Back-to-School Expenses

In September I had to pay dorm fees. It's the only money I have to pay to my college. This year the cost of living in the dorms slightly rose, at least for me.

In the past every student used to pay the same fixed amount of money, but this year the dorm fee correlates with one's electricity consumption, which is calculated on the number of electric devices one has in their room. In the beginning of September one was to make a list of devices and hand it in. Nobody knew if any formal checks would be made to verify the list. (I think now that such checks are probable but highly unlikely.) I honestly declared that I used a desktop computer, a printer, a microwave, a mini-stove, a fridge, a teakettle, a hair-drier and an iron. Even after my roommate paid me for the devices we share, I was still a person who seemingly paid more than anybody else. All my acquaintances decided that hair-driers, irons and printers were not worth mentioning, and as laptops were sort of inferior to desktops, they could be forgotten too. Some people were even surprised at my honesty. They told me I could have saved money by omitting several items. But I decided there were other ways of saving money, which would keep my conscience clear. At least now I know that everything I use is absolutely legal, so if any check occurs I'll be okay.

And, by the way, do you know how much I paid? It was only $246 for the whole year. I really find this sum very affordable, especially when I remind myself that I'm getting an education for free, and I'm paying only a fraction of the actual cost of living in the dorms. If I had come up with a blank list, I would have saved about $130. I personally think it's not worth the lying and tricking.

August Net Worth

Oops. In August my net worth has slightly decreased for the first time since I started tracking it. That happened because I didn't contribute anything. The only thing I did was relocate my money by buying more mutual funds in the middle of August. The stock market took a dip, and it hurt my net worth.

I look forward to the end of September with great anticipation. I have a little money to contribute, and I'll probably hit the $3K goal. Of course, I can't be absolutely sure, because everything financial is so unpredictable right now. Stocks are volatile, dollar/ruble ratio is constantly changing. We'll see.