Possibly even more so than high school, college days are some of the most enjoyable times of one’s life. However, it is also a time when you’re getting closer to your full-fledged adult life. One of the activities that you have to get used to at some point is managing your money. Often, college students struggle with this aspect of everyday life and end up spending more than what they should. If you’re one of those who need to get back on track, you can try these simple suggestions.
Assess Your Expenses
This is often the area where college students fail. Money is spent freely until they find out that they’ve just run out of it. What you can do is take a look at your expenses and see where you can cut them. After that, you can create a plan for it and put it into action. For example, when you first started studying, you may have prioritised comfort in your living space, but now you realise that you can avail of cheap student accommodation in London instead.
Automate Your Regular Payments
The advancement of digital technology has created new ways for us to manage our funds. They even apply to students such as you. If your funds are in a bank account or an online wallet, then you can make use of automatic payments for your recurring obligations such as rent and service subscriptions. That way, you won’t spend the money that you’ve just earned before you pay them off. Of course, for one-time purchases, it’s best to learn to save for it.
Be Creative With Your Income
Aside from having a regular job, you may also find other creative ways to add to your income. For example, if you have old reading materials or special tools that you won’t be using in the following years, then you may want to sell them to those who still need them. Another possibility is to sell artist commissions, especially if you’re good at it. Yet another example would be home tuition, taking advantage of working from home and teaching kids or fellow students with their studies while learning as well. You’re not just stuck with a job.
Have an Accountability Partner
For some people, it’s easier to keep doing certain activities when there are others to check on them and see how they do. Now it may seem like you were weak, but if that’s how you best motivate yourself, then take advantage of it. Find friends and maybe classmates who share the same goal as you of improving their money management. You can keep track of each other’s progress and encourage each other to continue. Even budgeting is enjoyable when you choose to make it so.
Managing your money sounds like a challenging task, but it’s necessary for your success later in life. You need to learn now or regret it heavily in the future. Thankfully, it can be done through these simple means and more that you can look up online. Just keep to it and you’ll be fine.
