Imagine

You are a grad student in your early 30s.

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As compensation for teaching a .49 FTE load, you bring home 1053 American Dollars each month.

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Your utilities are manageable: electric bill only runs about 30 USD per month.

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Cable and phone combined are 100 USD.

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You now have $923 per month.

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Your combined coffee and beer habit equals about $200 per month (setting some money aside for those days that you go out drinking rather than stay in drinking).

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Landlord just raised your rent, so now you pay $720 for your lodging. Now you have $3 per month.

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You must pay your credit card bills (200 bucks). And you must also make a loan payment ($100). And you must eat food.

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You have negative $297 and you haven't eaten yet. But you're hyper and drunk.

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Maybe one of your books of poetry will sell and you'll get rich like Mattie Stepanek. Or Billy Collins. Or Maya Angelou.