Congratulations!   You are planning to pursue a college degree.  This decision will have the greatest impact in setting you up for financial security for your future. 

Financial Security is a concept that might be strange if you face financial insecurity on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.   The following are some ways financial insecurity might have shown up in your life:

• The rent is always short of the full amount
• Groceries and rent make for 75% or more of your family income
• The utility bills are late and your service gets interrupted
• The car breaks down and the money is taken from the groceries or rent budget
• Adults are not able to pay for medical visits, exams or medication because they don’t have government provided health insurance
• Check Advances repayments make it difficult to afford the essentials

If you nodded when reading the above list, then you are probably used to doing without the essentials.  A natural response to a college checklist will be that you can get by without much.  

I ask you to stop and consider what are the essentials you take for granted in your life.  This assumes that the adults in your life have been successful in providing essential household goods to you, which I understand might be the case for some of my readers.  

I had an eye-opening experience about those taken for granted essentials when Stanford sent a list of things to bring to the dorm.  I had accepted a full ride, covering room and board, little did I realize before getting that list that college life would require me to come up front with money to pay for everyday essentials. 

This list was long and costly.  It gave me room to pause, but you won’t have to because I am sharing my no-nonsense list. The list is no-nonsense because the items got daily or frequent use.

You need to plan to come up with about $150-$250 to cover this list if you want brand new items.  It might be better to shop for second-hand items and spend a fraction of the cost.  

How can you come up with these expenses?

I have a list of suggestions to consider:

• Find a seasonal summer job to save money for everyday expenses
• Find small gigs suited to your abilities: babysitting, car washing, grocery shopping, pet sitting, house sitting, food delivery, etc…
• Fundraise on GoFundMe (know they will take a percentage)
• Be entrepreneurial (acquire a small $50 loan from a trusted person for startup purposes):  Sell ice cold water at a park where kids camps are taking place, sell concession items outside gatherings during the 4^th of July, host a garage/Facebook sale
• Ask for money by writing a sponsorship letter and delivering with an elevator pitch (30 second) to business owners in the area (announce they get a tax reduction and research the form online to provide with the sponsorship letter).  Go early in the month since they have not allocated their donation budget yet.
• Write a post on Facebook with the list of items you need and ask if anyone is willing to donate them.  You will be surprised at what middle-class people donate to Goodwill or simply throw away. Make sure to enroll an adult to help you pick them up, as there are unscrupulous people online who might take to take advantage of your situation and harm you in the process.  Be smart about your safety. 
• Ask your school permission to fundraise for this event.  Make sure to have an action plan before asking.  Not having a plan that includes the details will be the easiest way to get a resounding “No”.

My dear reader, this might be the very first challenge of many on your road to a college degree and a career.   The key to succeed at anything is life preparation, consistency and adaptability.   This post has given you a lifeline to what YOU will need if you are living on your own during college.  YOU are the only one who can put this advice to good use.  YOU need to be consistent, motivated and adaptable as you seek to secure the essential items for college life. 

Your life coach,

Kim