Advice to a 14-Year-Old on Budgeting for a Fursuit Head (and Saving for College)

Hey Papabear!

I'll almost be 15 soon, which means that here in Oregon, I can get a low-level, probably fast food or ice cream, job. I want to save money for a fursuit, but I also want to put money towards college. For the maker I wanna commission, with a low-level job, it'll be probably a year of saving, to rack up at least 900 USD (to fit head accommodations as I wear glasses) with the calculations I've done with starting wages at my local fast food.

But that's not my actual question. My question is: I can't commission a fursuit on my own. I'd have to ask a parent or relative, and then give them the money I've saved. I'm thinking of asking my aunt, but how do I tell her without being embarrassed to the heavens and back? She's very accepting and knows that I'm a furry, but I'm terribly embarrassed to even bring it up.

How do I even do that?

Best wishes,
RaveCat Ivy
* * *

Dear RaveCat Ivy,

Thank you for your email, which can prove to be a great lesson for you and my other readers about a dirty word. And that word is this: Budgeting.

There is no reason that, with proper budgeting and planning, you can't save for your fursuit head yourself and begin saving for college (hoping that your parents will help, at least a little, with college?). Let's tackle the fursuit head first.

The $900 sounds reasonable for a quality, custom head. Make sure that you have a reliable maker on your side. This is very important. Do thorough research on the maker you want and ask their clients whether or not they had a good experience with the maker. That is, the maker should back up their work, make a quality product, be responsive to questions, and turn the work around in a reasonable time frame (and give you progress updates if it is taking time). Good makers are often backlogged, so if they ask for a turnaround time of a year or even 18 months, don't be too surprised (on the other paw, be very suspicious if they say they can give you a completed head in a few weeks). Most makers will want all or part of the money up front, so don't commission a work until you have the money saved up.

College, of course, is much more pricey than a fursuit. It's great that you're thinking of saving up now. But don't think you have to do it all yourself. Assuming you are not getting a full scholarship because you are a star athlete or have a genius grant, you're going to need some strategies here. Some ideas:

• For your first two years of college, attend a community college. Community colleges are actually quite excellent and their tuition is far lower than a four-year college, even if it is a state college. The student-to-teacher ratio is also much better at a community college (at big universities, too often you get stuck in lecture halls with hundreds of students being taught not by a professor but by an assistant, except for the lectures). Research 2-year colleges that have reciprocity programs with universities. That is, the credits you earn at the two-year college are fully transferable to the four-year college or university. Most of these agreements are between colleges in the same state, but sometimes there are interstate agreements such as the Oregon to California Reciprocity Agreement between select schools in California and Oregon. Also! In Oregon there is a program called The Oregon Promise that pays tuition to Oregon high school graduates attending community college!
• If they haven't already done so, have your parents set up a college fund for you. These are savings programs that accrue interest and also have tax benefits toward saving for college, such as the Oregon College Savings Program. The one catch, usually, with state programs is you will have to attend an Oregon school. That's not a big deal, though, as there are some fine colleges in Oregon.
• Research scholarships and grants. Every year, Oregon funds 40,000 students through the Oregon Opportunity Grant, which is aimed at students in lower income families. There are many other grants and scholarships available to you, many only require a 2.0 GPA. Check them out here. Now, you're too young yet to fill out a FAFSA, but you can still learn about what money is available to you by checking that page out.
• Don't forget, there are also work/study programs like this one at the University of Oregon. This is where you get a job working on campus or in government or in a nonprofit and the money goes to your tuition and expenses.
• Too, if you ever get birthday or Christmas money from relatives (or bonds), put them in the college fund.
• You don't have to go through this all alone. When it gets close to time (a year or two from college) set up an appointment with a financial advisor at your school of choice.
• If at all possible, try not to get bank loans. While college loans have pretty low interest rates, they still have a way of chasing you around for years after you graduate. Only use these as a last resort.

Whew! That's a lot of information, eh? You're at a great time to start learning about all of this stuff, though. It may give you a better idea of how much you will need to save in order to achieve your collegiate dreams. 

Once you have a financial goal in mind, it's time to budget. (There's that word again!) Once you find that job to start earning, start by setting up an Excel or other spreadsheet. Each month, put in your income, subtracting taxes and FIFA payments. Add other expenses, such as gas (if you drive) or bus fare to get to work. Then you are left with your actual income. Take a look at that and then establish a percentage or dollar amount you want to save each month toward that fursuit head and then, with what is left, decide how much you can put aside for college each month. (Go ahead and leave a little for yourself for "fun money" like going to a movie, but not too much).

Have a good idea of what your income is and where you are going with your money can really help lower anxieties you might have about paying for things. It really does help to have a plan!

Once you have that plan in place, I bet you won't have to ask any family members for help. If you can set aside, say, $150 a month toward a head, you will have your $900 in six months. All on your own, which is a matter of pride! Then, once you have paid off the head, you can take that $150 you were saving for the fursuit and add it toward your college fund.

Last issue: You're 14 and can't legally send money over the internet, so you need help from an adult. If your parents are amenable to the idea, one thing you can do is set up a Teen Checking Account. Many banks and credit unions will allow a teen under 18 to set up an account if their parents will sign for it. Tell your parents that this is a way to help you learn about money and balancing a checkbook etc. Then, you can write a check to the fursuit maker via snail mail or set up a PayPal or Venmo or suchlike account linked to your checking account. Or, set up a savings account, and you can write a Money Order based on the savings account.

If the above are not options, then yes, perhaps your aunt is the best person to turn to. If she already knows you're a furry, then what is there to be embarrassed about? Just tell her, "Hey, Auntie! You know I'm a furry, right? And one of the fun things you can do with being a furry is wear a costume, which is called a fursuit. I have saved up money for a fursuit head based on my fursona (my character). But I can't order it myself because I'm not 18 yet. If I give you the money, could you order it for me?"

Being direct is the best way to do it.


Happy Saving!

Papabear