Cougar Cash, RDA, and Money as a College Student (DTC 375 blog #2)

As a student, I find that I use mostly electronic money. I have cash, I always keep some for emergency use, but I rarely ever use it. Instead, as I live in a dorm on campus, I find that I mostly use a combination of RDA, or a Residence Dining Account, and Cougar Cash. RDA, is for food, and a few other things, it can be used in the dining halls, market places, and a few other places around campus. A student has to be living on campus in order to have an RDA account, and it is linked to the student ID card.
Occasionally, I will also use Cougar Cash. Cougar Cash, is also linked to the ID card, but unlike RDA, you don't have to live on campus to have access to it. It can be used in more places than RDA as well, even a few off campus locations, including the vending machines on campus. It is simple to use, you can insert cash into into kiosks, or use a credit or debit card. I use it when I go an purchase things, such as school and art supplies, or books in the Bookie. Some times, I use it to buy Subway sandwiches, or Panda Express in the CUB. It is simply easier, and much more convenient for me to have everything attached to my ID card. I almost never go off campus, and when I do, I use my debit card.
This would be wildly different from someone who lived off campus, whether they were a professor, another student, or someone who had lived in Pullman all their lives. Just like everywhere else in the state, anyone who lived off campus would go to grocery stores, and the mall, and other places. They may use cash, or credit or debit. They would see the money go almost immediately.
The Cougar Cash, and Debit Card I use see the money leave immediately, but the RDA is a bit different. All I do is allot some of my student loan money to my RDA account to purchase a dining level and then swipe my card for a purchase. I won't see the consequence until after I graduate and have the loans to pay.
As a student living on campus, I do not have to worry about stocking a kitchen, or taking care of a house or apartment. I don't have have to buy things like cleaning supplies, or paper towels. The few basics, like Windex, that I brought with me from home in the beginning of the school year more than suffices.
Though there really is no limit as to what a student can buy, every one has their own budget, and college students tend to have smaller ones than established professionals. I do not have a job in Pullman, however, when I go home for a significant length ( any where from a week, to the summer break) I tend to work at the job I had In high school. They are really nice, and allow me to keep returning to work, even if it is for a very short amount of time.
Every penny I make from there I save. One never knows when they may need emergency money. Seeing as I do not have a steady income, I tend to have tight spending habits. I really only spend money on the occasional meal out, and Netflix. I have a car, but I do not have it in Pullman, it stays in my home town. So, I am not paying for gas, or car maintenance. I am still under my parents insurance, and would pay them, however they have me on this plan from the company for college students that go away and  do not take their cars, which greatly reduces the monthly cost.
 This is in sharp contrast to my freshman year of college, where I was attending a school much closer to home, and living there as well. Not only was I not paying living expenses, but I had a job, with a steady income coming in. I was much less tight with my money. I bought a TV, a Playstation 3, movies, and games. I was also saving, paying for gas, and car insurance.
I have always found it interesting how different people view money, and utilize it, even when they are from the same small geographic area.