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In college, one of the biggest problems many students face is having the ability to buy things because they have very little to no money. The majority of students that go to Grand View University are full time students and full time student athletes.

Students usually have time to go to class and do homework, and sometimes their schedule works where they are able to find a couple hours per week to work and earn some money. For most student athletes, after their classes and homework, have lifting and practice, so their time is all used up for the most part.

Students speculate about spending

“I spend around $20-30 a week. I usually spend money on food and gas,” Hannah Jennings, student at Grand View, said. “I spend it because it’s necessary for me to live. I spend a lot of money at Casey’s and Chipotle, and all of my money is my own that I’ve made myself. I get $500 every year for school from my parents but I’m required to find the rest of my funds myself.”

Based on Jennings’s experience in college so far, she is able to buy her own food because of the money she makes, and her parents always help her at the beginning of the semester. One observation about this student spending money is that it shows how someone in college is responsible enough to know what they should be spending most of their money on gas and food.

“I spend about $120 a week,” Chelsee Orton, student at Grand View, said. “I spend my money on gas, food, bills and going out. I understand I need to spend money on things for me to survive, but I also use my money to have fun. I go to restaurants a lot, and I pay my Sprint phone bill. I use food stamps and my paychecks to spend my money.”

A male student at Grand View University, Alex Brown, said: “I probably spend around $75 a week. I’m not entirely sure, it might be more towards $50. I’m usually getting done with rehearsal, and I’m really tired, so I don’t want to cook anything, so I just get in my car and go get some fast food. When I’m on campus, I’ll get something like a $5 coffee or some energy drinks. In the end it adds up.”

What students actually spend

Brown is a college student who is constantly busy and does not have the time to do things like cook and sometimes even sleep. This will result in Brown buying fast food and energy drinks as much as he can.

“I looked more into how much I spent after a week, and it seems to be more towards only $60,” Brown said. He gets a little bit of assistance from his parents and he gets a paycheck every week to help him buy what he needs.

On the other hand, Orton said she found out she spends more than she thought. “I said $120 but it’s actually around $180 because I have a spending problem,” Orton said.

Many college students spend most of their money on food, gas and bills. If the student has extra money, they would be able to go out and have fun with friends. Otherwise, the main focus of their money is making sure they have enough food to eat and get around in a car. Money is important to them in order for them to physically survive the college lifestyle.