It’s challenging to budget your money as a college student. For some young adults, college is the first time they really have the freedom to choose what to spend their money on: clothes, travel, food, random Amazon finds at 2 a.m. and, for many of us, a daily coffee. Regardless of what you choose, there should not be an additional guilt tax with every non-essential purchase we make. 

There is unfortunately no handbook on how or what to spend our income on as we all have varying expenses depending on our circumstances while in school. Personally, I have developed a slight caffeine addiction since the beginning of college, which leads me to the Starbucks drive thru pretty often. 

This can certainly add up over time, but I want to critique the tiresome argument that if only people didn’t spend their money on Starbucks or other leisure items, they would easily be able to afford a house or a new car. 

Firstly, the math doesn’t make sense and debunks this idea quickly. Even if someone bought a $5 coffee every single day for a whole year, the grand total would only come to about $1,825. This is surely not a small amount of money or something to brush off. However, this argument of coffee expenses equating to the value of a house is simply not true. Therefore, we shouldn’t let it scare us anymore. 

According to a survey conducted by Slickdeals PR Newswire, approximately half of Americans, 51% to be exact, reported they experience shopper’s guilt. So you are not alone if you also experience guilt about spending money.

There are unnecessary purchases that should be attached to guilt. But, this should only apply to purchases that don’t dip into your rent money or other necessities like groceries. 

The way to combat shopper’s guilt on leisure items that should make you feel good is by actively budgeting your money with a detailed plan and building good financial habits. This will eliminate the guesswork and worry that your Starbucks order or new shoes will mess up your funds for necessities. 

By making a budgeting plan and sticking to it, we can then enjoy our money in both little and big ways. Planning ahead will help eliminate the unnecessary shopper’s guilt we experience, as well as prove all the money guilt trippers out there wrong. Essentially, we should apply this principle of proactive planning when it comes to spending on non essential items our budget allows.

We can all likely agree that buying a new shirt or going out to dinner with friends brings us joy, and we deserve to experience that in college and in life. Even if you get something seemingly silly like a new journal from Five Below, you should be able to feel excited about it. 

So, the next time someone brings up how much money you spend on coffee, clothes or anything, remember you can be proactive with your money. Then you’ll be two steps ahead with your budgeting plan and be able to enjoy spending responsibly on whatever you desire. Plus, this helps us build an exceptional financial future for ourselves.