Before moving, I made a budget. It included rent, food, transport, insurance, study materials, and a small amount for social life. The budget was responsible and fictional. It did not include subscriptions required to contact landlords, travel for a viewing, replacing household items that looked usable in photos, paying rent before arrival, deposits held for longer than expected, or buying the specific basic object nobody remembers until the first night. Then university added its own uncertain costs. Which books were truly necessary? Would my laptop run the software? Could I work immediately? How much would learning Dutch affect the jobs available? Every answer changed another line. Money also shaped social life before I met anyone. Introduction tickets, dinners, drinks, club fees, transport home after late events. People used “only” before prices that were not only anything to me. I did not want to disclose my budget every time I declined. I invented reasons. Busy. Tired. Already have plans. This protected me from embarrassment and made friends think I was less interested than I was. Finding work helped financially and created another shortage: time. A shift could pay for several social plans while making me unavailable for all of them. During busy academic weeks, working felt irresponsible. Not working was not a serious option. I also became aware of how differently students use the word independent. Some mean living away from parents while receiving regular support. Some mean paying part of their costs. Some mean that a missed shift creates an immediate problem. These are all real lives, but they do not carry the same risk. I am not interested in ranking whose struggle counts. I want us to stop pretending money is outside student culture. It decides housing, health, time, confidence, internships, language lessons, and whether a spontaneous invitation feels joyful or threatening. The best friends I have made here give details without making them moral. They say what something costs, offer cheaper alternatives, and accept no without asking for a financial explanation. My budget is better now because it contains reality. It also contains one category called “things will happen.” That may be the most accurate part.