The one trap Coogs fall for, and why it isn’t such a bad thing
EDITORIAL
Larsha Flowers
Cooglife Executive Editor
cooglife@thedailycougar.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Table of Contents | Contributor Credits & Editor’s Note
Finding Freebies at UH • Cooglife Poll
The Real Currencies Students Want & Need • Spoiler: It’s Not Money
Baddie on a Budget • How to Avoid Overspending on Holiday Maintenance
Anastasia Rivera
Cooglife Contributor COVER
Behind The Cover
In line with the financial theme, “these photos were inspired by the ‘Mob Wife aesthetic.’ Mob wives are known for their flashy and gaudy fashion choices, so I used cheetah print, gold jewelry, long nails and money to emulate this,” said Anastasia Rivera.
WRITERS
Gauraangi Gupta
Joshua Vasquez
Larsha Flowers
Mahdiya Bhiwandiwala
Melisa Unlu 03 04 08 12 16 18 22
ARTISTS
Angelina Contreras
Gauraangi Gupta
Joshua Vasquez
Larsha Flowers
Ryan Ross
The Game of Cooglife
Semester Receipts • A Little Broke, A Lot Alive
Coogs Who Know What It Means to Hustle
EDITOR’S NOTE
Season’s Greetings, Coogs!
Admittedly, it might be too early to be saying that, but this issue is the last print issue for the fall 2025 semester.
As I brainstormed story and cover photo ideas for this issue, I thought heavily about the ways in which I could make the issue a special experience for both the readers and the team behind the scenes.
Once the media team confirmed that the theme would be financial, I immediately started thinking about the different types of overlooked social currencies, especially time. I knew for sure that I wanted to highlight them and the ways in which they impact student life here.
Additionally, I decided that it would be fun and exploratory to preserve some of my time as editor and to allow my team the creative freedom to lay out the stories they had written while I worked around them.
Needless to say, I am extremely proud of and grateful for the final bonding that came as a result of laying out this issue together. As you read these stories and digest the financial and management details in them, I hope you can feel the individual passion and genuineness that went into crafting this reading experience just for you.
It’s been a pleasure.
Until we cross paths again,
Larsha Flowers | Executive Editor
COOGLIFE FREEBIE POLL
LOYAL READERS WEIGHED IN
Written by Larsha Flowers
A winding line or a growing crowd in any open space at the University of Houston is usually a good sign that free items are being given away in that location. A longer line often means a much cooler item or variety of items to choose from.
WHAT IS THE LONGEST AMOUNT OF TIME YOU HAVE WAITED IN LINE FOR FREE ITEMS ON CAMPUS?
Sometimes, it is a popular or local brand hosting an experiential marketing event at these tents or tables, and other times it is student organizations or on-campus departments taking the opportunity to connect with Coogs. Either way, many students show up to see what they can eat or take home for free.
For some of these students, collecting freebies monthly, or even hunting them down daily in some cases, is not a sign of gluttony or a hoarding habit, but it is a symptom of sound budgeting.
Keeping this in mind, and in pursuit of a deeper understanding of the freebie culture at UH, we ran a poll on the Cooglife Instagram account. Here are the results and the reasons why you should also hop into the freebie lines if you have not yet already.
Your peers are hunting freebies. You should be too! In college, some students proudly own a closet full of assorted merch and a carefully crafted schedule of all the places they can get free lunches from daily. Their dedication, while sometimes funny, is actually very financially smart. By hunting down free items on campus, they end up saving money on clothing, dorm decor, food and so much more.
In most cases students may retrieve more than one item from multiple tables during on-campus tabling events.
PER MONTH
is how often respondents said they get free items on campus.
With four to five months in a given semester, this calculates to a total minimum of four or five free items per semester.
While the respondents did not share the average quantity of items they get in total per month, it is likely three or more, totalling to more than 10 free items collected per semester.
NOTORIOUS FREEBIE SPOTS
STUDENT CENTERS
According to respondents, it is not a secret that the best places to scout out freebies on campus are the student centers.
Whether it is near one of the entrances of Student Center South, the plaza between the two centers, or the open space behind Student Center North, this general area is where those interested in scoring freebies should be looking.
Beyond the perimeters of the campus, many businesses, online ones included, also offer discounts and freebies to college students with a valid ID or university email address.
Taking advantage of these opportunities, in tandem with other great budgeting practices, students can save a fortune every semester.
So, the next time you come across items being given away on campus, consider how much it could actually save you. Some items might not be worth much, but you’ll miss the worthwhile ones if you make a habit of ignoring them all.
The sooner you immerse yourself into the freebie culture, the more you can save before graduation.
Stay Connected
BADDIE ON A BUDGET
Article & Special Editorial Design by Gauraangi Gupta | Photo by Anastasia Rivera
Coogs Who Know What It Means to Hustle
Written by Melissa Unlu
Many individuals who attend college also take on a side job or hustle while pursuing their degrees. At the University of Houston, many students have mastered this act of balancing academics, work and personal passions.
For students like Jazmin, Connor and Charlotte, college is more than lectures and exams. It also includes leading organizations, playing sports, pursuing creative outlets and working part-time jobs.
These students know what it means to hustle, and to do so in ways that challenge and prepare them for life after graduation.
Jazmin,
Jazmin, who prefers to be identified by her first name only, is a mathematics major with a concentration in data science. Despite being enrolled full time, Jazmin works retail and babysits part time, working nearly everyday and training for rugby twice weekly.
For her, time management is nonnegotiable.
“I put everything into my Google Calendar, even my studying time,” she says. “If I can, I also try to do schoolwork at work if there is time.”
Charlotte,
Connor,
Connor, who prefers to go by first name only, is just as busy with a different set of passions.
She is a geology major, a tour guide for UH and a member of the Natural Science and Mathematics leadership team, GeoSociety and the astronomy society.
For Connor, each week varies, but Mondays and Wednesdays are consistently filled with back-to-back classes and labs, often followed by club meetings or volunteer work.
Her Tuesdays and Thursdays, on the other hand, usually start with campus tours, and Fridays are just as hectic.
Charlotte Russell, a business and marketing management major, also understands what it means to hustle. In addition to her academics, Russell works for the Moores Opera House and holds the position of executive producer for Coog TV.
“[My Google Calendar is filled to the brim],” she says. “I wake up at 7 a.m. every morning so I can do everything I can to give my all to everything I do.”
