Apply for As Many Scholarships as Possible

The biggest thing I probably regret is I didn't apply for any scholarships. That is one thing I really wish I would've started on early and definitely wish I had done it 100%. Although, this doesn't have anything to do with in college expenses, but I still find it necessary to talk about. Scholarships can really make a dent in the college tuition costs. Apply for enough of them, those huge college costs can really start decreasing. Another thing is to do as well as possible in classes, so maybe you can qualify for more scholarships from the college directly for being a good student. That's one thing that I have been striving to do. So hopefully, I can accomplish that goal.
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Create a Budget Plan

I would definitely go back and do this semester is create a budget. If I had a certain amount I could spend each week, I would have a lot more money in pockets and in the bank right now. After experiencing this semester, I realized that a budget might be a necessity to get through college. But you should definitely make a reasonable budget as well. Your budget should be well thought out and balanced throughout. Also, leave more money around specific times you know you'll be buying things, including when you buy books at the semester or maybe getting gifts for people around certain holidays. I will definitely be making myself a budget to follow throughout the rest of my college career, or at least I'll try to.
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Get a Job

Throughout the beginning of my college experience, I learned early that I will need a job as soon as possible. I've decided to apply for an on-campus job so my hours can be a little more lenient. And also, I won't have to work over any breaks or holidays. And plus, this semester I had way too much time on my hands. I little to nothing to do all the time. I think getting a job is very important because my money situation is usually pretty tight, and a job would definitely help me out. A little extra money could completely change all my spending habits. I think everyone should definitely have a job throughout college or you probably won't make it.

Only Buy the Needs

As I come up on the end of this semester, I've realized that I did not do a very good job on the whole budgeting thing. It's a little bit before Thanksgiving, and I have basically cut off all unnecessary spending. I don't spend any money on food, or pretty much anything at all. If I could do it over again, I would not go out to eat nearly as much as I did. I wasted way too much money on little meals here and there, that I could've made it without. I would be a lot more comfortable with my financial situation if I wouldn't have wasted it all on food. Also, I bought clothes here and there that I didn't really need. So if I had to give out any advice, I would just say only buy the necessities. Forget about the wants, you'll feel better about it later.

Money for Books

 

 

picture from admissions.vanderbilt.edu

I read an article recently about how much college students spend on books. The National Association of College Stores states that we spend an average of $655 on books every year. The fact that books are that expensive is out of hand when college students are already spending tens of thousands of dollars on college. I am lucky this semester, as I only spent around $250 on books. I saved about $70 on books that I didn't need as well, so that helps too. So hopefully, I can save some more money on books next semester.

Paying for Each Class

As I am half way through my first semester at Washburn University, the deadline to drop classes has recently passed. There may have been one class that I have really been struggling in, and now that I think about it, I maybe should have dropped so it wouldn't effect my GPA. According to Bright Hub, the average college credit for in state tuition costs $253. $253 for a single college credit is just ridiculous. So if I would've dropped my class, it would've been a wasted $253 that I spent on nothing. Now I can see why college students sometimes never pay off their debt.

Entertainment Money

After a long span of not spending much of my own money, I started to spend useless money on things I should not have spent money on. I've gone out to eat too many times because I am very tired of the food at the Washburn cafeteria. I also bought some expensive things for entertainment purposes. So I decided to see how much the average college student spends on entertainment. According to the Huffington Post, 47% of students spend less than $25 per week on entertainment purposes. Although, 15% of students admit they spend more than $75 per week. I definitely usually spend less than $25 per month, but every once in a while I fall into that 15% of students.
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