Did you hear? Times are tough and that daily iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks you used to indulge on everyday must wait until your next paycheck; that is if you work. If you live at the mercy of your parents or that financial aid check, well, “times are tough and that daily iced….”
As a keen expert on financial jams, I’ve come to the conclusion that if I eventually want to graduate from this institution stress-related-tumor-free, I must find ways to balance my budget without going hungry.
Thanks to my pal Gustavo Arellano, the guy who writes that excellent “Ask A Mexican” column for OC Weekly, college students across the country can get through these hard times just by living like an undocumented immigrant. Say what?
A couple of years ago, Arellano wrote “Live Like an Illegal Immigrant! Secrets of the Good Life from OC’s Undocumented.” The writer, famous for tackling issues affecting the Mexican community in conservative Orange County with vast humor and just the right amount of Spanglish, approached the subject by exploring how the heck undocumented immigrants make ends meet.
The majority make meager salaries doing the most menial jobs, yet they manage to survive in an always-slumping economy.
As someone who grew up in a low-income Mexican household, I was very familiar with some things Arellano mentioned in the “three-step program” he came up with in order to live like an undocumented immigrant.
When it comes to food, a lot of these fellow human beings resort to buying produce at local swap meets; some even grow their own food. The hipster organic trend? Much like Echo Park, it was gentrified so undocumented immigrants could live the Bohemian lifestyle — sort of.
Though it could be tough for college students to grow their own crops, what with finals getting in the way, how about we start making our own lunches instead of spending almost eight bucks at Subway. Making a sandwich isn’t such a hard task to accomplish and with that $8, you could buy a loaf of bread, a pack of jam and a bag of generic chips at your local 99-cent store.
For shelter, college students and undocumented immigrants have similar experiences — usually bad apartments with even worse roommates. So what to do? Well, look at it this way; you only have four to five years of bad roommates. Some undocumented immigrants must either put up with this until they find a love mate to share the bills or face deportation.
When it comes to saving money, undocumented immigrants piggy bank it. As students, we obsessively check our online checking accounts to make sure each of our five dollar bills are still there. If you want to use your card to grab a quick bite at your local McFast food place, chances are you will be charged a processing fee.
The awesome part about having a piggy bank — or in the case of some undocumented immigrants a tomato can with a hole on it — is that you don’t have to worry about overdraft fees or dealing with bored bank tellers.
So there you have it; a less intellectual approach of how to live like an undocumented immigrant and still get the most out of your college experience. Sure, we’re broke and must bum cigarettes and drinks from our friends, but the educational rewards more than make up for the economic downfalls.
Or whatever.
– Julio Salgado