A Tool

"Money is only a tool.  It will take you wherever you wish, but it will not replace you as the driver."

-Ayn Rand

Saving money is really hard for me.  I always assume that if I'm making money, then I can just spend all of it.  But you know what happens when you assume...

Apparently saving money is a thing, and it's pretty important.  Not just for the near future (like next week), but for after college, too.  Obama just finished paying off his student loans 8 years ago.  And he's the President of the United States.

Going to college and living in New York City is really expensive, but it's all relative.  Rent is high, but you don't need a car or car insurance.  Groceries cost more, but your gas expenses at the end of the month are zero dollars.

I'm trying to get better at saving money since I'm going to London in 5 days (!!!) and would like to travel all over Europe while I'm there.  A few days ago, by the suggestions of Carly (three times: here, here, and here), I decided to finally get Mint.

I love it.

Basically, I eat
and shop too much.

Mint is a budgeting app (free by the way) that connects all of your bank accounts on a single screen.  It sets budgets, and you can either raise or lower the limits.  It tracks where you spend your money and categorizes it for you so you can see how much you spend on clothing, groceries, food, entertainment, personal care, etc.  You can even make your own categories, like Nails or MetroCards.

I ate out a ton this month, so now when I think of going out to eat, I consider buying groceries instead since I've exhausted my Restaurant budget.  Mint provides a great visual of where your money goes.

I was really proud of myself today because I walked through SoHo and didn't buy anything.  I literally repeated "London, London, London" over and over again in my head as I walked by all the stores.  I'm hoping that Mint helps improve my willpower so I can have more fun trips in Europe.  I mean, what's more worthwhile, a pair of shoes or a weekend trip to Paris?



Rachel