Ever since I was a kid, I've been hearing one thing from my mom about money. Save it, save it, and keep saving it. Saving a portion of any money I earn has been implanted into my mind. Before I went to college, I never understood exactly how helpful saving money would be, but I knew it was a good idea. When I worked full time the summer before I went to college, I made sure that half of the money I earned went straight into my college savings. After a hard couple months, I have something to show for all the work I did. After my mom generosity doubled everything I put in my college savings (again encouraging me to save), I had at least an extra $5000 to my name to pay for school. Because I have been saving up money for so long, I'm not debt free (still taking out big loans), but I am a lot more comfortable in my financial status than some of my colleagues. My girlfriend, for example, has been struggling to make the money that she needs to return back to school every semester. Through seeing her struggles, I realize just how lucky I was to have a mom who got me saving up for college from a young age. I'm definitely not out of the financial woods yet, I'm going to graduate with close to $100k in debt, but the money I've saved up is allowing me to comfortably pay for all of the out of pocket expenses every semester, and give me the opportunity to take those expensive summer classes so I can free up more time on my schedule to take non-major related classes that can set me apart from other candidates in my field. I am very thankful for that lesson my mother taught me.