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Getting
out of dorm life worth the anguish
After
two years of living in the confined quarters
of a 14 by 15 foot room, eating, but not
always digesting the bland, dried-out, flavorless
food of the cafeteria, I said enough. No
longer did I want to be supervised by an
RA any more than I wanted to walk to the
communal showers in sandals (so not to contract
any unknown diseases) and wait my turn to
get ready. I decided it was time to move
on and move out. So in May, my three friends
and I sealed the deal on a two bedroom,
two-bath apartment and moved right in.
For
the first three weeks we only had two beach
chairs, a blue lawn chair with a broken
armrest, and cable T.V. in the living room.
Our apartment did not come with a fridge,
furniture, or toilet paper holders. Furnishing
the apartment with the basic necessities
involved all four of us gathering what we
could; garage sale couches, hand-me-down
chairs, bargain coffee tables and of course,
IKEA lamps. Our checkbooks balanced close
to zero after rent and the first month's
bills — something I would have to
get use to.
Adjusting
my budget went right along with adjusting
my standards. Instead of taking my hard
earned money from a part-time job and shopping
for clothes, I found myself in the aisles
of Big Lots. Bargain deals on everyday items
filled my basket. Even though I did not
recognize the brand names, I grabbed trash
bags, paper towels and a dish scrubber.
This time the register clerk did not have
to pry my hands off my debit card. (To restrict
my spending I sometimes hide my debit card
in a drawer. Somehow it always finds a way
back into my purse the next day). The total
came to less than ten dollars. My dad, "Dan,
Dan, the coupon man," would be proud
of me.
One
day later, my roommates weren't impressed
when the trash bags fell apart every time
we emptied the bin. It turned into a two-man
job until we thought to double bag it. I
realized that knock-off brands really are
knocking you off! Now I spend the extra
money and walk next door to the always-reliable
Target. Still, my dad would be proud of
me.
The
guarantee of opening up our fridge and seeing
everything labeled is as reliable as Target.
A little ridiculous, I give you that.
Now,
as soon as something is purchased, it gets
labeled and placed in the fridge. However,
I have managed to undermine the system.
I do not label anything and just help myself
to all nameless food. Sometimes you have
to sneak across the division line and give
in a little.
I
enjoyed living in the dorms for the opportunity
to meet new friends. It was always nice
to be around so many people; well, sometimes.
What I enjoy most is the reward of being
responsible and paying bills (so far on
time), compromising (and arguing) with my
roommates and coming home after school to
my apartment and knowing that it is all
worth it.
Ginny
Galvin is a third year print journalism
major at CSULB.
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