Alexandra Capellini has known she wanted to be a doctor since she was 7.
That's when the Brooklyn native was diagnosed with an aggressive bone cancer in her right knee. Her treatment consisted of not>How she spends her money
Here's how Capellini budgeted her money in February 2022.
- Dining out: $400
- Groceries: $350
- Savings: $300
- Discretionary: $250 data-test=”Pullquote”>Most of us are reliant>Student life in New York City
Being on a tight budget doesn't mean that Capellini can't enjoy herself. The 26-year-old still makes a point to take advantage of New York City's cultural offerings. She goes to comedy shows and concerts — taking advantage of student discounts when possible — and budgets $100 so that she can go out for drinks and meals with her friends on the weekends.
"Weekdays are so busy with lab and handling class and all of the commitments of being a medical student that by the time the weekend comes, I really try to prioritize making time to meet up with friends and see them," she says.
Alexandra Capellini attends the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.Mickey Todiwala
Still, there are times when the realities of her budget can complicate her social life. She occasionally has to set boundaries about what she can and cannot afford.
"[Some of my friends] have been making nice, comfortable salaries for five years and don't have to think too much about budgeting, or at least not in the same way that I do on a research year stipend," she says. "It's a conversation where it's like, 'Tonight's not going to be an $80 dinner night for me' or 'We're going to grab dinner, but I'll just have a glass of wine — we're not doing two bottles.'"
Even though living on a razor-thin budget can sometimes be "frustrating," the sacrifices that Capellini has made haven't changed her desire to go into pediatric oncology.
Capellini considers herself "a product of so many people within medicine and the health-care system" who helped guide her through cancer survivorship and life as an amputee. Two decades since losing her leg to cancer, she is determined to pay back the kindness she received from her caretakers.
"When I think about having an opportunity to someday be in a care team that's taking care of a child who's facing a cancer diagnosis or limb loss, that is so meaningful and rewarding that I don't think too hard about the costs of getting there," she says. "That's still my guiding force."
