<prompt> Human: For reasons mainly money I wasnt able to go away for school and instead have been attending community college and plan on transferring to a local state school next year, and will be commuting again. Ive managed to get a part time job and built a decent savings account. Everyone keeps telling me im saving a load of money and I just dont realize it yet. Is this true or are they just trying to make me feel better? If so, what should I be aiming to do next?  <response>: Youre saving tens of thousands of dollars plus compound interest on those dollars anywhere up to or over 10 percent if youd otherwise be taking out loans to cover it.To put that in perspective, that would take you years to pay off if your income and expenses were close to the average in the USA after graduation, and it would significantly affect your spending and saving power in your early career years.Yes, its a big deal. 