Alright, so you made it to college! You’ve heard the stories of poor, straving students, but that’s not you. You’ve got a nice dorm room with some chill roommates, a car, a Xbox 360, and everything else a 19-year-old needs. This works, but only when Mom and Dad are footing the bill. Sooner or later, you’re going to have to manage your own finances.
The thing about money, is that there will also be more for you to get, as long as you’re willing to work for it. College can be tough, because you’re spending money like crazy for a place to live, books, school supplies (which probably means a computer too, right?) various types of insurance, and the worst part is: you can’t hold a full-time job because you’ve got classes to attend! College means surviving with increased expenditures and decreased income.
But it can be done. Part of it is mindset: you’re getting training in school, knowledge and skills you’re going to use after you graduate. It’s okay to go into debt for something like that. BUT…debt is your worst enemy. It’s that creepy street you had to walk down to get home from school: deal with it as little as possible and get out quickly. Credit cards can be nasty business if you let your wallet run away from you. Don’t spend on it if you don’t have the actual cash for it.
Work hard. Even with the economy in trouble, there’s plenty of jobs available for people who are willing to work. Maybe you will still need to rely on Mom and Dad a bit, but you can certainly do your part and help out with the finances. Work out a system with your parents: maybe you pay for books and they cover rent? Or you pay tuition and get good grades and they cover things like groceries, phone bill, etc.
It’s the key to everything: work hard and spend carefully.
