monopoly-manIt’s official. NPR announced this morning that the United States is in economic recovery. Congratulations in order? Well, I would hold off a bit on popping open the champagne. The rest of us are still a little skeptical. Where are the jobs? And more importantly, why are our account balances still edging dangerously toward financial oblivion?

The truth is, no one’s escaped it and no one will for at least a few more months. If it’s not a personal issue, it’s certainly a social issue. And despite the signs of economy’s recovery, the rest of us are still going to have to ride the wave of financial hell– at least for a little while longer.

Symptoms of the “20-Something-Year-Old”

  • Recent college-graduate
  • Masters/PHP candidate
  • Taking time off from school
  • Unemployed or on furlough
  • Aggressively job hunting
  • Unmarried
  • Decrease in luxury items (paying rent on time, etc)
  • Increase in student loan interest rates
  • Increase in car insurance premiums
  • Packed lunches
  • Good use of “overdraft protection”
  • Minimum payments on maxed out credit cards
  • Parental funds depleted
  • Increase of “me” time
  • A general reduction in happiness

    • Let’s face it. There is no stress like financial stress. If you fit the profile, here are a few tips to keep both your sanity and checkbook balanced.

    1. Relocate
    If you live in Michigan, Rhode Island, California (like me), South Carolina, Oregon, Washington D.C. or Nevada — you’ve got it rough and deserve an applause for surviving this long on your own.

    2. Find a Roommate
    This is a no brainer. Shared rent, shared utilities, shared groceries… it’s really the best thing you can do outside of getting hitched. And to be honest, if you find a good one — it’s one of the best financial decisions you could make. Free entertainment, free therapy and overall increased enjoyment. The roommate will also come in very handy for the other tips…
    roommates

    3. Acquire a Netflix Account ( Cost: < $10/mo)
    The Internet is a necessary evil, but cable television is not. Besides 24 Hour Fitness, cable television is really the biggest cash-cow around. And with the “Watch Instantly” feature, who the hell needs it? Just stream your favorite TV shows and watch them whenever you want to. Unlimited enjoyment at a very low cost.

    4. Buy an xBox 360 Console (Minimum Cost: < $100 High Cost: $300 + $7.99/mo)
    If you’re generating any income, get yourself an xBox 360 console, xBox Live and some games. If you’ve got a roommate invest in an additional controller.
    xbox_logo
    Forget the clubs. Forget the movies. Forget everything that isn’t free. Nothing else matters. Just save the world from zombie mutants and pound the living daylights out of banshees into the wee hours of the night. You can even buy clothes and accessories for your avatar. You might think it’d get old after a while. It doesn’t.

    Hint: If you’ve got an xBox, xBox Live and a Netflix account, you can even stream movies and TV shows through to your TV.

    (My gamertag is “sailawaykid” if you’re ever looking for friends. )

    5. Play Monopoly (Cost: < $15)
    Totally broke? What better way to spend 4 hours on a Saturday afternoon than to play a game pretending to have thousands of dollars to invest in real estate.

    Warning: It does make losing just that much harder. Just take solace in knowing that it’s Monopoly for you, but for someone else… man, it’s real.

    6. Read Books
    Just kidding. Maybe comic books though. They’re only a few bucks a pop and are real pretty to look at. I recommend X-Men, Danger Girl, Teen Titans and Sandman. I’m still investigating.

    7. Wear Seat Belts (Cost: ~$5-10/box)
    Okay let’s be honest…this is the best past time of them all.
    Trojans
    But you’re barely able to pay your own way through. So keep the spawn at bay, at least until you can answer a 1-800 phone call without using a fake foreign accent.

    Hang in there!

    -Lex