The High Cost of Hip.

Nate e-mailed Planet College about his latest frustration. Among other things he says;

My latest frustration, and perhaps my motivation for writing this, is the growing movement amongst my friends to drink “good” beer. It goes against everything the first few years of college taught me. I’ve drank all the crap beer in large quantities, spent under four dollars for twelve packs (Hobbs-don’t drink it- It’s not worth it), and even developed a legitimate fondness for Keystone Light. Until now, I was doing what I was supposed to: getting hammered on 30-packs you could buy with a twenty and still have enough for a Deli News pizza.

Now, a single bottle of “good” beer costs 8 bucks and that’s what real men are supposed to drink. That’s an hour’s work for this grocery bagger.

Nate continued in a good natured and humorous style about how he now feels left out of conversations with his friends since on his weekly wage he can not savor the 'aromatic hops' really good beers should have.

Planet College thanks Nate for pointing out what often happens in the social circles of college. Upper class men, Planet College veterans, not wishing to appear as 'un-hip' as freshmen refine their taste. And this refinement cost money. Plenty of money.

The company of classmates you've been partying with for many semesters is desirable and comforting. When they change, or their taste change, or their spending habits change it can be decision time. Continuing to drink Keystone while every one else is jovially swigging Red Witch, or Ol' Dity Bastard may call for a decision.

Planet College has no advice only the observation that, as Nate has pointed out, college offers opportunities for many different types of decisions. Ultimately, they had been summed up by a fictional college student on leave to attend his father's funeral. Hamlet, or his creator William Shakespeare, said it very well, "To be or not to be." This applies to hip, trendy or cool, and ultimately it says, "Can you afford to be or not to be." As always it is up to you.

Deferred Pay

The increasing difficulty of finding any kind of employment sometimes leads students on Planet College to consider other sources of finance. Some which have begun appearing with increasing regularity are offers of work for 'deferred pay". This means that you will work now and possibly be paid later. Possibly.

Money is hard to get and even harder to keep. The possibility of additional finances even working now for some money later is alluring.

But if your time energy and talent are worth anything at all they are worth being paid, paid real money, in a timely fashion, a lot closer to Now than Later.

Deferred pay, often contingent upon some payment to the concern that 'hires' you, is not a promising source of funds. Not promising at all.

No matter how 'lean' things are, and right now that is pretty lean, deferred pay will put no money in your pocket now and possibly none ever.

Those ads for 'deferred pay" ? Skip 'em.

Tax Time on Planet College.

Tax Time. It's coming. Just like everyone else student's have to pay. Federal, State and sometimes even local. Planet College, like the real world, is often about the money. OK. Where are your W-2s? They are the statement you get from your 2007 employer(s) showing how much money you made. They also show how much was taken to be applied to your income taxes. This part is called withholding. You will need your w-4's to file your income tax. You also need the form to file with it. There are several different kinds. If this is confusing or you are new to filing your own taxes it might be wise to get help. Sometimes campuses have help centers for student's filing income tax returns. It is a good idea to start now and collect all the paperwork you will need to complete your taxes. Remember to save your paperwork in a file folder. You can also save it in a large sturdy envelope. Mark it "Taxes 2007". Hang on to it. Sometimes this information is necessary to complete your financial aid file.