How to be a grown-up?

Pre-College Topics High School Cafe
1

<p>Our school gives us money for every AP exam we pass - around 150 dollars per exam, so I’m expecting 450 dollars soon from last year exams… We usually get it in November.</p>

<p>The rational, mature part of me wants to use the money for college app fees, sending SAT scores, and such. The immature and materialistic part of me wants to blow it all on Black Friday sales.</p>

<p>I have a reasonable argument for both - in the case of colleges, it would just be a very mature, responsible thing to do, you know? Use the money to apply to the schools I want to apply to and be independent in that sense. However, in terms of blowing the money on Black Friday, this will be the first time in my life that I’ll actually be buying stuff using money that I earned. So, for instance - if I were to buy a pair of Nike Free runs, I could wear them with a sort of pride like, yeah, I earned these in the fundamental sense of the word. They are totally and completely mine. </p>

<p>Thoughts?</p>

2

<p>I’m a cheapskate, but I avoid spending money I earned whenever possible because I don’t like the idea that all my hard work is going into something that I’m ultimately just going to throw away. So I’m only ever willing to buy really important stuff with my own money.</p>

3

<p>Well, I’m in a bit of denial and I’m telling myself that if I buy a nice pair of shoes, I’ll keep them for college but that probably won’t be the case in reality. </p>

<p>Another option is I just keep it in a bank account and it will stand as the first amount of money I ever earned completely on my own.</p>

4

<p>If it were me I would just blow it all on fooooooood~</p>

5

<ol>
<li>Send SAT scores for free</li>
<li>Don’t apply to 15 colleges</li>
</ol>

6

<p>I still can’t believe your school pays you for passed ap test. At our school you just get a homework pass. #jealous</p>

7

<p>Holy crap wheres my $600?</p>

8

<p>You get cash for passing an AP test? We get a high five and a pat on the back, if we’re lucky. Anyway, I would save it because that’s what I do with everything. I have one bank account that I have a list of every amount I’ve put in and what I’ll spend it on, and so I’d put it in there and it would go towards my senior trip. Honestly, though, you could do both. Use it to apply to three-ish colleges and still have 250/300 left to buy something for yourself.</p>

9

<p>I hate the world. Money for PASSING an AP exam? What is that, a 3 or above? </p>

<p>150 dollars !!! </p>

<p>Bugger off, all yous who attend those stupid schools that actually care about you.</p>

10

<p>We’re part of a state wide grant that is supposed to improve secondary education. Mind you, we have to attend mandatory Saturday sessions each month (multiple times if you have more than one AP) and the Saturday sessions are from 7 am to 3:30 pm which are designed to “prep us” for the exam but in reality are just oversimplified and annoying.</p>

11

<p>Split it. Bank some for college expenses (maybe $300), spend some on clothes (maybe $125), and maybe make a donation ($25-ish) to a charity you care about. It isn’t an all or nothing prospect, just like a paycheck when you get older and get a job.</p>

12

<p>i got $2000 from science fair and i STILL haven’t spent it</p>

<p>will power</p>