How To Start Budgeting In College

Are you feeling the financial squeeze of college life? Between tuition, books, housing, and all the social events and shopping temptations, it can be tough to make ends meet.

Creating a budget might not sound like the most exciting thing in the world, but it really is a total game changer. Budgeting can help you keep track of your expenses, plan for future ones, and avoid unnecessary debt. It can also help you achieve your financial goals, like saving for a trip or paying off student loans. Basically, it’ll give you the peace of mind that comes with knowing that your finances are in order.

If you’re not sure where to start, this post is for you. I’ve put together this guide to help you create a budget that works for you and will guide you to your financial goals, so you can spend less time worrying about money and more time enjoying your college experience. Let’s get started!

The Challenges of Budgeting in College

Let’s face it, college life can be tough on our wallets. For many of us, this is the first time we’re responsible for our own finances and it can be overwhelming. Between limited income from part-time jobs or financial aid, increased expenses for tuition, housing, and all the other little things that add up, it can be hard to make ends meet. And let’s not forget the temptations to overspend on social events, shopping, and eating out.

One of the biggest challenges of budgeting in college is balancing all these competing demands on our money. It can be tough to know how much to spend on what, and when to say no to a night out with friends or that cute dress you saw on sale. It’s also easy to fall into the trap of overspending when we have student loans or credit cards that make it feel like we have more money than we actually do.

Keeping track of our expenses and knowing where our money is going can be challenging, too. It’s easy to lose track of small expenses like coffee or snacks, but those little purchases can add up quickly and make a big dent in our budget.

It’s also very important to have some extra savings for unexpected events, such as a car breakdown, an emergency dental appointment, etc. And it’s tough to prepare financially for such things, but it’s essential to have a buffer savings or an emergency fund to manage such situations, and it should be included in your budget as well.

Budgeting is all about making the most of the limited resources you have and being smart about how you spend your money. The most successful students are the ones who take the time to create a budget and stick to it. That way, you will have a better understanding of how much money you have, how much you need, and how to use it most effectively. I’ll give you some tips in the next section to make budgeting a little bit more manageable.

Budgeting Methods

Now that we’ve covered the challenges of budgeting in college, let’s talk about how to create a budget that works for you. The first step is to decide what type of budget you want to use. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, so let’s go through the most common ones so you can figure out which one is the best fit for you.

1. The “Envelope Method”: This method involves using physical envelopes to budget different expenses, such as rent, groceries, and entertainment. For example, you would put cash for your rent expense in an envelope labeled “rent”, and only use the cash from that envelope to pay your rent for the month.
2. The “50/30/20 Rule”: This rule states that you should spend 50% of your income on necessities, 30% on wants, and 20% on savings or debt repayment. For example, a college student might allocate 50% of their income to rent, groceries, and other living expenses, 30% to fun activities like eating out or shopping, and 20% to paying off student loans or saving for a trip.
3. The “Zero-Based Budget”: This method aims to assign every dollar you earn to a category, starting from 0, so that at the end of the month you’ll have 0 remaining dollars not allocated for any category. It requires you to be more detailed and specific with your expenses, and make sure that you account for every dollar earned.
4. Living frugally: Some students have had success by cutting back on unnecessary expenses, such as shopping, eating out and expensive entertainment. They cook at home, avoid impulse purchases and stick to free or low-cost activities like hiking, biking or going to the library.
5. Using budgeting tools or apps: There are many budgeting apps and tools that can help you stay organized and on track with your budget. These apps can be helpful in tracking your expenses, categorizing your spending, and setting reminders.

All of these examples are different strategies to budgeting, and what works for one person may not work for another, but they all share the same goal, which is to effectively manage the money they have, and reach their financial goals.

Tracking Your Expenses

Once you’ve chosen a budgeting method, it’s time to start tracking your expenses. This means writing down every single thing you spend money on, from the obvious expenses like tuition and rent, to the little things like coffee and snacks. It may seem tedious, but it’s an essential step in creating a budget. You can’t plan for the future if you don’t know where you’ve been. Let’s go through this in 4 simple steps:

1. Determine your fixed expenses. These are expenses that stay the same every month, such as tuition, rent, and student loan payments. Write these down and figure out the total amount of money you’ll need for these expenses each month.
2. Determine your variable expenses. These are expenses that change from month to month, such as groceries, entertainment, and gas. Try to estimate how much you think you’ll spend on these expenses each month.
3. Prioritize your expenses. After you’ve determined your fixed and variable expenses, take a look at the list and decide which expenses are the most important. Be sure to factor in your savings goals and emergency fund contributions too.
4. Track and adjust your budget regularly. Once you’ve created your budget, it’s important to track your spending and make adjustments as needed. You’ll probably find that some of your estimates were a bit off, and that’s okay! Use this information to make changes to your budget so that it works better for you.

Sticking to Your Budget

Now that you’ve created a budget, the next step is usually the hardest: actually sticking to it. Staying on track with your budget can be a challenge, but there are a few things you can do to make it a little easier.

Knowing what you’re working towards from the beginning can be really helpful. Think about your financial goals for the future. What do you want to achieve with your budget? Do you want to save up for a trip? Pay off your student loans? Buy a car?

Once you have an idea of where your money is going, you can start looking for ways to cut expenses. This might include cooking at home instead of eating out, using coupons and shopping sales, or cutting out unnecessary subscriptions or memberships. Every bit counts.

You can avoid impulse buying by trying to stick to a shopping list. If you have something in your mind to buy, think twice before purchasing it, sleep over it and see if you still need it the next day. You can also try the 24 hour rule, which means waiting 24 hours before making a purchase, it helps you to think it over, and you may realize you don’t need it after all.

Another way to stay on track with your budget is to find ways to stay motivated. This can be as simple as tracking your progress and celebrating your wins, like when you reach a savings goal. Or you can try creating a budgeting buddy system with a friend or family member, or even a budgeting challenge for fun.

Don’t forget you should be prepared for unexpected expenses. Car repairs, emergency dental appointments, or unexpected travel can all come up and throw a wrench in your budget. This is where an emergency fund comes in handy. It’s always good to have some money set aside for unexpected expenses so that you’re not scrambling to make ends meet.

It’s also important to be flexible with your budget. As you go through the month, you may realize that certain expenses are higher or lower than you anticipated. It’s okay to adjust your budget as needed. The important thing is to keep on track with your overall financial goals.

And lastly, consider using budgeting tools to help you stay organized. There are many budgeting apps, spreadsheets, and software that can make tracking your expenses and sticking to your budget a breeze.

If you find yourself consistently overshooting your budget, it’s important to identify the areas where you’re overspending and take steps to cut back. Don’t be too hard on yourself but instead focus on solutions and how to better approach the next month.

Budgeting Will Allow You to Worry Less and Enjoy More

It’s easy to get discouraged when things don’t go as planned, but remember that budgeting is a process. There will be times when you overspend or when unexpected expenses come up, but with a little patience and perseverance, you’ll be able to achieve your financial goals.

So creating a budget is just the first step, and then you’ll need to track your spending and make adjustments as needed. But as we’ve seen, it’s actually not as hard as it seems! With a little practice, budgeting will become second nature to you.

I hope this guide has helped you understand the importance of budgeting and gave you the tools you need to create a budget that works for you. If you need more support, a lot of colleges provide financial aid services to their students, so you can check if yours does, too. Remember, budgeting is key to take control of your finances, so you can focus on what’s important: enjoying your college experience.