Education

How to Manage Money as a College Student

student-moneyApart from earning a degree or a diploma from a college, having good financial management skills is a great asset for you when in college. Developing a solid money management habit forms a basis for a bright financial future and a foundation to achieve your future dreams. These dreams can range from buying a home, buying a car, owning a company or travelling the world.

Do you know that the difference between a rich person and a poor person is the perception of both people towards money. The poor person thinks that the older you become, the less money you will have accumulated due to a number of expenses incurred on the way like education your children. On the other hand, the rich person thinks that the older you are, the more money you will have accumulated on the way. The rich person knows that when you start managing money from a tender age, the more time and money you will have at your disposal when you become old.

Most college students are poor because of the negative perception they have toward money. They spend more money than the money they earn. In the section below, I outline tips you use as a college student to manage your finances.

Tips for managing money for a college student:

The first tip is to set clear financial goals and making finances a priority in your life. Goal setting is a critical and a vital step in the process of planning your finances. The goals that you have set acts like a map to follow in your life. The map will determine the path or route you will use to get to your destination. Set goals on where you want to be in one year, two years, five years or ten years. You need to ask yourself a number of important questions as far as money is concerned. Some of these questions are:

– How much money do you need for your college education?

– What expenses will you have after you have graduated from your college? Will you need money to buy a house or a car or repay student loan?

– What long term goals do you have after graduating from college?
After setting goals, create a plan to achieve your financial goals. This plan will comprise the following items:

– The first item is the budget. This is the most difficult part for any college student. If you do not know how to create one, you can get in touch with the csa contact number for assistance. The budget will guide you on the amount you need to allocate to every facet of your financial plan.

– The second item is the money management tools available at your disposal. The tools available for students are: student credit cards and student bank account. A good number of commercial banks have accounts with favorable terms for students like low commissions and fees. On the hand, a student credit card can be like a life saver when it comes to unforeseen or unplanned emergencies and a convenient way of making large purchases.

The final tip is to critically evaluate the progress you are making toward achieving the first tip.

Overall, the early you start to manage your finances, the more finances you will accumulate over time.

If you have any questions, please ask below!