Unfortunately, we live in a world where spending money has become increasingly easy and budgeting has become increasingly hard. There are so many more opportunities to shop and so many more methods for buying items, like the convenient 1-click purchase on Amazon or belonging to monthly subscriptions that chisel away at my meager college minimum-age income. Whatever stage of financial planning you are at, these five websites offer clear, tangible, and realistic ways for you to start understanding and taking control of your spending.
1. Take advice from the place that deals with money and financial planning every...single...day.
Bank of America has a simple step-by-step article that clearly lays out a plan for you to understand where you’re spending money and how to handle your spending moving forward. This article concisely describes the purpose of each step and how to achieve it.
2. Listen to The Balance for tips and tricks to balancing your income and spending habits.
If Bank of America’s article didn’t quite cut it for you, take a look at what The Balance has to say. This listicle is a great go-to guide to key thoughts you should always have in the back of your mind when handling your money. The goal isn’t to just follow these rules once and forget about it—the goal is to transform your spending habits into those that aim towards a lifetime of financial responsibility.
3. Pinterest ftw.
Once you have a financial plan, take a look at this pin on Pinterest that highlights 50 simple ways that you can save money every day. All those little expenses that “don’t really matter in the whole scheme of things” may not seem like they matter, but it’s surprising how quickly a few dollars here and there and here again add up.
4. Life's an adventure, and sometimes money can get in the way.
As a young college student, Mapping Your Future provides you with tools for every financial question you could possibly have. This page offers quick guides on a wide range of topics from understanding your credit report to paying off student loans.
5. SOS I'm a shopaholic WHAT DO I DO!?
Clothes are my weakness. End of story. I love shopping for trendy new clothes as much as the next 21-year-old girl, but this is a huge money sucker. Miko, a trendy shopaholic, shares her story on her blog about how she transformed from being a big spender to living her life happily on a budget. She used tangible and effective methods to turn her spending habits around and has even started a blog on how to budget your finances wisely and realistically.
