[FSUZeta]

what ztangel said !!prioritize. is your membership more or less important than the latest fashion trend? is is more important to go out to a big meal at a restaurant than go in with a group of friends on a pizza? start working on a budget with such catagories as tuition, books, rent, meals, zta dues, car payment, car insurance, cell phone, miscellaneous. fit the catagories to your needs listing the things that HAVE to be paid. for instance, you have to pay your tuition, books and lab fees(if you have them). those should go first. unless you go to school in your hometown, and can live at home, you will have living expenses. that should go next.it is often cheaper to live at the sorority house. it may seem like it costs more, because your meal plan is usually a monthly lump sum, so the figure seems big, but usually amortized out you are paying way less for food than if you were eating out. do you really need your car? obviously, if you work and need transportation to your job, you need a car. if it is just used for pleasure, maybe that could be an expense you could cut. believe it or not, there are college students who do not have a car at school(i survived 3 years without one myself). since most of us have enough clothes(shoes included) that we don't have to wear the same outfit consecutive days, clothes and shoes could go into the misc. catagory, along with entertainment(movies, concerts, cds, dvds, bowling, etc.). sorority t-shirts could also go into misc. if they are being purchased as a souvenir. if they are a requirment for recruitment, then they would not be in the misc. catagory as would any other clothes required for recruitment. while this is a broad overview of how to make a budget, you will get the idea. i believe that if you drop your membership, you will regret it in years to come. good luck to you.