Paying Bills and Having Fun is Possible for College Students
...y didn't have to: selling their stuff. They will run out of stuff to sell and be back at square one. It could be considered a good idea, especially when they are selling stuff that their parents have bought them. Or, if students can collect enough income from their parents and peers to survive campus life, it is entirely their choice to work or not. But most experts- meaning those students who have tried all methods- have all said, it is much easier knowing how and when the funds are going to arrive. Not to mention, it is much easier and less time consuming to actually work for the money. Either way, find a source of income and then decide how to spend it. When planning a students' budget, there are several factors that need to be accounted for. They need to eat, they need a place to stay, and they need to have a prominent social life. They will need to figure out how much money they will actually make either weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, and base their budget on that. Since most pay checks are bi-weekly, it is advisable that students plan their budget on a bi-weekly schedule. They will need to decide how much they can afford to eat and put that aside as grocery money. That figure shouldn't change too much in either direction. If possible, live with a roommate, since that bill can then be split. Another bill that can be split is the rent. The rent is usually the biggest bill of all and shouldn't change throughout the course of the year. Just because it is the biggest bill, doesn't mean that it will be most important to students. The most important thing on their minds is their social life. Most students want to party as much as possible, or at least as much as the next person. They will need to set aside an amount of money that they will put towards social activities that they feel is fair and yet will not blow their whole budget. Although these will be the events they remember in times to come, they are not the most important, and they need to understand that. If their budget is planned out and they know that they need to stick to it, it will be harder for a student to overspend, since they will know the consequences. In order to know the consequences, students need to get real about finances. Students need to know how much things cost. They can't plan the grocery bill properly and accurately if they think a can of soup is ten cents. Students, especially first year students, will need to know how much books usually cost at the beginning of the year, or how much rent they are looking to pay a month. Because nobody is perfect, it is well-known that almost nobody will be able to stick to their budget all the time. That is fine, as long as students know how to make up for that. If they engage in a lot of social activities one week, they need to know that the following week will have to be a little on the slow side when it comes to outings. If their job permits, they can pick up a few extra hours at work to make some extra cash. Or, if they didn't choose to work, they wi...