Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that I love talking about things that no one likes to talk about. Dialogue is healthy! So why not talk about one of, quite possibly, the most taboo topics ever?
Money.
Money is very stressful when you’re in college, and there are definitely varying degrees of this type of stress. I am totally not trying to undermine that. I do think that it’s important, no matter what situation you’re in, to develop healthy habits with money in college to prepare for whatever the heck comes after!
Here are some of my best tips for how to manage your money as a college student (while still being fabulous, obviously):
- Find somewhere to budget your money.
My grandpa helped me learn how to budget my money on Quicken when I was 15-years-old, and I’ve done it ever since. I think that it is so important to be able to actually see where all of your money is going. A budget is helpful for making goals as well as tracking your, maybe not-so-healthy, spending habits. It is also good for your financial safety to make sure that all of your purchases are, well, yours. Quicken is a great program, but it is a little bit pricey. Another great option is Mint.com which is owned by the same umbrella company as Quicken.
- Download Honey.
Honey is a Google Chrome application that automatically scans the internet for coupon codes at checkout on websites. Honey can save you money on so many different types of things while shopping online.
- UNiDAYS.com
UNiDAYS is a website that gives you student discounts for online stores. Again, this website can save you money on much more than clothes. They have student discounts on everything from travel to technology and software to eye care!
- Open a savings account.
I think this is one of the best things to do in college. Whenever I make money from babysitting or working, I always try to put a portion of it into my savings account. I think it is a horrible idea to leave a lot of cash sitting around in your checking account – especially as someone who would be very tempted to spend it!
- Plan out your spending based on your income schedule.
There should be a hierarchy of how you spend your money. After your income comes into your bank account (be it from a job, an allowance, etc.), make sure to use it on what is most important, first. For example, don’t go get your nails done if you haven’t paid your rent yet. Once that payment cycle ends, then treat yourself if you have extra funds!
I’m definitely not perfect at any of this, but I hope these tips help some of you guys! As always, if you want to continue to talk about all this, or if you have any tips of your own, comment them down below! I’m always looking for ways to save my money!
xo
