Best College Moves

There's another meme going around. This time, bloggers are sharing their best financial moves in college. Here's my story!

When I was a child, I wanted to be a veterinarian when I "grew up". Once the high school teen years hit, so did the hormones and some reality. I realized two things: 1) I wanted to be a stay-at-home mom someday and 2) veterinarians have about 8 years of schooling! Because of a love of organizing things, I settled on becoming an administrative assistant.

The first thing I did right in college was to go to the local technical college instead of a traditional 4-year college. I was near the top of my high school class, so many people thought I should go to a 4-year school and get a degree, even though I just wanted to be a secretary. I stuck to my guns and went into the administrative assistant program at the tech. I'm confident I would have ended up getting a job as a secretary in the end, anyway, so I'm glad I didn't waste my time and money on a college degree. Lesson #1: Go With Your Gut

The second thing I did right was to switch from a 2-year associates degree program to a 1-year technical diploma program after my first semester. At the time I was in college, the economy was booming. Jobs were easy to come by, and I already had a part time secretarial job in the evenings while I was in school. I quickly noticed that secretarial job postings cared just as much, if not more, about experience as education. My evening job was interested in taking me on full time, so I'd have no problem getting experience under my belt. I realized I could do just one year of schooling and very quickly have the 2-year minimum of experience that most employers wanted. That's what I did, and it has worked very well for me. Lesson #2: More schooling doesn't always mean more money and better jobs.

Obviously, a path of little post-high school education doesn't work for everyone. If your career interest only requires a technical school education, though, don't feel like you have to go to a 4-year college. Do what's right for you!

Also check out:
Mrs. Micah's meme
Cash Money Life's meme

The Budget-Busting Meme

I've noticed that there's a meme going around asking people to list their top 5 budget busters, so I thought I should join in the fun!

1. Vacations
Being newlyweds, my husband and I are still working on "frugalizing" our vacations (I think I just made up a word!). So far, our biggest issue seems to be that we vacation where friends are living and then take them out to eat. This is going to be our big expense with the vacation we're taking this weekend to Raleigh, NC and Washington DC. We'll be staying with a friend for two of the nights (which saves money), but we'll be going out to eat a lot more because of that. We're going to try to be a little more frugal than the last time we visited this friend. I'll let you know how it turns out!
Also at issue has been the number of vacations we've taken. We're working on that one, too. :)

2. Milk
My husband and I love milk, and we drink a lot of it. I buy about 4 gallons of milk a week just for the two of us! The good thing is that we drink less soda because of our love of milk. The bad thing is that milk is more expensive than soda. This is a budget buster I can live with since I'm pretty sure we'd drink more sugary drinks if we didn't give ourselves free rein with the milk.

3. Bath and Body Products
This one is all me. I like the Bath and Body Works shower gels, lotions, and hand soap that have the same scent, and Bath and Body Works isn't exactly the cheapest option out there! I combat this budget buster by trying to only buy what I need when I need it, and to watch for sales and coupons. I also add some water to the products when they near the empty mark to help them last longer.

4. Scrapbooking Supplies
Another one that is completely my fault! If I could own every scrapbooking sticker that Hobby Lobby sells, I probably would :) I try to keep this one under control by only going to Hobby Lobby when I need something in particular. I also try to go when the scrapbooking supplies are on sale.

5. Tools
Like many men, my husband loves his tools. We're working on a bathroom remodel, so we've bought quite a few tools since we've been married. The nice thing about tools is that once you have them, they should last a long time. I feel like we're in the "acquiring" stage now. I'm hoping we'll soon move to the "maintenance" stage of tool ownership. Considering the look of awe and wonder on my husband's face every time we walk past the tool section at Home Depot, that might be wishful thinking. ;)
I'm a very strong proponent of quality when it comes to tools, though. I always encourage my husband to buy the high quality tool once he's informed me that he can't possibly live without *insert tool here*. We also agree to have a large tool purchase (like a power tool) become his birthday or Christmas present to save some money (and frustration on my part). It works for us!

Here are some other answers to the budget-buster meme:
What Busts Mrs. Micah's Budget
Mommy Gets PAID's Budget Busters

Now it's your turn!