DR. WALLACE: I'm a college freshman who has a spending problem! Every time I get paid, I tell myself that I'm going to save the money from my paycheck, but I always seem to end up spending it on clothes and food. Sometimes I kind of justify it to myself, thinking I need clothes for work or for college and that I deserve a few nice meals out here and there. However, there are other times that I'll quietly think to myself that I'm blowing my money just as quickly as I earn it!

My parents always tell me to save it, but ultimately, it's the money that I made, and I can spend it on what I want since I do not have any financial obligations besides paying for my gas occasionally. What do I do so I can stop spending all of it right as I get paid? — Swift Spender, via email

SWIFT SPENDER: Think now about your future plans! Do you have plans to move out on your own someday? If so, that will cost money that you'll have to budget for. Apartments and even dorm rooms often require "first and last months' rent" deposits, which means it takes a chunk of capital to get started on your own.

One idea to help you establish financial discipline would be to suggest that you keep a small notebook listing every penny of your income and every penny of your expenses. Look at this regularly and see specifically and exactly where your money is going.

From there, you should be able to realize that you can cut back on your spending quite a bit but still enjoy making a few purchases here and there. Be sure to open a savings account at a local bank or any online financial institution you prefer. It's always best to create a budget and to "pay yourself first" in terms of putting some of each paycheck directly in the bank as savings. Then force yourself to live only on the remaining budget in the meantime.

MY SUMMER ROMANCE JUST ENDED

DR. WALLACE: I had a spontaneous, intense and wonderful summer romance that just ended! I kind of knew in the back of my mind that this person would likely bail on me by the end of the summer since we don't attend the same school and because there is a five-year age difference between us. I'll just leave it at that without getting into our ages and further details.

I've been crying and moping much more than I ever expected I would. I'm normally pretty levelheaded, but for some reason this really hit me hard. I'm so sad that I'm not looking forward to my next school year, even though in the past I've always been excited about returning to school to see old friends and make new ones. What do you recommend? — Suddenly Sad, via email

SUDDENLY SAD: Your feelings are more normal than you likely realize. Any time an intense relationship develops over a short period of time, a withdrawal from it for any reason usually initiates emotional distress for a time.

I suggest that you take time to grieve the passing of this relationship and think back about the fun times you enjoyed. Perhaps write a few journal entries about it — and then seek to leave it there.

Next, do what you've always done: look forward to the new school year. Your high school or college will offer you lots of social activities and interactions, and the fast pace of classes, studies and responsibilities will push you quickly back into your familiar routines. Seek to interact and socialize more than you usually do early on in this new school year. This will help you to move on more quickly, and you'll likely be feeling better quite soon.

And finally, look at it this way: you had a great romantic experience that you can always look back on, so consider a hypothetical: If you could choose between it having happened but ended and never having happened at all, which would you choose? The answer therein might be quite insightful and perhaps even cathartic for you.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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