A high schooler’s choice of freedom begins the moment they come into the first day of school. Whether it’s freedom of choice of clothes or independence for classes enrolled, current high school students are generally allowed more independence for making their own choices. 

 At Marian, students have the choice to decide what to spend their money on with the variety of options being inside and outside of the school.

Inside of school, Marian girls enjoy their freedom by buying club T-shirts, food for lunch, purchasing snacks in study hall from the vending machines and more. 

When asked in a Google Survey, 14.2 percent, or 42 students out of 381 responses, said they spend more money during the week inside and outside of school than they do on weekends. Sophomore Laura Sullivan said being unhappy from the school day increases her urge to shop online after school.

On the other hand, out of 381 students, 70.3 percent, or 263 students, say they spend more money during the weekend. Junior Alexa Richter said she spends more money on the weekend with frequent fast food visits. 

A majority of the items purchased for high schoolers are clothes, food, coffee, gas and shoes. Marian students responded to the question, “What is the general category that you spend the most money on?” with a majority of the 381 students answering ‘food.’ 

A close second answer of ‘clothes’ was selected by 80 of the 381 students. A general option that can be purchased both during the weekend and weekdays is coffee, a frequent choice of drink for high school students. Looking in the quad before school or in the trash cans after school starts, coffee is a common purchase for Marian students during the week. 

Because of the demand for coffee, the options of places to go range from local shops to the massive chains available everywhere. 

Participants of the survey answered the question of, “Where do you spend the most money on coffee?” with the options of Dunkin’ Donuts, Crane Coffee, Starbucks, Scooters, local and other with majority of Starbucks and a close second of Scooters. Another influential 4 percent of participants answered that they don’t drink coffee. 

The final and most important variable of money choices is where the money
comes from. In high school, some students still receive money from their parents while some have to pay for their extra expenses out of their own pockets. On the other hand, some receive money from both their parents and themselves. 

Out of the 381 participants, a majority of student get spending money from both of the options being parents and their own pocket (through work or through gifts). While 10.8 percent spend money directly from their parents, and the leftover 27.3 percent of the participants pay for everything themselves. 

Richter said while having a job pays for her extra purchases, her parents pay for the 40-mile drive to and from Marian each day to her home in Valley, Neb.  

Regardless of the location, people spend money whether a couple quarters or hundreds of dollars. Money affects people in different ways. While in high school, student spending choice reflects their freedom of choice.