These days, it’s rare to see college students who don’t ask for and receive all the help they can get, but Emerson freshman Greg Robinson is a big-time outlier. Intensely committed to forging his own path, he’s decided that he won’t let his parents pay for anything except for his food, rent, and tuition!
This guy means business!
For most millennials it would be unheard of, but Greg made the tough choice to take the reins of his own finances, no matter what. Rather than live off his parents like most of his classmates, he’s determined to go it alone, living by the sweat of his brow during the six hours a week that he works at the campus library. Aside from his birthday money and the credit card he has for emergencies, he’s completely on his own.
There will be no handouts for this hard-working go-getter. Video games, concert tickets, new rollerblades—if Greg wants any of these, it’s his responsibility to budget for it. You can bet that any coffee he buys will be paid fully out-of-pocket if the Starbucks card runs out before his mom remembers to fill it back up. The full weight of life’s financial burdens falls squarely on the shoulders of this intrepid young man.
As much as he loves to travel, this genuine self-made man is willing to forego any extra luxuries. Unless it’s a trip home for the summer, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or a trip that all of his friends will have a great time on, he’s paying for his travel with his own hard-earned money.
If his laptop were to die tomorrow, his parents would replace it, because that’s for school. But if something happened to the iPad he got from his grandpa for high school graduation, he would be on the hook to either save for a replacement or make do with an old second-gen iPad his dad doesn’t use any more. This modern-day Ralph Waldo Emerson knows that such hardships are the price he must pay for the independent life he has chosen.
Wow, what an incredible example Greg is setting for his classmates! Not everyone has the heart and determination to become as radically self-reliant as Greg, but it looks like this kid is more than ready to start pursuing his own financial destiny. Best of luck to you, Greg!
