Thank you mom, dad and Starbucks

When I turned 16, finance has always been something I’ve taken seriously. Like father, like son. My dad has always been a stickler about how to spend money. 

Ever since I’ve started up a savings account in the fifth grade, my parents made sure that putting some of my earnings in savings was a wise decision...and that I would thank them later.

Thank you. 

Growing up, there were only a few things I had to pay for. Car insurance, cell phone bill, credit card bill and gas were about the four things I had to fork out money for. This is not because some teenager was “spoiled” and got whatever he wanted. 

My parents made me a deal: Hold a job and they will pay for college.

Like any intelligent student with any clue about how fast money can get spent, I said yes to the deal.

Working full-time for three years while going to school full-time was rough, but was worth every penny. Also, paying for tours, equipment and merchandise for my band was something that I could now have the luxury of doing.

Most people don’t realize that $600 for a new bass, $2,000 for a keyboard, $400 for new shirts and $800 for a new amp goes rather quickly and would seem detrimental if college wasn’t being paid for.

But balancing school, work and a social life was getting ridiculous at the time. When I was 20, I decided to step down my work load from full-time to part-time. So I started working at the nearest Starbucks.

Before I got hired, I was considered a regular. I made the trip almost every morning for the previous two years before school to get my $3.00 drink. Let me tell you, it adds up quickly. But I already worked so many hours the last three years of my life that, once again, I had money on the side to spend.

Starbucks was one of the greatest financial gifts that has ever crossed my life. 

Not only did I get all my drinks for free, but I also was able to save my parents a ton of money with their coffee. Every Starbucks partner (just another silly name for employee) got one free pound of coffee a week.

Let’s do the math. 

Since every pound of coffee is at least $10 and I worked for the company for a year and a half, I saved my parents $780.

My drink of choice (grande peppermint mocha) runs for about $3 per drink. Over a year and a half, I saved myself around $1,440.

Thank you Starbucks.

And even now that I don’t work there anymore, I still get free drinks or huge discounts on my drinks from fellow co-workers. But last semester, I got the the talk from my parents that I thought I would be getting a year earlier.

“We can’t afford to pay for college anymore.” Those were the exact words.

And with tuition prices going through the roof, I would once again like to thank my parents for teaching me to save.

Their lesson became valid as I’m now trying to pay around $6,000 a year without taking any loans. I shouldn’t have to take out loans to finish my education. I made it this far already, so why stop now?

I still have a job and finance is still very important to me. The only problem now is figuring out how I can graduate without getting in debt.

I think I might know two people in my life that have already been through it. 

Don’t worry, I’ll thank them again in a year.