Girl math is budgeting.

Girl Math: a relatively recent phenomenon, but a completely logical one. In short, it is the thought process that justifies how women spend money. It works a little differently in college when students try to avoid spending money (in any form) at all costs. So how does it work?

• Points are like fake money, which makes it tempting and justifiable to buy coffee at Liz’s Place frequently. A fellow mathematician reached a point where they avoided using their points and ended up spending real money on the coffee. Whatever it takes to stay caffeinated. 

• Speaking of staying caffeinated, a fellow scholar told me of their experience with Starbucks. If you have the Starbucks app and are willing to brave the line and crowds at the one between 113th and 114th, using the money loaded on the app means your beverage is free. Worst case scenario, you indulge a little too much and end up with only $0.15 left.

• If you didn’t know, the Barnard Store sells discounted AMC tickets for $10.50, whereas at the theater they would be almost $18. Just the other weekend, I went to see Priscilla and purchased one of the tickets from the Barnard store. I quickly realized that if I bought movie snacks that roughly added up to $8—which, albeit, wouldn’t get me much—the snacks would essentially be free since I saved money getting the discounted ticket. 

• If you haven’t been to Absolute Bagels, just know that they only take cash. But, because of this, the bagels are essentially free since the physical money isn’t deducted from my bank account. 

• Also, if I buy groceries and then eat that food later in the week, that meal is technically free because I ate what I already had. 

If anything, at its core, girl math in college is just budgeting. Difficult at times to find nifty ways around spending money, but in the end, it’s worth it.

Image via Bwog Archives