Studying at college requires much energy, ardor, assertiveness, as well as mental and financial resources. As soon as you get into the college of your dream, you (or your family) start forking out right away. Buying new books, furniture, appliances, paying for accommodation and food. Not to mention killing tuition fees and student loans. No wonder, lots of students start learning to live a frugal life while in college. As you see, college is all about learning.
By the way, did you know that your favorite devices you’re using mostly for communication and entertainment can come in handy when you need to make a financial decision, save some cash, or budget? Intrigued? Go on reading our article to find out more.
Create Your Budget
The biggest problem not only students but also lots of adults make is their failure to plan their budget. Unfortunately, the majority of people still haven’t learned how to prioritize within their means, create a workable monthly budget, and save money. Of course, you set immediate financial goals that can be attained even without a fancy budget plan. Say, you can stay at home instead of going out tonight and thus save some cash to get an essay from PapersOwl.com, one of the best academic services you can pay for research paper online. Still, once your goal is achieved, you totally forget about budgeting and continue living like today’s the last day of your life. That’s when wise smartphone applications come in handy.
No one can deny the fact that digital technologies have made our life more organized and less stressful. Nowadays, you don’t need a good old pen and notebook to play your budget. All you need is your portable device and a handy budgeting app. Among the most popular apps are Budgt, Mint, and Jumsoft. The reason why so many college students opt for the afore listed programs is that they don’t require any previous experience or specialized skill. You can create a workable budget with a few taps wherewith those apps. First, you’ll need to complete a short questionnaire about your incomes and expenses. Once you answer all the questions, the program will come up with come up with a sustainable budget for you. Some apps also offer recommendations as to how you can improve your budget or save more to meet your financial goals.
As you see you have lots of options to choose from. And even more budgeting apps are underway. Thus, in the nearest future, such truly revolutionary personal finance apps as Level Money and Qapital will hit the digital market. These apps can be utilized by those students who want to start saving their hard earned dollars more effectively. The tools keep track of your daily expenses and assess their effect on your over budget. Thus, Level Money will alert you to going over budget and notify you of the remaining spendable amount you can use at your discretion. Qapital, in its turn, enables you to set long-term financial goals and keep you posted on the progress. The app will also show you how your financial decisions bear on your long-term goals and provide you with useful recommendations on how to stick to your plan and save more effectively.
Monitor and Stick to Your Budget
Undoubtedly, you have already got your credit card your parent told you to use wisely and “for emergency purposes” only. Nowadays, any wise user has mobile banking apps installed on the smartphone. These handy tools enable you not only to keep track of your expenses, but also pay your balance and set a limit on your card.
If you allow your budgeting app to connect to your bank account, you’ll be able to see how much money has been debited from your account and how this or that purchase fits into your overall budget. You can rely on Chime, Mint, Quicken, Acorn, and Trim, the programs that can automatically round up all your purchases on the credit and debit cards and encourage you to make wise financial decisions. Still, if you opt for such apps as Spendee, Wally, or Clarity Money, you’ll need to manually enter all information about your expenditures to be able to monitor all transactions and stay on top of your bills.
Stay Motivated
Just imagine the situation where you’re just about to spend a little bit more on a new sweater or order an extra pizza from your favorite restaurant and, all of sudden, your smartphone starts vibrating, beeping, and ringing violently in the attempt to prevent you from spending prodigiously. Your smartphone can really do that! Lots of students have already appreciated the motivational power of Chime, Qapital, Mint, Acorns, You Need a Budget, and others reliable money-saving apps that do all the thinking and acting on saving money for you. Moreover, these apps can send you reminders on a regular basis, thus encouraging you to adhere to the savings goals you have set.
Don’t hesitate to turn your smartphone is a powerful motivator that will lead you in the right financial direction. With a workable budget and loads of money-saving skills under your belt, you’ll be able to afford far more while studying in college than you might think.