A Must-Have Guide to Finance Tips for College Students

Whether a brand-new college student or about to be an alumni, finances are difficult, and they continue to haunt college students everywhere. From living on a ramen noodle diet to counting pennies to determine if you can afford to go to the movies, it happens to the best of us. 

While finances are often a burden and sometimes hard to understand or deal with, these finance tips can help you get off on the right foot while you are in college. 

Check them out!

  1. Make Yourself a Budget 

Okay, let’s just put it out there. Having a budget in mind and having a budget on paper are two DIFFERENT things. You definitely want to take some time and sit down to make a budget. As you do this, think about each dollar that comes in and each dollar that goes out. This will allow you to gain better control of your money and you will not find yourself short every month. Uncontrolled spending can quickly land you in a debt hole. 

  1. Avoid Plastic Cards 

Credit card offers can be quite tempting, especially as a college student but you want to avoid those plastic cards as much as you can. Credit cards do not mean that you get free money that is being stored somewhere for you and you will end up paying for them PLUS interest. Therefore, if you spend $500 on a credit card, add interest and you may be paying $630 for that $500 purchase. 

If you are trying to build your credit and want a credit card, choose one with a low interest rate, pay off your bill each month, and only use the card when you know you can pay it off when the statement drops. 

  1. Automatic Payments Can Mean Overdraft Fees 

If you are already on a tight budget, you may not want to sign up for automatic payment and instead utilize apps or reminders to help you pay your bills. While automatic payments are nice, they do come directly out of your account, so if you do not have enough funds in there, you will incur an overdraft charge and those charges are not cheap. 

  1. Consider Buying Your Own Food 

While the meal plan at school may seem like the right choice for you, it can be quite the expense, especially if you do not eat a lot of food. Sometimes, purchasing your own food is the better way to go, especially if you have a microwave or fridge in your dorm. 

Meal plans are ideal for some students, so you will need to look into the plan, the cost, and consider how much you will eat.

  1. Only Borrow What You Need

Seeing that loan offer come in and cause you to jump for join but remember, you must pay it back at some point. This means that you want to limit how much you actually borrow to receive your degree. The lower the degree costs, the less you will pay back. 

If you do need to borrow money to receive your degree, do not fear. Many students do. You should make sure to read over the loan terms, know the interest rates, and understand all aspects of the loan itself. 

  1. Get A Job 

While it does not sound like something you want to do, getting a job while in school such as a waiter, working a local storage unit facility or even participating in a work study program at your school can help you not only pay for school but also afford to live while you earn your degree. It is something to think about. 

College is expensive. Living away from home is expensive. Consider the tips above to help you gain better control of your finances while you are away at college.

Student Loans Repayment – Can I Get Debt-Free More Quickly?

Almost every student these days has at least some student loan debt. Yet, all too often, graduates get a shock when they see the amount they owe once their college education is over. Having to pay back student loans can end up holding you back when it comes to furthering your career or doing the things you’ve always wanted to. It can also stop you from taking risks with your career that could further your goals.

With this in mind, tackling your repayments quickly is pretty important. In fact, it should be a top priority once you leave college. So, here is some advice about how to get debt-free more quickly. 

Consolidating Your Federal Student Loans

If you’re asking how do I pay back my student loans more quickly, the first thing to consider is consolidating your federal student loans if you have your loans at several different banks. This probably won’t apply if your loan is a more recent one, but if your classes began a few years back, consolidating your various loans could make you eligible for some student loan forgiveness programs while making it simpler to pay a single monthly payment. You’ll also get the chance to reduce your monthly payments and get an extension on your loan term. This is something that could prove to be extremely helpful if you aren’t earning as much as you’d anticipated now that you’ve graduated. 

Draw Up Your Payment Plan

Make sure that you’ve created a payment plan that will cover not only student loan debts but also any car loans and credit card debts. You should prioritize those debts based on how much interest you’re paying and any tax advantages you can gain. That means usually, you should put federal student loans at the end of the list since their interest rate is typically lower, and put private student loans higher up on your list of priorities. This will help you to focus your effort and get out of debt more rapidly.

Set Your Budget

As soon as you’ve got your first position, you’ll have to set up your budget to limit spending. This will give you more money to put towards your student loan repayments. When you are earning a steady income, you must establish a budget that is realistic and that enables you to save money while also paying off your debts. Although you may be tempted to overspend now you’re in employment, it’s important to make sacrifices now so that you can enjoy having more income later.

Find More Money

Check your budget and see where you can make any further cuts, or see if you have any items that you can sell. Any money that you make, you can put towards paying some more off those loans. Using Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace or eBay could be a good way to sell on anything you no longer want or need.

Take A Second Job

If your student loan debts are very large, taking on another job could be an effective solution. Jobs that offer tips could be a good option for helping you pay those loans off quickly, but freelancing or being a tutor could also help you earn more.

Apply For An Income-Based Repayment Program

If you’re really struggling to meet your payments, you should m make an application for an income-based repayment program. This will base how much you pay on how much you’re earning. You’ll need to make an application every year, and if your income goes up, so will the payment. Under this program, if you continually make your payments on time for thirty years, the remainder of your federal student loans will be eliminated.

Benefit From Loan Forgiveness Programs

The fastest, most effective way of paying off your student loan is to have it completely canceled. If you’re working as a teacher, you could be eligible to get your student loan debts wiped out after 5 years. If you’re working for a non-profit organization or the government, it’s possible you could qualify for similar programs. AmeriCorps and Teach For America also offer programs that help to pay off student loans. If you’re working in a rural or inner-city hospital, you may also find you’re eligible for a forgiveness program.

Take this advice, and you’ll be able to make some headway in paying off your student debt much more rapidly. Then you can begin to focus on saving for all of the other things that you need in your life.

Sharpening your financial education: Things they don’t teach you in college

Financial literacy offers the necessary knowledge and skills to manage money in an effective manner. Financial education should start from an early age. Institutions of higher education place a great deal of importance on teaching students about finances. In the modern world, financial responsibility is of the essence. To be more precise, they need to learn how to manage money and other assets of the same nature in a productive way. More students should have access to personal coaches long before they reach the age when they are able to get a loan. Until that happens, the only thing that can be done is to advocate for financial education. It’s not just for investors.

Colleges strive to prepare students for the real world and their efforts always meet with success. Interestingly, there are some things they don’t teach you in class. Take education into your own hands. What seems challenging in the beginning will motivate you to come up with a successful approach. You’ll learn a great deal during your time in college. However, you won’t grasp all the aspects the art of investing and managing money, that is, if you’re not attending business school. Keep on reading to improve your financial literacy. These are the lessons that they don’t teach you in college. Read attentively.

Anything that is related to banking deserves your attention  

Financial institutions like banks play a major role in the economy by offering services to individuals who are looking forward to saving. Banks act like intermediaries in the sense that they connect surplus and deficit economic agents. Why should you learn about banking, anyway? Because it can impact your financial future, that’s why. When you’re able to grasp basic economic concepts, you’re able to set up a savings account and, of course, start saving money. It’s important to learn some of the basic things prior to opening a bank account. You need to become familiar with concepts like routing number, compound interest, or overdraft fee. Take the time to learn everything you can about banking. Understand what’s the best way to manage your money and don’t do yourself a disservice.

You can start paying back your student debt immediately

Students need loans to balance the books. As a matter of fact, if it weren’t’ for student loans, they wouldn’t be able to pay for education. Student loans are meant to meet the needs of students of higher education whose personal resources are scarce. Repaying the debt doesn’t have to be a major hurdle. In case you didn’t know, you can start paying back your student loan starting right now. How? Well, trade Forex in your spare time. Anyone can trade in the foreign exchange market. If you treat it as a serious business, you’ll surely be successful. The money that you’ll make won’t be enough to pay off the loan early, but it will be enough to manage the debt.

FX trading is a sure way to make extra money. Low spread Forex brokers are extremely popular nowadays. If you’re looking for an affordable trading solution, you don’t have to look too long, as you can easily find brokers with a low trading cost. The trading strategy that they offer is one you should consider. Low spread Forex involves completing several financial transactions in the course of a day. The commission can rise up to 100 pips. When it comes to trading FX online, you should best focus on the winning strategy. Anyway, it’s possible to make profit from your dorm room. Don’t miss out on this important opportunity. There are many software solutions available, so you don’t have to actually be online to trade.

There are various ways of balancing a budget

There is nothing more important than having a balanced budget. When your expenses don’t exceed the income, you can easily meet your financial obligations. Budgeting makes it possible for you to create a spending plan and determine ahead of time if you have enough money to do the things you need or want. Ideally, students in college should be taught about the basics of keeping a financial record of their financial transactions. As you know, we don’t live in an ideal world. Creating a budget and, most importantly, sticking to it is the most adult thing to do. In addition to putting your savings into an account, there are some things you might want to do.

When determining what is the best way to spend money, think in terms of needs and wants. To be more precise, figure out if what you’re planning to spend your hard-earned cash on is a need or a want. Do you have your eyes set on an expensive pair of shoes? You might want to reconsider. Equally important is to stick to one type of payment. It’s a lot easier to track your spending when you use, for instance, the debit card. Use cash or card. If you happen to have a credit card, make sure not to overspend. It’s recommendable to spend as much money as you can afford to, not more.

Accounting can come in handy in the most surprising situations

Accounting is the process of recording financial transactions, storing information in a useful way, and presenting the results. Everyone should have basic accounting knowledge. imagine the following scenario: You want to buy a car. The investment is a significant one and you do your best to negotiate a better price. If you’ve had any experience with accounting, you would know all too well that the vehicle you’re on the point of purchasing is on the dealership’s balance sheet as inventory. What does that mean? It simply means that in order to keep the business operating, the dealer has to make a profit. When you’re armed with knowledge, you can walk right up to the dealership, tell them what you’re looking for, and walk away with a better deal.

To sum up, institutions of higher education do an excellent job when it comes to providing financial education. As a student, you’re responsible for your learning. Open your computer and watch a helpful tutorial. There are many things you can do to broaden your financial education. The things that you don’t learn in the classroom, which is why you have to make an effort. Take your financial education to the next level. It can be done.