\tKey Takeaways<\/p>\n
Jill Parsons is pursuing a Ph.D. in biology at Columbia University and working in a research lab.<\/p>\n
She has a tightly planned budget, including spending $35 at Trader Joe\u2019s on groceries plus $50 at Whole Foods and Morton Williams.<\/p>\n
She socializes on the weekends, giving herself a limit of $100 for a night out.<\/p>\n
Jill Parsons is pursuing her dream of obtaining a Ph.D. in biology<\/a> at Columbia University. However, the dream comes with a price<\/a>. The 25-year-old is navigating the high cost of living in New York City on a $49,522 annual stipend and is barely making ends meet.<\/p>\n Parsons recently told The New York Times<\/a> that she leans on her friends to get through tough financial periods.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always blown away with how generous my friends have been to me during all of this, and I think that is the way that I\u2019m really able to get through, especially when things get hard,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Her friends include people from her hometown of Milford, Connecticut, and from Williams College, where she studied biology in undergrad<\/a>. Most of them now live in downtown Manhattan and work in banking<\/a> or consulting.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parsons lives in Washington Heights and works 50 hours a week in a biomedical engineering lab, where her focus is on metabolism and nutrient biology in mice. She resides in Columbia student housing<\/a>, pays $1,524 per month for rent and receives subsidized medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n Minimizing costs throughout the day<\/p>\n Parsons rarely spends money throughout the day<\/a>. She walks to her lab in Washington Heights and has a simple breakfast of yogurt and cereal. She packs lunch the night before and brings it to the lab.\u00a0<\/p>\n Parsons was a competitive ice hockey player at Williams, so she learned about nutrition<\/a> and how to eat well to stay fit. She only buys groceries that she knows she will eat, mainly chicken, turkey and vegetables. She also buys fruit, popcorn and protein bars for snacks. Her grocery bill typically comes out to $35 a week at Trader Joe\u2019s<\/a> and $50 per week at Whole Foods<\/a> or Morton Williams<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Working out is important to her, but she has managed to minimize the cost. For example, her sister teaches at a yoga studio<\/a> in the city and gave her a free membership. The weight-lifting studio in her building waived the annual $100 membership fee because she won a fitness competition there.\u00a0<\/p>\n Going out on the weekends<\/p>\n Her most expensive optional expense is having fun on the weekend. She goes out one night of the week and tries to keep the bill to about $100<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n When the night grows too late to take a subway back home, she sleeps over with friends. It \u201ckind of feels crummy sometimes because you feel like you\u2019re imposing,\u201d she told the Times. \u201cThat\u2019s really where it feels like the financial situation<\/a> kind of weighs on you.\u201d<\/p>\n Her friends also occasionally buy her dinner or cover her drinks. \u201cThey\u2019ll be like, \u2018Oh, you get the next one.\u2019 And then I go to get the next one, and they\u2019re like, \u2018No, no, no, I got it,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n For now, Parsons wouldn\u2019t trade her situation for anything. She would rather work in research than clock in 80 hours a week in consulting<\/a> or finance<\/a>. \u201cI think research is a lot of fun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \tKey Takeaways<\/p>\n Jill Parsons is pursuing a Ph.D. in biology at Columbia University and working in a research lab.<\/p>\n She has a tightly planned budget, including spending $35 at Trader Joe\u2019s on groceries plus $50 at Whole Foods and Morton Williams.<\/p>\n She socializes on the weekends, giving herself a limit of $100 for a night out.<\/p>\n Jill Parsons is pursuing her dream of obtaining a Ph.D. in biology<\/a> at Columbia University. However, the dream comes with a price<\/a>. The 25-year-old is navigating the high cost of living in New York City on a $49,522 annual stipend and is barely making ends meet.<\/p>\n