How to Combat Study Woes With Crispy Boys AKA De-Stressing Mates With French Fries and Bants

Salty fries > salty cries.

In the past four weeks, I’ve spent at least $40 on fries/potato-related products alone.

My moral conscience has been constantly yapping, in the hopes that I’ll stop spending so much. I never really listen though.

Consequently, this reckless, uncontrolled and unprecedented spending occurs far too often, and the struggle has become far too real.

I think it’s important to understand why I’m spending such exuberant amounts on crispy boys. I’m not just some kind of potato vacuum that converts money into potato-regrets. I’m also a psychology student at university. I’m in the final weeks of uni at the moment, so naturally everyone is desperate to finish off the assignments they’ve left to the last-minute.

Sadly, this heightened stress often leads to some really debilitating mental states. I’ve seen friends become riddled with feelings of anxiety, unfulfillment, anger and unfathomable amounts of boredom. It’s a really horrible mental state that you wouldn’t wish upon your worst enemy.

So, what can I do to help as a uni student who knows their torment all too well? I usually can’t assist with their assignments simply because the content is just way too specific to their degree. Nor can I snap my fingers and make their assignments go away.

My solution: I buy a $5 box of fries from the uni cafeteria to split with them, and we have a gabfest. We talk about anything really, whether it be an in-depth analysis as to what makes the perfect chip, or a ferocious vent session about the annoying, heartless lecturer.

I’ve come to learn that a box of fries can't make your workload disappear, but it helps. (Salty fries > salty cries.)

My mum told me something as a kid, and to this day it still resonates with me: "If you are able to practically provide your friends with any kind happiness or comfort, then you have the moral obligation to do so." And to me, $5 of fries for my stress-induced friend falls well within the realm of what I’m capable of doing.

Now, some people may tell me that eight times $5 fries is an impractical amount to spend on those crunchy, curvaceous crisps, and they’d probably be right. They’d tell me I shouldn’t spend so much money on my friends, or that fries are the last thing my anxious friends need.

I don’t really have the opportunity to dwell on these thoughts for too long. Usually by then, one of my friends would have sat down next to me, fresh box of fries in hand, As much as I would like to cut down on my spending, I’m okay with spending ludicrous amounts on fries if it means I have an excuse to talk to my stressed-out friends.

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Congratulations to Andy for winning this week's writing challenge: Why Is It So Hard to Save Money? Andy wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Competitions section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: iStock.com/Alst