The College "Ramen" Budget

Back in the day, when I first went to college (this would have been around the time that the Visigoths attacked Rome), I recall having a an old empty coffee can sitting on my dorm room's desk. Every time I came back to my room after an outing, I would toss whatever metal change I had in my pocket into the can. Over time, the nickels, dimes, and pennies (quarters and half-dollars were a rare addition) would add up and at some point, I would treat myself (and occasionally my roommate) to some kind of off-campus food outing. Generally, I (or we) would walk up the block and head for the Hilltop Sub Shop, where one could get the world's most succulent steak sandwich for $1.25 (that would have been in 410 A.D. dollars, of course). This little jaunt might happen once every month or so, certainly not weekly or even every other week.

Things are a bit different today. College students have credit cards, debit cards, and other means to support their collegiate lifestyles. Nevertheless, there is still a high number of budget conscious students (that's code for "economically depressed" students) and those souls are carefully calculating their next fiscal moves. No spring breaks in Cancun for them.