Why it’s alright to blow all your money at bars

I fit the stereotype of the broke college kid. Many of us know the feeling waking up hungover and hesitantly opening our wallet, the look of disapproval getting ready to spread across our face.

Yes, if you haven’t already guessed, I’m one of those “classy” guys (sorry Ron Burgundy) who spends too much of his money at the bars and on booze. Now that I think about it, not much separates my financial intentions from some of the hobos on High Street. We are quick and unfair to judge these High Street dwellers and assume they’re going to spend any money on booze. But next time you catch yourself in that train of thought, ask yourself, “Aren’t I going to be doing the same thing?”

A lot of people may frown upon college kids blowing all their money on drinks, but here is the reason why you should look upon it in a more positive light.

This is the only time in your life when you can get away with it.

Seriously, at what other point in your life are you going to be surrounded with thousands of young people your age and have the opportunity to go out and have a good time?

For a majority of students, parents fund tuition and living costs (nothing but respect to those who are self-funded). For that majority, college is the only time you can get away with lazy spending—your food and shelter are provided. If you’re running out of money, just choose from the plethora of campus jobs available.

You’ll still have enough money to go out with friends and spend some of it.

After college, some of us may end up living large right out of graduation. But even then, as you can “ball out” with your spending, the clock is ticking. Yes, there are those limited years after graduation where it may be acceptable to hang around most college bars. But one day down the road, you might walk in as the “too old to be there” guy, and cause the kids that surprisingly look up from their phones to just bury their face in their hands.

I’m not advocating to go out all the time and spend every last penny at the bars—to the guys, don’t be buying random girls drinks after meeting them for 10 seconds, you’ll end up broker than me. You got to place your academics and career aspirations first.

If you are someone who only spends money on alcohol or drugs, try out a different expenditure—it actually feels good. I didn’t know how good it felt until I spent money donating to illiteracy and getting to run a 5k.

There’s so much more out there to spend money on. I’m a textbook “broke boy”, but you’ll definitely still see me at Too’s singing along with my man-crush Jon White.

So what I’m advocating is that the next time you wake up and start feeling regret when you look in your wallet, embrace it and don’t regret it!

You’re going to look back later and regret not going out having those classic nights, meeting new people, and making memories. Some people look at my suggestion and may judge that I have no sense of direction in life. But isn’t that the beauty of it?

Yes, it’s pivotal to have some sense of direction in your life, but only to a certain degree. Your college years allow you to explore your range of interests, and wake up every day with a stimulating sense of uncertainty—the good kind—that can lead to so many possibilities and outcomes. Why not have fun doing it?