Fiction and education, not advice. See our Disclaimer.
This is fiction. Maya Chen is a made-up college student with a part-time retail job. The numbers are invented to feel plausible for a U.S. campus in August 2026. They are not a real person’s accounts.
Maya is 20, living in a shared off-campus apartment near a large state university. She works the sales floor at a mid-price clothing chain, $14.50 an hour, usually 16–20 hours a week around class. Parents cover the lease and tuition from a 529; Maya covers “being a person”: phone, the food the dining hall does not solve, gas when she borrows a car, and the quiet terror of a group chat that wants Thai food.
Her assignment this month, given by nobody except this blog, was to write the number down. The number is $847.
August 2026 cash flow (fictional)
| Category | In | Out |
|---|---|---|
| Retail take-home (72 hours) | $892 | |
| Birthday Venmo from aunt | $50 | |
| Phone (family plan share) | $35 | |
| Groceries / snacks beyond meal plan | $118 | |
| Gas / parking | $42 | |
| Streaming (split) | $8 | |
| Toiletries, laundry, campus events | $64 | |
| Impulse Target run | $37 | |
| Net to checking | +$638 | |
She started August at $209 after a July of “I thought I had more.” The $847 is what is left on August 31. The dining plan still has about $140 of declining balance; we are not counting that as cash. It is not transferable and it will not pay a tire.
Net worth, August 31, 2026 (fictional)
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Checking | $847 |
| Cash in wallet | $18 |
| Credit cards | $0 |
| Student loans in her name | $0 (parents’ PLUS / 529; not on her personal sheet) |
| Investments | $0 |
| Net worth | $865 |
No brokerage. No 401(k) — the store does not offer one at her hours. She has a credit card she does not use except as a “for the love of everything do not lose the debit card” backup. Balance: $0. That is a choice, not a virtue signal. It is also easy to mess up next semester.
One lesson (education, not a prescription)
Writing $847 on a line item is less glamorous than a budget app screenshot, and more useful than pretending the meal plan is a personality. Maya now has a starting point. Next month we will see whether the Target run shrinks or the hours do.
If you want the method without the character, read How to Track Your Net Worth in 30 Minutes a Month. Follow Maya in her category.