Do any of the more experienced Mustachians have tips to keep me from pulling my hair out?
Perspective. Taking a look at the big picture.
Right now the savings you do will be mostly minuscule. If you come out of college debt free and with (say) 10k in the bank, that's awesome, but it's fairly small potatoes compared to what you will be doing. That 10k that took you your whole college years to save up (along with, you know, paying for college and living expenses and not getting into debt) will be maybe 2-3 months' salary soon.
What you are doing right now is not saving a bunch of money, but
forming a habit. By having these expenses annoy you, instead of brushing them off and charging them (along with some expensive consumer item to make you feel better about the spending you had to do), you're setting a long term Mustachian attitude.
That's the win. These minor setbacks are irrelevant in comparison.
Now all of that helps you (hopefully), but only because of the stage you're in right now. Here is, I think , the crux of your question the applies to every Mustachian, not just the ones whose current expenses are minuscule compared to future earnings:
What do you do when you've got a week filled with tiny victories and huge expenses?
And at that point, those huge expenses are a lot bigger numbers. Maybe not 1/3 one's net worth, but a few month's salary can be a lot more money at that point.
Again, the answer (for me) starts the same. Big picture, and perspective.
I tell myself that these expenses are infrequent, things break, etc. Sure, several things may come up at the same time, but it's not a big deal as they're so infrequent I won't be having to deal with them again for a long time. Getting upset about it doesn't help. Having a more stoic mindset sure does.
Probably my favorite poem ever is
If, by Rudyard Kipling. Every time I read it, a different line stands out to me. The poem list all these ideals to try and live up to. One line in particular came to mind while readingthis post and typing this reply:
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same
It's tough sometimes, but perspective makes all trials seem small.
(Also, I absolutely agree with spider, the overseas trip will be well worth it. But I think you can wait longer on tickets for Christmas time, I'd bet they'll go back down.)