financial zen

Yes, I’m a college student. Still. Despite a myriad of classes and major changes, I have yet to attain that magical piece of paper that gives you credit in the real world… a degree!

What have I majored in you ask? Well sit right down and I’ll tell you a tale…
*Graphic Design at a Tech School (until the B.A. program they ‘offered’ disappeared my second quarter)
*Graphic Design at a Community College (it became a general Associate of Arts to Transfer to The University)
*Visual Communication at The University
Associate of Science with a focus on Finance at the local Community College to transfer to The University in about three or four quarters.

Now why am I not in the University, you ask?

MONEY! Let me explain something - I receive tuition reimbursement for all my classes - so they are paid for as long as I pass. So why not throw that “free” money to the well-known University? Because I can use more of the tuition reimbursement taking more (and cheaper) classes at the community college! I can drop two-thousand dollars (plus!) on a University education in one quarter, or I can drop one-thousand dollars on a quarter’s worth of community college classes - and yes, Virginia, they do transfer!

This is akin to investing - would you buy expensive because it’s expensive, or would you buy cheap because it’s comparable? When I graduate with a Bachelor’s in Finance, what will my paper say? “The University” - not “Transfered classes from this college to the University.”

For people looking at the big name education - this is really the way to go. Even better, for all you high-schoolers out there:
Post Secondary Option. I got started late on this because my counselor neglected to mention this to me, but dropped hints to other kids - so I jumped on that boat a little late and still managed to get a few classes taken care of in high school.

Free Education = Awesome Education. Cheaper Education = Better Investment. Transferring to a University to get that Bachelor’s after spending little to no money? Priceless.

Tricia (@ Blogging Away Debt) has a great article talking about MSN’s “Money trouble? It’s your own fault!”

She’s right, it reads like tough love - but one thing I think most people need to understand is that is what they (and their debt need) - a good ole’ kick to the head.

Placing blame won’t do anything except delay the inevitable. As I once read:
A young man will blame the world for his troubles, a smart man blames himself, a wise man blames no one.

People get too hung up on placing blame - on others, on themselves that they miss the whole issue - their is debt to resolve!

I once blamed the credit card lenders for preying on my ignorance - I realized it was my fault, and knocked my debt down and focused. Now, the majority of my debt is from a wedding, a honeymoon, and an emergency. It’s under control - and my wife and I are knocking away our debt like crazy. I’m looking forward to post our state of “monetary affairs” at the end of the month so we can better come to grip with our finances - we’re all ready aware we’ve got a fast-food problem!

Maybe not the law - but I definitely fought my apartment complex.

When you are in an apartment complex, you’ve got the benefit of never doing lawn work, never doing repairs, and never having to stay (you can break your lease, you know).

But when you’ve got difficult neighbors, and a very bad management office, things can get hairy, like they did for me.

I pay rent mid-way through the month for the next month - I like paying early. It prevents me from spending it, using it for something else, or ever being accused of not paying rent on time. They returned it, stating I needed to add utilities. I called them up and let them know - if they want utilities, I’d need a copy of the utilities. They dropped off a new note the next day with my utilities statement, adding $50 for a late fee.

Two days later, we received my first ever eviction notice for non-payment. I hold in my hand a check for rent, with a date of March 14th (I pay mid-way for the next month). I informed them quite explicitly, the lease states utilities and rent are separate payments - to which their rebuttal was “if you read the lease you’d know they are one and the same.” I sent out another check - with utilities, no late fee.

It’s a good thing I’ve got my filing together! I bust out my lease and ask what paragraph that gem is in. “15,” they say. Paragraph 15 is about rent/lease increasing, not utilities or rent payment schedule. So I quote my lease were it states that “once the utilities bill is received, I have 20 days to pay it. Suddenly, their financial manager needs to get the apartment manager. He says that he’s not sure where it says it - but it does say it.

I told him to prove it. I’ve got a lawyer on-call to verify, if need be, and I let him know he can let me know where it states that, because otherwise their constant returning of my rent (and trying to charge late fees) are unfounded. He asks for a day, and that if he can’t, their District Manager will e-mail me.

Four days pass, and I’ve e-mailed the DM twice about my upcoming eviction, and asking about the state of the utilities/rent dilemma. The 16th I finally receive a reply.

Guess what? I AM RIGHT. I called them out on their statement of “company policy” and “lease terms” when I knew they were nothing of the sort.

It’s been four months of these kinds of battles with this apartment complex that has lead to my search for a house - something to call my own, away from pimped out Hondas, bass-rattling stereos at 2am, and beer bottles lying outside. Yes, I’m moving out of the college-life apartment and moving into a house.