Out of Spec

This is actually important! (At least half of it)

There are two sections to this post: one half everyone should know, as it is remarkably pertinent to your college/financial future, and I did not realize it until a few days ago. The other half is mindless drivel, that you can choose to ignore. All of the things contained in this entry, however, are things that I've learned since college. But first, the important half…

So I've been getting a billion phone calls a day from the student loan consolidation people. Most of them I just hang up on. Some of them have sent me information, that I will eventually put through the shredder and go on my merry way. The most recent one I talked to, however, actually made sense, and told me some things of which I was not aware. The Stafford Loan, for example, is a variable rate loan. Almost everyone gets the Stafford Loan, as it's government-offered, and by the end of four years of college, the Stafford loan accounts for about $20,000 of debt. Well, these "variable rates" mean that while the government is in charge of your money, they can increase your rate whenever they want. By consolidating, even within months of graduation, you lock in that rate, and the government won't increase the percent interest you pay on it. Had I consolidated last year, directly after graduation, for example, I would have locked in at the interest rate at that time—about two and a half percent. Now, since I waited until now, I'll be paying almost twice that. But here's the thing: this July, the rates are going up again, by about two more percent. So if you're graduating this year, consolidate now. Who should you consolidate through? Well, this isn't a commercial, so I'm not going to back any one company, but if you ask me nicely I can tell you the name of the company that was kind enough to explain those details to me. Oh, and they also explained that the Perkins loan can be forgiven in some places or something—and they're sending me information on that, too.

Here's the mindless drivel part. In college, I learned that no matter how bad the cafeteria food is, you always find something to eat. I eat lunches at the cafeteria at work, and during this lovely Lenten season, I have a lot of fun finding meatless meals. But if I'm hungry enough, I find something. One thing I learned well, if you have to go, it doesn't matter how bad the bathroom is. Some girls I work with were complaining about the one bathroom, and I honestly hadn't noticed that it was "gross" as they put it. I realized that I lived in a college dorm! No normal public bathroom could top the level of lethality of the bathrooms of Canevin. Lastly, hobbies help you make friends. Sure, in college you have "clubs," and in these clubs you share the same interests, and you can make friends that way. I have carried my hobby of knitting with me, and I'm often surprised how many people will come up and ask you about what you're doing when you knit in a public place. I don't make friends easily, so for me to have strangers come up to me and talk to me, it's a small success.

(Sorry I've been gone for awhile… my life is kind of routine anymore. 40+ hour work-weeks, church on Sundays, and a lot of quiet evenings at home.)