Update

Long time, no see. Junior year is trying it's darnedest to kick my behind! I have Some good news, and bad news.

Good News:

• I have a three-digit amount in my savings!
• I've learned how to effectively buy healthy food at a low cost

Bad News:

• I got fired. (Which is sort of good news, because I HATED my job and I have loads of time to cook and read, which I missed)
• I haven't been tithing consistently. I got back on track yesterday, but I still feel a bit guilty about not trusting god with my finances. 

Yes!

Yesterday all I had was a frozen chicken pot pie and $3.09 to my name. But, today...today was PAYDAYYYYYYY!

Today I also received a surprise... a SCHOLARSHIP!

Daddy (that's what I call God sometimes) takes care of his girl!

#tbt

If you are not familiar with the beloved hashtag, #tbt, allow me to explain:

TBT is an acronym for "throwback Thursday". It is a phrase used by instagrammers and tweeters alike to commemorate a moment of yesteryear... (For some, this is translated as last week, but I digress).

So here's my #tbt:
#tbt to the time when I used to pray for God to send me a husband that was good with money, and would keep his family financially stable.

Who ever heard of depending on someone who hasn't even appeared?! Now, before I continue, I just want to say: I am NOT a gold digger. I do, however, believe in traditional gender roles. And since I do believe the man should be the leader of the household, I will continue to pray that my future husband is wise in all his ways, including in his/our finances.

In addition to that prayer, I have started adding the following:

• That God will give me the wisdom to save more than I spend
• That I get debt free, so that I am not carrying a burden that hinders me or my family

That's all for now.

Side note: to my future hubby: Hey Boo! 😍😘😜

Help

I. Am. STARVING.

OhhhhhmyyyyGoshhhh.

Literally I have a headache the size of Montanta, and I am ridiculously irritable.

Not only did I skip breakfast, I will be at school past 8 pm. All I have is a frozen chicken pot pie. My rationale is to save it for later so that I will be less hungry during my meeting and classes tonight.

I usually have a couple snacks with me, or at least some money to buy food, but I currently have $3.09 in my account. I would use that, but I have to catch a train home, and that costs $2.50.

I am just soooo tired of being broke. This is not cute. Payday tomorrow.

That Awkward Moment When

This morning I sheepishly asked my mother, "Can we drive into downtown today?" I have about seven dollars in my checking account. When you throw in the whopping 3 bucks I have in my savings account, I'm rolling in my $10 fortune. HASHTAG: thestruggleisreal HASHTAG: brokecollegestudent.

My mom was livid...she also casually threw in the fact that my money habits disgusted her. (And everyone wonders where my over exaggerated antics come from.) She went on to demand that I attend offer to pay for a Dave Ramsey class, which I'm terribly jolly about. (Editor's Note: I love Downton Abbey, and I will regularly pay homage to the beloved British drama by including bits of early 20th century jargon.) But honestly, I am very excited about getting my financial life back on track....and  of course sharing my experiences on SCH.

But back to the awkward part.... Do you know how embarrassing it is to be a 20 year old and have $10 to my name? I feel like I'm George Bailey in It's A Wonderful Life when he's told that he's worth more dead than alive. If you have no idea what I'm referring to, PUH-LEEEEZE  watch this movie! But that's the thing. I'm not a star in a 1940s Christmas classic, and my life is not a dream that I can just wake up from. I've made a mess, and now I have to find a way to not only sweep away the sand from the porch, but find a way to not track that sand into the house.

Sand in between my Nose: How ignorance suffocated my financial progress

Deciding to take my head out of the sand was not easy. For years not knowing the extent of my financial decline was fine by me. So what snapped me out of that mentality? Goals! With my head buried, I couldn't see what mistakes I was making and I ignored their effects. I was ok with that. But what I also couldn't see was how I was going to achieve my goals for the future. Like many, I thought I would just figure it out when I got there. Here's the story of how I got there and found myself  unprepared.
Like most college students, I am busy. And I'm not just saying that in that whiney, bragging way us 90s babies seem to do so well. I am a 6 classes having, part-time job working, SGA senator, who also juggles responsibilities between church and home. I have never been this busy in my life! And for the first time in my life my schedule doesn't coincide with my mom's. Let me explain why that's important...
My mom and I have shared a car since I got my license at 17. In high school, her job was on the way to school. So I would drop her off, and drive the rest of the way to school. The same was true for college. Only this time my mom would drop me off and then continue her commute to work. When I transferred to another college that literally surrounds my job, I struck gold! In the mornings, we would pull into my mom's job's parking deck and I could take one of the shuttles to class. Well, those days are over. Days start with an 8 am class, and can end at 6:45 pm(best case scenario)...or 10:30 pm.

With all of this in mind, I realized that I couldn't depend on my mom for transportation as I had in the past. I also concluded that MARTA, Atlanta's public transportation system, would not yield any benefits to me as the train comes slower, and gets more dangerous, as the night rolls on. Naturally, I need a car. Here's where it gets interesting.

A decent car (read: 100k+ miles, made 10 or more years ago) would cost me $3500-$4000 on a good day. Considering that I have $8.09 in my savings account, I clearly cannot pay for a car in cash. And though I haven't checked, I'm pretty sure that those $0 down, $100 a month deals are scams. So now I   find myself car-less, with a schedule that isn't easily accommodated by public transportation. I am sofa king screwed! What a wake up call! My previous decisions have prevented me from attaining something that I really need. What else will I need in the future, but won't be able to afford due to lack of discipline and irresponsibility? I can't afford to find out! And with that rationale, I have pulled  my head out of the sand. Now it's time to assess the damage.

What does Sand-Covered Head mean?

Have you ever heard the term "He buried his head in the sand?" It's actually an idiom that refers to the instinct of an ostrich when it sees danger. The ostrich literally places his head in the sand as he feels danger is approaching. Sounds silly, right? You would think that over the years evolution would tell ostriches to run (do ostriches fly?) away to safety or at least attempt to attack their predator (Angry Birds!). My lack of knowledge concerning ornithology aside, I know stupidity when I see it! And, my friends, I have been stupid with...(please treat every period of the ellipse as a 'dun') MY FINANCES.

Whew! Tell the truth, and shame the devil! The truth shall set you free!

That was more liberating than I expected! I've finally admitted, out loud, that I don't have it all together. I'm actually in a financial mess...at twenty. Yikes! But already I feel my head coming out of the sand. This blog was created to help me document my journey to financial freedom. I want money to be my friend, not my savior or flat-out enemy,as it has been in the past. As with most daunting projects I face, I want others to join me. I don't want to be the only one being financially fit in my 20s. I've heard it's lonely at the top.

Now I have not romanticized this journey in the least bit. This decision has come at a time when I have seemingly run out of jeans and cardigans, I need a new mattress, and I desperately need a car. I'm a student working a part-time at minimum-wage. I can't afford all of my wants with my "salary". I understand that there will be sacrifices and disappointments to come. But, in all honesty, I'd rather make the sacrifice of no spring break (#firstworldproblems) than to be disappointed when I am 27 with terrible credit and no savings.

So I'm going to learn how to attack my debt. I have to figure out why I have used money so poorly, and how I can change that. Hopefully, my growing pains inspire you to:

A. Not repeat my mistakes, and avoid those mistakes at ALL costs.
B. Join me in removing your head from the sand...and be proud of your SAND-COVERED HEAD!