making your move
Handling Peer Pressure
Peer pressure sometimes causes students to spend more than they can afford, so they graduate owing thousands in unnecessary debt. How does this happen? Say you’ve been planning to work extra hours over Spring Break, but several of your friends want to go to Cancun. They invite you to come along. What should you do?
- Stick to your original plan.
- Find someone to fill in for you at work and charge the trip on your credit card.
- Ask your grandmother to loan you money for the trip.
“A” is the best answer. Try to sit down with your friends and plan ahead for future break travel. This will make it easier to save toward these goals. To stay on track financially, also plan fun, low-cost activities, like “movie night” at home, instead of going out to party, shop, or gamble. Avoid lending friends money or your car.