College life: Top 5 Financial Tips For Students

With growing up and getting freedom comes the responsibility of managing your expenses and your income. Relying on your parents for all your expenditures is no longer an option, neither is being careless about your finances.

Having a financial strategy from day one is going to help you, in the longer run, in being financially stable and capable enough to pay off your student debts, if any. Following are some tips that will help you in planning your finances.

1. Create a monthly budget
   Making a budget and allocating certain amount of money for particular activities can be helpful in managing your finances. Keep a track of your expenses and keep recording them as you incur them. By the end of the first month, you will get a fair idea as to how much of your money is expended in what area. It will help you in minimising unnecessary spending and get an idea about the savings that you can manage to make every month. Categorising your sources of incomes and expenditures will help you get a clear picture of what is and isn’t affordable. Try to ensure that you don’t end up on a deficit.
2. Don’t buy unnecessary things
   The habit of shopping impulsively is something that is hard to get over with, but to maintain your budget, it is essential that you stop buying unnecessary items that you don’t really need. Shopping for clothes or shoes just because it’s trendy or due to peer pressure, when you already have a lot, is what you need to avoid. Unnecessary expenses also include eating out on a regular basis and that too at fancy and expensive places. You need to avoid spending money lavishly and also stop spending it on alcohol, not only is it expensive but also injurious to your health.
   You can also avoid buying new books or fixtures for your room. You can always borrow them from your seniors or buy second-hand belongings. They would turn out to be equally useful and more economical.
3. Get a part-time job
   College can turn out to be really expensive and the best way to supply those funds is to earn a little extra money by getting a part-time job after class hours. Some extra cash always helps and it would be more productive than wasting your time watching web series. You can take up freelance jobs according to your interest or take up part-time work from home jobs as well. There are numerous things you can find online which pays well like web developing, creating blogs, content writing, video editing, graphic designing, etc. This extra income will definitely stabilise your budget and supply a great portion of your incidental costs. Besides, it will make you feel independent by building your self-esteem with the fact that you are earning your own money.
4. Savings and using student discounts
   Savings reduce the financial burden that can occur upon you as a student. Make sure you save a certain amount of money every month. Keep that money out of your budget for spending and use it for emergency situations. You can try saving money out of transportation, gadgets, school supplies, food, etc. Also, student discounts are offered by most businesses, so make the maximum use of them and shop at stores and restaurants that offer these discounts.
5. Start investing now
   The sooner you begin investing, the more profitable it can turn out to be. There are a lot of options for students to invest in, from stock market to real estate. There are organisations that offer you funds to invest as students, and investing in stock market is something you can do with little money as well. It is always better to start planning for a safe and secure future as early as you can.

It is in your days of school that you find the cheapest ways to do the same things that would otherwise cost you a fortune. This is the time you learn to be economical and financially independent. Using these tips you can become smarter about the way you spend your money. Always remember that the key to financial success is being aware of how you are spending your money.

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