My electricity got shut off for a week and it sucked

The dreaded pink note on my door is something I feel many college students have experienced. This note seems to find it’s way to my door a little too often. I’ll be the first to say I may spend my money on a few too many extracurricular activities rather than paying bills. Sorry, mom. But I am in college, it’s warranted a little bit right?

Last Wednesday the pink slip appeared on my door saying my electricity would be turned off the following day if I failed to pay my bill. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to pay, which inspired me to write this article. I decided to go a week without electricity to prove a point. The point being electricity is not a necessity rather than a luxury.

Ramen doesn’t require a fridge

The first problem I ran into was my fridge/freezer. To be honest I forgot this needed electricity to run. Needless to say when I opened my fridge the stench filled my studio apartment. I had to clear out the expired food I was too lazy to remove a week ago. Luckily, most of my food was not edible – I like to think of it as fresh start. Who knows, maybe I’ll restock my fridge with fruits and veggies. Only a six-pack of coors light held a spot in my fridge for the past week. Although it was warm, it got the job done.

At least candles smell good

The next issue of course was the lighting situation. Stumbling into a dark apartment did give me some bumps and bruises. Candles were a key part of my last week. I already love candles, so I didn’t mind using them as a source of light. Although visitors of my  humble abode seemed to catch the wrong idea when invited to hang out – no dude, this isn’t mood lighting, I just don’t have electricity.

Wet hair and fall don’t mix

Really the worst part was the cold showers. I was under the impression my water was heated by gas… that’s not the case. Cold showers for a week definitely made me rethink paying my bills on time. Not to mention the absence of my blow dryer made having cold wet hair even worse. I had to allow a lot more time in my schedule to get ready for the day.

Who knew you could make friends without electricity

One last obstacle I encountered was my phone or computer battery draining. I had to get creative in order to keep my devices charged. The common space at Memorial Union sufficed just fine and I found myself spending less time in my apartment and more time using a random plug in. The positive of this problem was I socialized with my peers a little bit more than usual. Stepping out your comfort zone is hard, but people will share their charger.

Electricity has found a permanent place on my necessity list

Anyone I told about not having electricity really looked at me like I had lost my mind. Maybe I did for a week. I did learn some valuable lessons though. We are so fortunate to be able have the opportunity to have electricity. Sometimes it is so easy to take for granted the things we use everyday. Being a poor college kid is a tough job, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. After working out a payment plan with the utility director, I was able to get my electricity turned back on . Bless. I have never been so excited to flip a light switch in my life.

Don’t forget to pay your bills kids, because cold showers and warm beers are pretty much the worst.