessories. I am also paying off my credit cards.

Lauren says:
Wed, 10th Feb 201010:29 pm

Oh my gosh, this article made me laugh so hard I thought I was going to pee on myself! You're a talented writer, very relatable and hilarious.

Keep up the great work!

Jessica says:
Thu, 17th Jun 20105:36 pm

It's nice to know some else is riding the broke wagon as well. It seems everyone's carrying around a Starbucks coffee and sporting their newest Coach bag. I'm like where the hell are you people getting the money to do that?

mona says:
Wed, 30th Jun 20102:43 am

<3 so tru

loved it

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