{"id":51,"date":"2021-02-05T02:34:46","date_gmt":"2021-02-05T10:34:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aland26446437b3.wordpress.com\/2021\/02\/05\/what-i-spend-in-aweek-as-a-college-student-in-berkeley-ca\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T18:47:35","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T18:47:35","slug":"what-i-spend-in-aweek-as-a-college-student-in-berkeley-ca","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tomocredit.com\/blog\/what-i-spend-in-aweek-as-a-college-student-in-berkeley-ca\/","title":{"rendered":"What I Spend in aWeek as a College Student in Berkeley, CA"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

As a college student, it\u2019s been difficult to balance studying with managing my finances. Being a student living in Berkeley, it\u2019s also hard to fight cravings for late night boba or ramen, which can add up fairly quickly if done too often. Since I love reading Refinery29\u2019s Money Diary series, I decided to do one of my own. Looking back and seeing my expenses for the week really helped me open my eyes to my spending habits so that I know how to better manage my finances in the future.<\/p>\n

Day One<\/strong><\/p>\n

I woke up right before logging onto zoom for my morning class and had two shots of espresso with dairy-free creamer. I am addicted to caffeine so I purchase a bulk pack of Nespresso pods from Amazon ($1.50\/pod = $3)<\/p>\n

I ordered some necessities from Target since I was running low on dental floss and facial cleanser. I also ordered some mouthwash and toothpaste since I would run out of those things eventually. ($30)<\/p>\n

I also decided to purchase a new workout set from Girlfriend Collective. I have a set in black from them already, so I know that I love their fit and quality. I went for a matching sports bra and legging set in moss green. ($100)<\/p>\n

Day Two<\/strong><\/p>\n

I knew today would be really busy for me, so I braced myself for a day of classes and meetings with another cup of doubleshot espresso with creamer, courtesy of my housemate\u2019s Nespresso machine. ($3)<\/p>\n

I grabbed lunch and dinner at the dining hall during my short breaks since I have an off-campus meal plan. I don\u2019t know how to cook, and I don\u2019t have a car so going out to buy groceries is often a pain for me. Each meal comes out to an average of $9 or less. ($18)<\/p>\n

Day Three<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was another busy day for me that started off with a doubleshot and creamer. ($3)<\/p>\n

After a morning class and meeting with my college advisor, I had to hop on Amazon and order a new office chair for my desk. I\u2019ve been borrowing my housemate\u2019s chair since they don\u2019t use it, but it\u2019s too uncomfortable. I used an Amazon gift card so the total was less than I expected. ($18)<\/p>\n

Then I grabbed lunch, which was sun-dried tomato pasta, tri-tip, and seasoned cabbage. ($8)<\/p>\n

<\/figure>\n

Day Four<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m taking a class about Wall Street this semester, so everyone is talking about Reddit\u2019s power on the stock market. After browsing some subreddits for a bit, I noticed that DogeCoin was getting some attention. DogeCoin has interested me for a while, so I decided to put a little money in just to see what would happen. ($10)<\/p>\n

For dinner, I couldn\u2019t resist the temptation of spicy ramen and milk tea. Before my last class of the week, I placed an order for red tonkatsu ramen and a black tea latte at my favorite ramen place across the street. No regrets. ($15)<\/p>\n

Day Five<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s the weekend! The day escaped me, as I took the time to recharge and relax. One huge perk of living in Berkeley is that so many restaurants are open late at night. I went out for a late night snack and grabbed a slice of pepperoni pizza and a banana cream pie milkshake. ($14)<\/p>\n

Day Six<\/strong><\/p>\n

I got breakfast with a friend at a cafe across the street from my apartment. They do really good eggs, so I went with an eggs benedict with french toast and fruit. ($15)<\/p>\n

Later in the day, I got a taro boba as a reward to myself! I also got red tonkatsu ramen again since the cravings were overpowering my sense of self-control. ($15)<\/p>\n

Day Seven<\/strong><\/p>\n

Rent is due today. I have autopay so I don\u2019t have to worry about it, but I log into the payment portal anyway just to make sure my payment went through. ($650)<\/p>\n

For lunch, I picked up a sandwich at a cafe on campus using my meal plan points. The sandwiches there are pretty good, but they are only a tad more expensive than picking up a meal at the dining hall. I got a salmon and coleslaw sandwich on a brioche bun. ($12)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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