Saving Money

If you're paying for college expenses on your own but are having problems budgeting your money well, you're not alone. Lots of students on their own for the first time struggle with how to budget their money without the help of their parents. But there are things you can do to make budgeting easier:

• Try riding a bike. If you live on or near a college campus, you might consider riding a bike to class instead of driving. The amount of money you save in gas in a week - as well as campus parking fees - could easily be used as money toward books, food and other expenses.
• Find inexpensive ways to entertain. Another way to cut corners on expenses is to think of ways to entertain yourself and your friends without spending too much money. For instance, instead of hanging out at the local movie theater, try going to the free campus movie nights. And instead of eating out every chance you get to avoid dorm food, consider eating out when local restaurants and fast-food chains offer college discounts.
• Use the campus recreation center. Most campus recreation centers are included in your tuition costs, so instead of joining the lavish state-of-the-art gym in your city, try pumping iron on campus.
• Try using coupons. There are so many websites available nowadays that offer coupons that there's no excuse for not taking advantage of them. You can find discounts on food, clothing, entertainment and so much more by simply searching online. So try your hand at shopping the old-fashioned way with a few coupons and see your money supply grow.
• Actually Create a Budget. If you work a job or have a steady stream of fixed cash coming from a loved one, it's a good idea to create a budget so that you will know your monthly expenses in relation to the money you receive.

Possibly the most important aspect of living on a budget is having discipline - such as being able to set a certain amount of money for entertainment and sticking to the budget.

When it comes to managing your household finances it is important to make sure that you do not waste your hard earned cash on things that can be avoided. ATMs are well known for charging you fees that you can avoid. If you opt to withdraw money from an out of network ATM, you may get charged by both the bank branch you use to withdraw money from, as well as the main financial institution that you bank with.

To save you from ATM fees, you should stick to only using your network of ATMs for banking withdrawals. Out of network bank withdrawal charges cost you on average about $3.40. But depending where you withdraw money from it can be anywhere from $1 to up to $10. One way to avoid ATM fees is banking with a large national banking chain like Bank of America, Chase, or Citibank - this way you will have a large network of ATMs at your disposal.

Of course there are emergency situations where cash is needed and the type of ATM you use is non-negotiable. In those situations, supermarkets or pharmacies may be an alternative choices for saving money on ATM charges. If you make a small purchase using your debit card at a retailer that offers cash back with purchase, you can buy a pack of gum or mints for $1 and then take out the cash maximum allowed by the store. Sure, you are still spending a dollar that you would have otherwise kept in pocket by using a network ATM, but at least you have an item to show for the expenditure.

Every penny counts these days and using your financial institutions network of ATMs can help. Small savings can add up to anywhere between $100-$200 annually, depending on how many times you withdraw money.

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