I'm a spender not a saver

My biggest problem is that I'm a sucker for sales. A sixty percent off J.Crew dress? I'm there. Twenty five percent off coupon from Coach? Let me find something to use it on. It's a vicious cycle, because these stores have learned that I love a good sale and will most likely use any coupon they send me.

My love for a clearance rack may be somewhat lighthearted, but considering I haven't yet mastered the art of budgeting for myself or balancing a checkbook (well, more like debitcardbook for me), I'm not in good shape. My family often jokes that I'm going to end up going without food one of these days because I spent all my money on clothes and purses.

So to prevent myself from being a hungry homeless person (even if I would be a very well dressed one), I'm taking a course called "Financial Survival" in the fall. It's a one hour, once a week, pass or fail course. While it should be easy, I guess I will truly "pass" when I apply what I learn to real life.

When I told my mom I signed up for it, her three little words -- "that's really good"-- said enough. I knew she really meant "you desperately need it." But sometimes I don't get enough credit. My financial habits aren't all that bad. I didn't deplete my bank account within the first month of school last year like everyone expected me to. And now, I'm even putting at least half of each paycheck into a savings account.

But, my mom is right, as usual. My weaknesses still outweigh my few strengths. Student loan jargon -- something that I should be an expert in by now -- is like another language to me. The word "budget" has never really had a spot in my vocabulary, which isn't something I'm bragging about. I do desperately need help.

Financial survival is supposed to cover everything from financial goals to debt management. And while everyone else in the class is there for the easy grade, I'll be the kid jotting down notes as quickly as possible.

This is the class that I'm most excited for next semester. Last year I took a lot of classes that I had to take, not wanted to take -- classes that I memorized information and regurgitated it for the tests. I'm pretty sure that I'm never going to have to figure out a z-score for a set of data or need to know the kingdoms of biology ever again. But financial aid and credit information? There's something I can use.

I'm proud of myself for taking a step toward fiscal responsibility, but I'll be even prouder when my first thought becomes "save" rather than "spend." Neiman Marcus taste on a Target budget won't be the easiest thing to overcome. Maybe I'll just bring it down to the Macy's level.