Being a full-time student makes it extremely difficult to balance school, studying, working and hanging out with your friends. I, for one, particularly struggle with the concept of “budgeting,” and my parents like to constantly remind me of it. I always worked during the summer and was unemployed during the school year. My freshman year of college I did the same thing and ran out of money before first semester’s midterm break. Since then, I’ve learned that there are some easy ways to keep yourself on track with your money. As we all know, there isn’t a whole lot you can do without it.
Limit yourself weekly.
Give yourself a certain amount of money to spend in that one week, even if that means saying no to some things you can go without. After all, money doesn’t grow on trees.
Take advantage of your campus.
I know that the dining hall isn’t exactly a five-star meal, and it’s more fun to go out with your friends. Maybe you aren’t totally satisfied with the gym on your campus and you’d rather pay for a membership somewhere else. However, chances are that your dining hall and gym (along with many other opportunities) are included in the tuition.
Don’t let the sales pull you in.
Another
easy way to lose track of where your money is going is online shopping. I completely understand that it is way
more entertaining to keep yourself occupied during class by checking all the
sales and new cute collections your favorite stores have, but don’t let your
credit card take the wrath of your boredom.
Be thrifty.
If you know that you have something at home your parents could drop off or mail to you, just wait for it. Don’t make the extra trip to the store and spend unnecessary money on something you already have. Also, you’ll learn that even though Great Value Easy Mac might not be as good as Kraft, it is good to your credit card.
Keep these tips in mind when you start to notice you might not be as liquid as you thought you were. As a college student, I find that I have to keep reminding myself. So keep yourself on track, it’s a lot easier than it may seem! Money is essential at school, so save it where you can.
