what am i, a millionare?

i just got a semi-spammy email from some girl who goes to UC Berkley. to paraphrase, it pretty much said something like "you write about food! here's a really cool food app for your i-phone that helps you find restaurants! here's all kind of info and testimonials about this food app! for your i-phone! download it on your i-phone! tell temple university about how great it is! here's how to download it onto your i-phone! yay!".

i responded back, letting the girl know i would check out the press kit but i'm still rocking a flip phone so i can't exactly try it out for myself.

seriously though- when did it become the norm for college students to have i-phones? aren't those things mad money? plus the cost of the extra bonus package deal that you have to pay monthly- yikes. why should college students- kids who aren't making money and are shelling out serious dollars to get an education - expected to have that kind of technology?

i often flinch at the cost of food or shirts at target so the idea of having to pay for the upkeep of an i-phone blows my mind. my spending priorities are so far from the realm of technology- here's what i spend most of my cash on.

1. food - i like to eat well. i know i could spend less cash if i was willing to live on a diet of pasta and pancakes but that's just not my bag. if i'm not consuming good foods, i'm not a happy camper. i really enjoy food and planning my meals, and i'll happily buy a full load of groceries. though i should point out, most of them are generic brand and i simply won't blow $5 on a box of cereal. no way jose.
2. booze. especially good beers. again, quality of life. i like to enjoy a fine brewski on occasion and will shell out the cash to do so. i'm not too big on the bar scene (i can't swing $5 a beer, on multiple beers, every weekend.) but i'll grab a six pack on my way home or scope out something new at the liquor store on occasion.
3. books. because you can find them used on amazon for next to nothing and they're such a good investment.
4. travel. bus tickets to new york, gas and toll money for jaunts out to the steel city. i'll gladly throw my cash towards seeing new places or familiar faces.
5. concerts. again, mostly in moderation. but seeing music live (especially in smaller venues) is totally worth it in my book.

and stuff i simply won't spend the money on?:
1. make-up. i don't even know how to use this stuff.
2. getting my hair cut with the frequency recommended by most hairstylists. because it's hair.
3. clothes/shoes/home decor at regular price. because i can thrift all that stuff and find much more original items.
4. tanning/getting my nails done. seems like a waste.
5. that fancy phone everyone has. (that's how this whole rant started, right?)

those are my personal spending priorities as of now and they're totally subject to change. i can definitely see the benefit of having a smart phone and maybe in the future, my career will require me to have one. but for now, when i'm a college student who would likely just use it to check my facebook and download goofy apps, i just don't see the point.