Student Loan Dodgers

When you’re in college, there are many opportunities to both exhaust your financial resources and accumulate debt. This is not only counter-productive while you’re in college, but it can also negatively affect your lifestyle well after you’ve graduated. As much as possible, avoid those negative habits that absorb your money, or worse, cause you to accumulate debt.

Drinking is one of those habits. Drinking is a very expensive habit to get into and college students tend to spend a lot on alcohol. For some people, getting out of the habit of drinking proves to be an insurmountable challenge and follows them throughout their lives. Limit your drinking. When you go into a situation where alcohol is available, set a spending limit before you go in. When you reach the limit, stop. If the alcohol is free, set a drink limit and stick to it. You’ll feel better, look better and you won’t find yourself in regrettable situations.

Gambling is another great way to establish a bad habit and lose a lot of money at the same time. The proliferation of casinos and the ease with which people can travel to cities that have legalized gambling means that college students have unprecedented access to gaming outlets. If you’re going to gamble, never bring more money than you can afford to lose. Once the money is gone, go home. Trying to recoup your losses will likely lead to even greater financial difficulties. If you want to learn about how the casino games work, take a statistics class. You’ll find out that your chances of winning are exceptionally small. If you understand just how likely you are to lose your money, you may find it much easier to stay out of the casinos.

High stakes poker, especially Texas Hold ‘Em, has recently gathered a lot of attention from college students who are looking for a quick win. Poker is a game of skill and you don’t acquire card-playing skills immediately. If you want to pursue a poker championship, learn how to play the game with good friends first. Order a pizza, use peanuts, M&M’s, or pennies as the ante, and have a good time while you learn. Just don’t spend a lot of money doing it.

If you’re looking to develop a skill that will serve you well throughout your lifetime, take up golf. Golf is still very important in business, and many universities have their own golf courses where you can learn to play on the cheap. After four years on the University links, you’ll be able to hold your own with the boss when it really counts.