Stop pinching pennies

By Brooke Boniface

This past week I spent $100 at Target.

While this may not seem like a huge amount, it still pained me to swipe my debit card and watch as the happy "Approved!" popped up on the screen, signaling the loss of 10 hours of work at the Santa Clara call center.

The entire way home I was fighting the urge to swerve my car around in a dangerous U-turn, race back to Target and beg whatever employee was unlucky enough to be at customer service to return my items and give me back my hard earned money.

In the end I decided that this would be a bit overdramatic. But in truth I have found that ever since I got my first job, I have been overly conscious of money.

For a long time I thought of money in terms of how long it took me to earn it.

Thus, a shirt for 20 dollars is no longer just a shirt, it is 2 hours of running after energetic little kids, two hours of serving customers at Yogurt Zone or two hours of calling Santa Clara alumni.

This mind set forced me to examine everything in the terms of, "Is this worth the time I had to work to earn it?"

At first I thought that this was an admirable new quality that I had acquired. "I am not wasting money," was my mantra, as I passed on the new clothes that otherwise could be utilized in my wardrobe.

"I'm not frivolous with my money like other kids my age," I would think to myself, as my friends went out to eat while I tried to consume yet another Benson meal.

But in the end it comes down to one simple fact: I, Brooke Boniface, am cheap.

I absolutely hate spending my money, and I don't think my feelings are entirely unjustified. As a child raised by a single mother on a teacher's salary, money has never been abundant. Therefore, when I started making my own money, I wanted to keep it and treasure the feeling of a full checking and savings account.

However, at some point my habits spiraled out of control. My financial concerns caused me to miss out on events and experiences with my friends that I could have shared.

Sure, my bank account had grown substantially, but why did it matter if I was never going to enjoy it?

What I have now slowly and begrudgingly come to realize is that money is meant to be spent.

Now, I am not advocating spending money on anything and everything.

But on things that matter, like trips with your friends or a fun night out, it is worth it.

My new mentality when it comes to finances is much healthier and allows me to spend money when the situation calls for it.

I no longer think, "Wow, going to see 'Wicked' just cost me three hours of work at the call center," but instead, "Wow I'm so glad I have seen 'Wicked,' that was an amazing show."

The choice is finally clear and for once I'm not angry or sad to spend money. Because the experiences are completely worthwhile and can perhaps allow me more happiness than a full bank account.

Brooke Boniface is a sophomore history and political science double major.