We’re all in this together. The student struggle is real when it comes to money and it just disappears so quickly. We’re all just trying to live our best life as a college student. But we still have to do the ‘adulting’ thing 🙄

You may have come to college with money given to you by your parents, you may have earned it with a job, you also may have money from the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP), or all three. All of this to say, you have money that you need to spend in order to stay a functioning human being in the world we live in.

Thanks capitalism.

While we live in this world of capitalism and until someone decides to make changes to it we’re stuck. Just like this big clunky machine.

It’s on the North campus at Humber College, to help when you need cash but don’t have enough. Let me tell you, if you don’t know already… you lose more money using these bank machines than your regular banking institution’s ATM machine.

I learned this from experience. It was a few years ago, and I needed some money to buy some drinks at a bar (legal drinking age is 19+ in Ontario). I didn’t have cash, but the bar definitely had a machine just like this. Long story short, the machine charges you a service fee, and your bank also charges you for using a machine that isn’t associated with them as well. The unfairness of it all is just ridiculous. 🤬

But hey, thank CAPITALISM.

Now moving away from a rabbit whole that we would get stuck in, let’s get back to the relationship between being a student and money.

The task of learning how to manage our money can be daunting. We need it, we want to splurge on it, but we can’t do that because then we’ll be broke. That’s a place no one wants to be.

I’m serious. NO ONE. It ain’t fun or pretty. It’s stressful and sometimes it can lead you to feeling hopeless and helpless.

But as a college student, there are ways to relieve those types of feelings. Scholarships, grants and financial services to help with your money issues.

At Humber College, we have IGNITE. They’re our student union that finds ways to keep us engaged and connected like a community. They also have many ways to help students who are in financial need. There are applications that need to be filled out and approved in order to even get it. So do me a huge favour if you’re going through some issues with money. Check them out by clicking here.

Now let’s take a look at yourself…

Sometimes people feel like they don’t want to depend on other people or an institution to help with their finances.

Great, that is no problem; more power to you if you’re very independent. One thing you can do is save your own money. Manage your own finances in a way where you know you aren’t spending more than what is necessary.  Self-discipline is very important.

Think about it as having a piggy bank, or a jar where you store extra change or any money that you have left over that doesn’t need to be used immediately.

I’ve put my own personal spin to my money jar. I’ve made it my mission to collect spare change in coins that have a special design on the face. It is my hope that one day these coins will be worth more than what they are because they will become collectibles items.

This may be a far-fetched dream, or this dream may out live me. But the fact is money is being saved. I’ve disciplined myself enough to save these coins. Maybe one day I’ll let go of the collectible dream and use them for something, but as of now I’m still collecting.

Take a moment to further think about your current financial situation as a student. 

What are your next steps to lessen your financial burdens. 

Start looking at how much you’re spending, what things you can cut, what you can save and again evaluate the changes that can occur. 

By changing your current spending habits, looking for financial support, and avoiding extra fees you can see changes.  

Just give it a try.

By: Danielle Owusu