.:Budgeting your own money:.

For the first time in tour life you have to juggle all of your own finances. At first, student loans and financial aid makes it seem like you have a large amount of money. Added with the financial support from family and some students can feel like millionaires.

But, then there's the credit card offers that are suddenly coming your way. As if you've hit the lotto, you buy clothes, gas, pizza for all your room mates, and maybe even a new car! Before you know it, you find yourself unable to pay your credit card bills, or you have no money left to buy books for your classes. Learning the Hard Way

Students figure they can spend now and make up for it later, when they'll have a good job. But ironically, more students drop out of college because of credit card debt than bad grades.

The basics of budgeting are the same for students as they are for anybody else: list the sources of your income, such as savings from your summer jobs, financial support from your parents, financial aid from the school, scholarships, and income from your job (if you have one). Then list your expenses, such as tuition, books, food, gas, entertainment, etc.

If your expenses are less than your income, you're in good shape as long as you stick to your spending plan. If your expenses are MORE than your income, you need to find ways to cut spending or increase your income.

It takes effort and discipline, to properly manage your money, and the time to start is now.