Movies

Image Credit: Ryan Bovy © 2012

Entertainment. Movies are by no means necessary, and the Blu-Ray set of your favorite sit-com isn't either. Regardless, the movie and television industry still manages to scrape money from our pockets.

Some movies become popular as a matter of culture. For example, The Hunger Games became a pop-culture phenomenon. I know I saw the movie simply because I wanted to be able to participate in the conversations surrounding it.

This can be said of much older films as well. Such as: Rocky Horror Picture Show, or The Breakfast Club. These Movies are said to have "cult" followings. The same can be said of many TV shows as well.

Perhaps we continue to consume this form of entertainment for the enjoyment and love of the story. However, I believe there is a much deeper, cultural bonding, that is facilitated by film and television.

Theater creates a connection to not only the actors and actresses, but to the fellow viewer as well. A common experience is what ties people together within a culture.

Bills

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Everyone has them, not just students at university. Nonetheless, this is often the first time that many students are exposed to the activity every parent complains about, paying bills.

"Money doesn't grow on trees" parents often say, but how are we suppose to know that until we have obligations such as bills? Receiving an invoice in the mail via your electric or internet company is always the worst surprise ever.

"How much is it this time?" "WOAH! I guess I shouldn't have paid for that round last night!"

Bills force students to factor money more readily into their decision making process. There are certain things you can live without purchasing, but being six months late on your energy bill means no electricity, and never another loan in your life.

Pay your bills, skip the second beer with dinner.

College Paraphernalia

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Part of a culture is dress. Now to be a student at any university, you don't necessarily have to dress a certain way. However, there are times when a specific time of dress is appropriate.

For Bobcats, there are a few days when dawning the blue and gold is required, or at least highly encouraged. At football games (and other sporting events) you will be looked on as not a true fan if you show up in anything less than your best blue and gold. And don't you dare show up in maroon.

Spending the time and effort at college (any college) will instill a certain amount of pride in a person. After all, the college you attend is a subculture of your life. It is necessary the as students graduate and move on, they take with them this pride. It can be purchased for a reasonable cost at the bookstore.

Music

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Everyone loves music, especially college kids. I listen to music almost constantly: as I walk to class, eat a meal, dance with friends, etc. There's no getting away from music, and there is no reason to try.

Music permeates the lives of almost everyone, and as such, people demand more music. But college kids especially don't want the music they know or that everyone else knows, they want new music. The music industry has begun to change to service this need.

Web applications such as Pandora Radio and Spotify, have taken the place of traditional radio. These sites allow users to create playlists and stations that fit their individual tastes, and for FREE! Spotify even gives users the ability to create a cloud based music library, for no cost.

The infrequent ads are the only catch to these applications, but any music lover would tell you they would rather have more music for free – college students included.

Art

Image Credit: Ryan Bovy © 2012

Living in the same apartment for the last two years (and looking forward to a third year in the same location), my roommate and I thought we needed some art around the place.

Somewhere between our driveway and Wal-Mart we decided we wanted to create our own art and not simply hang things on the walls.

As world travelers, we knew the value of high-art, and its place in popular culture. No where in the many museums we had toured together had anyone used Post-It notes to comment on their predecessors, however.

The decision was made to create a rendition of Matisse's Dancer 1, and work began. In the photo above you can see our progress.

Downtown

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As recent entrants into the legal drinking age cohort, college students enjoy spending money in local bars and saloons. If it is dancing at one of Bozeman's local clubs, or just enjoying a pint with dinner, alcohol gets expensive fast.

At the end of the day, drinking is something to do for students that doesn't require a lot of thinking or skills. I suspect this is why students find it so appealing at the end of a long week of exams and homework. Nonetheless, the sigh of relief one experiences with a nap is much cheaper than with a beer.

As I stated earlier, another factor leading to college students spending money on alcohol (perhaps the largest factor) is that we are all recent entrants into the age cohort that makes it okay.

The 21st birthday is likely the most celebrated for many students because it is the celebration of breaking into this new age cohort that allows them access to a brand new social network. The original social network, the college bar.

Gas

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As students, college kids love the idea of travel and exploration. Despite how hard we try, achieving this sense of adventure isn't free.

Unfortunately, we are all forced to pay for gas, and everyone depends on the powers that be to determine how much of their budget goes towards the "liquid gold" they need to go to work.

How most college students work, then, is by intermittently filling the tank with $10 here or $15 dollars there. This type of purchasing pattern is motivated by need. Everyone needs to go to work, and we all need gas to get there, but we don't need a full tank.

On a smaller scale, there are other forms of transportation for those that desire to live outside the bounds of OPEC (see previous entry). The warm weather allows more options for types of transportation, but it also provides the opportunity for long road trips. And no matter the cost of gas, college students will always love road trips.

Fancy Evenings

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As a male, certain things are expected of me: skills with an ax, ability to drive a stick, and to pick up the tab of an evening out.







The dance that is courtship of another human becomes very expensive for men very quickly. But why? Simple, gender roles created by society.

Men were traditionally the bacon winners of a household, and this idea has stuck. So, in honor of this age old tradition, millions of college males pour money into fancy evenings and impressing ladies with expensive meals. Truth is, if it weren't for this courting tradition, men would probably never make a visit to many of the restaurants that haunt their credit card bills.

When two men go out together for a meal, the tab is (in general) split, unless of course one man is trying to sell the other some sort of business or service. In college, everyone is poor. I suggest we all take a lesson from the Dutch and split the bill, so college men can still afford beer.

Books

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I was hoping to avoid this, but buying books is a must for any and every college student.

This is a collection of just a few of the books I have collected over the past three years (textbooks not included). These smaller books of mostly fiction are necessary to succeed, but impossible to sell back to bookstores. The buying and selling of textbooks is the center of much anger across that nation, including a few conspiracy theories.

On the other hand, many companies have come from the root of this problem. New companies have sprouted that fill this need for college students, but recognize that the need is only very temporary. Therefore, many textbook rental agencies have come to fruition, as well as acquiring textbooks through other means.

Bulk Items

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This is a very very large bag of rice. Now, although rice is requires a certain diet and palette, many college students buy in items in bulk similar to this.

Why bulk? It appears to save money is the simple answer. Buying in bulk, however,  requires a level of consistency that is sometimes bothersome (e.g. eating rice for every meal).

Some items make sense to buy in bulk because, no matter what, they will always be needed. Toilet paper is one of things. Purchasing toilet paper by the thousand makes sense; it will not go bad and you will always need it. On the other hand, buying items that have an expiration date require a different mindset when it comes to bulk. Do you really need four gallons of BBQ sauce? And can you finish it all in two months? Maybe, I don't know.

The new trend in bulk for college students is to purchase the enormous amounts of perishable foods for lower cost and then divide it into reasonable portions for several individuals. After all, it isn't saving money if you buy your four gallons of BBQ sauce at a discounted price , but have to throw out three gallons. It is necessary to be careful of what is bought in bulk, and not fall victim to the "I can buy everything because everything is so cheap" attitude if you want to save money.

It is easy to save a ton of money if you buy the correct things in bulk!

Souvenirs

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College kids love to travel and see the world.  When they do, it is common to spend on souvenirs. These souvenirs could be anything really, but it generally must say the name of the destination on it somewhere. I have a collection of scarves from my travels through Europe. I'm ashamed to say how much I spent on each scarf, as these types of things are marketed specifically for tourists it was certainly too much.

Regardless, at the time, I thought the scarves were worth the cost since you never know when you will end up in a place again.

Souvenirs hold a great amount of sentimental value. For example, I could tell you the story about each of these and where I got it, as well as the stories that it reminds me of from its respective country.

If a consumer realizes the intangible value that items can hold, they will be willing to pay absurd prices. Of course, there must be a balance of value still. No matter how fantastic the memories, I would not have been willing to pay over a certain threshold per scarf; but I can say that now because my threshold was never crossed. I say it is because I'm an informed and conscientious consumer, but we all no that doesn't exist.

Bikes

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This is my roommate with one of his most prized possessions, his bike. He owns three bikes; this, his favorite, is a Raleigh road bike. He could tell you all the awesome features it has, I cannot. To me, a bike is useful for transportation, and maybe some exercise. I have found recently that this is not everybody's opinion.

Many, like my roommate, take great pride in their bicycles. It an underground culture that is catching on. It is difficult for me, an outsider, to put a finger on exactly what motivates someone to spend hundreds of dollars on bike. I can only suspect that it is "cool." People who love their bikes love to talk about their bikes, kind of like bragging parents. In a certain sense, it is quite cute.

Perhaps a great bike can also allow for great adventures. Maybe the motivation for one to spend absurd amounts of money on a bike is to stay connected to (or in hope of) some sort of free-wheeling dream, outside of a corporate lifestyle. As college students, we maintain certain values that are particular to our age category, such as this need to not get incorporated.

In any case, the cycling culture on our campus is hard to miss, and difficult not to ponder about why it is here.

PBR

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The only reason to buy PBR is not because it is cheap, or because it was voted America's Best Beer in 1893 (yes, the blue ribbon is that old). No, the reason that most journey to the gas station to pick up a few cans of the red, white and blue is the identity they step into when holding that can.

PBR is the official drink of hipsters everywhere. Why? No one knows. As is common knowledge, hipsters do and know everything before it gets cool. Perhaps Pabst Blue Ribbon will explode in popularity in the near future, and then hipsters will stop drinking it.

For now, showing up to a party or drinking a can or two alone means that you identify with the most awesome trends of the time. When people see someone drinking from a can with that unmistakable blue ribbon, the hipster tag is immediately thrust upon them. And although a true hipster would never tell you they are a hipster, everyone knows that it is indeed hip to be a hipster. 

So, pick up a six-pack of PBR and drink it in front of everyone you know, and then you too can be a hipster. (Being from Minneapolis, I was born into hipsterism.)

Designer Coffee

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Coffee: a cornerstone to the mornings of the diligent academic, and even more imperative to the evenings of the procrastinating scholar. Not everyone prefers coffee to the brightly colored energy drinks of our day, but it remains nonetheless, a classic.

I purchased this bag of coffee grounds at a local large box store for a relatively low price. Now, the low price is not what drew me to this particular bag of beans. Rather, the branding of the coffee told me that this coffee would be pleasing to consume.

In the store, I stood with two bags of coffee in hand: one Millstone brand coffee, and the other was the Starbucks bag seen above. What ultimately drove my decision, since the two bags were similarly priced, was the Starbucks logo. A genius little picture that said to me, "this coffee is better than that coffee."

Also, there's a surprise on the bottom that makes this coffee extra worth your purchase.

Cheap Pizza

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It is a well documented fact that college students love pizza; they provide access to large amounts of calories for very little cost. What is even better is when pizza places offer deals that make pizza almost free. I bought these two pizzas (with a Campus Special coupon) for only $1.98. In my opinion, I might as well have stolen them for that price. It is just too bad that I didn't have more coupons to stock up on delicious pizza for an absurd price. As far as consumer behavior, this one is pretty simple, more food for less creates more business from those on a budget (like most college students).