The money saver

The Money Saver
Andrew Lysaught, sophomore Naperville, Ill., 20 years old

Each hour scooping ice cream brings Andrew Lysaught $7.55 closer to freedom.

On Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday nights, Andrew Lysaught stands behind the long red counter at the Crimson Creamery in Gresham Food Court. Scooping ice cream for hungry students isn’t the sophomore’s calling, but he puts on the plastic gloves and red uniform for 10 hours a week to earn spending money. “It gives me the financial freedom I want,” he says.

Andrew, a history and economics major, has had a job since he was 13, when he started working as a bus boy at a Naperville, Ill., restaurant. Now he works for the money that pays for his financial freedom.

Andrew owes his father $10,000 for his room and board and plans on paying him back by “working and working and working.” He even plans on selling his $2,000 coin collection and a $500 guitar. Selling his prized possessions, he says, is like giving up part of his childhood.

When his Crimson Creamery shift ends at 8 p.m., Andrew walks across the street to his dorm room in McNutt. Even in a residence hall with an RA, Andrew appreciates the opportunity he has to live and think on his own. “It’s not just physical freedom I lacked in high school,” he says. “I didn’t have much mental freedom either.”

Going to class, working and enjoying college has forced Andrew to learn how to manage his money and his time. “Freshman year I really screwed up,” he says. “I didn’t have my parents on my back, so I stayed up late, went out late.” A year later, he’s beginning to figure it out. “It’s all about balancing your time,” he says.