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Wednesday, September17, 2014 7B
Personal Statement: Life's too 'short'
Pinching pennies: Reign in your spending by amrutha sivakumar
By Michael Sugerman
When was the las
said, "Lunch is on me?
knew what you were g:
self into?
Budgeting isn't roc
but it sure is math.I
something about math
too time-consuming
place in most of our
Many of us struggle t'
faction with the way w
ing money, and coi
tuition and rent, theA
ball into heart-wren
bills and empty bank a
Here's the deal: yc
upset aboutsomething
pletely in your contro
full authority on the
decisions you make.
Like any project, th
is research. Track yo
for a month - either b
a spreadsheet or a s
application - and calc
your cash seems tof
t time you The Ultimate Lifetime Money to understand whether being in a
"and really Plan," authors Elizabeth Warren static balance is even an option.
ettingyour- - now a Democratic senator from Chances are, it's not. I spend sig-
Massachusetts - and Amelia nificantly more during Spring
ket science, Warren Tyagi propose a bud-
And there's geting method that involves
that seems dividing all your spending
to have a into wants, savings and needs.
schedules. According to their vision of
o find satis- the ideal budget, no more
ie're spend- than 50 percent of net income
upled with should be spent on needs, 30
woes snow- percent on wants and at least
ching Visa 20 percent on savings.
ccounts. What? Savings?
ou can't be Yes, savings. A 2013 study
that's com- by Demos found that the
1. You have average family's burden of
purchasing $53,000 in student debt can
lead to an average of $208,000
he first step loss in wealth over a lifetime, ILLUSTRATIONS BY MEGAN MULHOLLANI
ur pennies calculated in present day val-
y notebook, ues. Assuming that the inter-
smartphone est rate for a direct unsubsidized Break on travel expenses, food
ulate where loans is approximately 5 percent, and gifts and the beginning of
fly. Catego- that would be like paying off the each semester on textbooks and
$208,000 in lost income with supplies than during other parts
approximately $2,660 of loans of the year. When I'm traveling
every month for 10 years. home for the holidays, the spend-
That's over $31,000 paid in inggets cut in halfsince mom and
student loans every year by dad foot the food bills.
a family - a little less than a Zero-Based Budgeting, tradi-
third of the average American tionally used in the public and
family's income and over half corporate sectors, might just be
of the average starting income the solution. Rather than setting
of a University of Michigan a fixed amount each semester to
undergraduate engineering be used on food-related expens-
graduate. es, Zero-Based Budgeting would
OK. Breathe. have you look at that total amount
It's not all bad news. If you of income you're projected to have
include savings into your in the month, and then allocating
semester budget, you can cut your money accordingly.
illy up your down on the expenses you'll have It's simple: Keep aside at least
self to see to incur several years down the 20 percent for savings; and bal-
Lng even on road. It will also mentally prepare ance out your wants and your
a positive you for when remunerating stu- needs. Look at your spending
t or losing dent loans becomes a significant history to predict what you'll be
statement. part of your paycheck. spending, and be realistic with
ally under- Warren and Tyagi envision the your needs.
ey goes and perfect budget as a balance. But Sometimes it really does feel
the first step to creating a budget- like cash has feet. But it's just
(our Worth: ing method that works for you is paper, after all.
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rize your costs and ta
income. Check your:
whether you're breaki
your income, making
gain in your accoun
money with each bank
Take some time to re
stand where your mon
what you spend it on.
In their book, "All Y
On my 16th birthday checkup,
my pediatrician told me that I
was done growing.
When I was younger, my goal
was to be 5-foot-6, and accord-
ing to my calculations via a fancy
algorithm in National Geograph-
ic Kids magazine when I was
around 8 years old (I'd later real-
ize I was just averaging my par-
ents' heights), this wasn't terribly
unrealistic.
I had always been pretty short
- and as a result, I had periodi-
callyundergone different kinds of
growth tests to ensure that I was
on track.
There had been bone ages -
X-rays that track the fusion of
bones and subsequently, where in
the growth process a patient is.
My testosterone and growth hor-
mone levels were checked when I
was 14 and they both came back
fine.
So when I learned that I'd be
5 feet 2 inches for the rest of my
life, I was disappointed but not
entirely surprised. By that point,
I was used to being short. Did
it sometimes prevent me from
reaching top shelves? Sure. But
otherwise, I was (and am) pret-
ty confident. Height wasn't an
object.
What made me upset, then,
was what the doctor said in
response to that news: "I'm
sorry." He apologized to me, as if
my final measurement was some
type of pitiable misfortune. And I
hated it.
Two summers ago, I - in my
patchy-bearded, 17-year-old
prime - was offered a kids menu
at a restaurant in Hawaii.Angling
my uneven scruff into the sun-
light, I looked up at the waitress,
and in the lowest baritone regis-
ter I could muster, asked for the
regular menu. Embarrassed, she
apologized and hurried off.
Four months ago, I was in the
middle of an intramural basket-
ball game, guarding a guy off
an inbound who was drastically
taller than me. As I hopped up to
try and block him from making
a pass, he scoffed at me: "C'mon
man, you're too short for that."
This July, as an intern for The
Hollywood Reporter, I was sent
to cover the premiere of Let's Be
Cops. While on the red carpet, I
interviewed the film's director,
screenwriters and stars. I was
stunned at just how tall they all
were. One actor, James D'Arcy
(who played the film's villain,
Mossi) is 6-foot-3. As I inter-
viewed him, I held my record-
er nearly at full length above
my head, to get the best qual-
ity of audio for his responses. He
seemed amused, and I couldn't
blame him.
While visiting a friend this
summer, her younger brother
Being short is no
an issue; it's notI
challenge; it's no
a disease; it's no
something to be
"sorry" about.
came out to say hello. He's enter-
ing the third grade, and doesn't
really have a verbal filter yet.
He asked me, "You're really 19?
Aren't you small to be 19? I'm
almost as tall as you are!"
Yes, I stand proudly at 5 feet
and 2 inches, maybe 3 inches with
the right combination of shoes
and posture - and naturally,
short jokes come with the terri-
tory. I've gotten them for as long
as I can remember.
Aside from the more recent
stories above, this one guy who
I knew in elementary school -
with whom I've kept in touch
because we attend the same
temple back home - has
historically made it a point
to greet me by observ-
t ing, "Wow, you're still that
short."
a Here's the thing: I have
been short for my entire
t life, but I have never felt
small.
t The dictionary clari-
fies that to be small is to be
"less than normal or usual,"
or "not great in strength
or power." I've always
been concerned about
that, because I don't-want
my height to limit me -: to
make me something weak
or lesser.
I'm someone who believes
that self-confidence is just that:
derived from the self. So, a long
time ago, I decided that I didn't
care about being short. But it's
still something about which I've
harbored a great deal of insecu-
rity.
I know, it sounds shallow. But
we live in a world where like,
"Sorry shorties, tall dudes have
their pick of the dating pool,"
exist in mainstream media;
where the phrase "bigger is bet-
ter" is universally known; where
voters see politicians as "better
suited for leadership."
I recently asked a few friends
to describe me honestly, in
one word. Responses included
"thoughtful," "energetic," "dedi-
cated," "loyal" and "unfalter-
ing." Notice that not one of those
adjectives hint at stature.
What I'm asking you to under-
stand here is that I do not person-
ally feel hindered by my height as
much as I feel that society tells
me I should.
And that's why, so often, I'm
angry about height. Some people
call it being "vertically chal-
lenged," as if it's more sensitive.
But why should sensitivity be
necessary? Being short is not an
issue; it's not a challenge; it's not
a disease; it's not something to be
"sorry" about.
It's just another trait. There's
no denying that being short has
contributed to my development,
to my personality and to the way'"
I see the world (both literally and
figuratively).
That said, it does not define me
as a person - not any more than
the color of my eyes. At the end of
the day, I really don't mind being
short. In fact, the view's pretty
good from down here.
COVER BY RUBY WALLAU