Posted on: July 22, 2009

To College, Without Breaking the Bank

One of the most important lessons college students learn comes outside the classroom: managing their newfound financial responsibilities

By Bev Bennett
CTW Features

Before the fall semester begins, Maya Bass knows what textbooks her professors will use in their classes. A quick search of the Internet yields used versions at bargain prices.

She uses a ride board to cut the cost of travel and her idea of an economical meal is lentils mixed with frozen vegetables in her apartment.

Bass could merit a degree in college economics.

If your son or daughter is an incoming freshman at a private college you may think tuition, room and food, which average about $30,000 a year in the U.S., will cover all the costs.

But as Bass, a first-year medical student at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, and others know, expenses go beyond tuition and lodging.

Your student can't avoid some costs, such as transportation to and from home. However, you can find cheaper ways to pay for essentials. You can also help your student avoid having money sucked away by mindless discretionary spending.

Now, before your freshman waves goodbye, is the time to talk about managing money, say college administrators.

Discuss the difference between essential and discretionary purchases; search out campus resources and encourage your student to find others who support frugality through recycling or cooperative shopping.

Start with the tough conversation - the budget talk. Although you want to make sure your child has everything he needs to be successful, there are financial limitations, according to Robert C. Hailey, associate vice president, university services, Tulane University, New Orleans.

You can set boundaries.

"Discuss a [spending] limit beyond which the student has to get [your] approval," Hailey says.

Encourage your student to keep an expenditure diary. It can curb shopping by reminding your son how much he's spending and highlighting frivolous habits.

Handling Credit Cards

Managing credit cards may be one of the most valuable lessons parents can teach their children, according to student advisors.

Here are some points to make to your college-bound son or daughter:

Although having a card can be a lifesaver, don't use it if you don't have to, writes Beth Kobliner, a personal finance writer.

"Think of a credit card as a tool for emergencies only. If you start using one casually, it's very easy to get into trouble," Kobliner writes in an E-mail.

A simple thing, such as charging one $20 pizza a week for a year and making only the minimum payments, adds up.

"The pizza would cost you about $1,000 and the interest would cost you an extra $840," writes Kobliner, author of "Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in your Twenties and Thirties" (A Fireside Book, 2009).

Ideally, you should pay off your balance each month. If that's impossible, pay as much as you can to get rid of the balance, writes the finance expert.

Stop making new charges until you've paid off your balance. But don't cancel the card because that could hurt your credit score, according to Kobliner.

Above all, don't miss a payment, which is very likely to trigger a big hike - somewhere around 30 percent -- in your interest rate, according to Kobliner.

Ask your parents for help, if necessary.

"I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have really strong lines of communications about finances," says Elizabeth Bickford with the University of Oregon.

"Should students get into financial problems, don't just bail them out, but understand how they got there and how to help them change their ways," Bickford says.

Maybe your son will set the alarm an hour earlier when he realizes he's spending five bucks every morning for a latte and a doughnut because he sleeps through breakfast. Or, maybe he can alter his meal plan to exclude breakfast.

Next, find alternatives to big-ticket purchases.

For example, maybe your daughter's computer just needs an upgrade, not a replacement.

Your student's school may offer benefits such as airport shuttle buses or computer virus protection, which you're not aware of. Before spending money for a service, ask what's provided.

As much as you'd like your parental influence to guide your student's spending habits, friends play a big role, according to Elizabeth Bickford, director of student financial aid at the University of Oregon, Eugene.

"Some students will spend a lot related to social occasions. It's peer pressure and they're not realizing the consequences," Bickford says.

Your daughter can find friends with the same financial values and prefer to make cheap costumes for parties or shop used clothing stores.

Being frugal isn't as socially awkward as it may have been in previous years. Perhaps one of the positive outcomes of the recession is that most students are becoming more aware of what they spend and are looking for ways to save, according to university advisors.

"I'm seeing a flight back to value," says Hailey.

Specific savings opportunities will vary according to your son or daughter's school, but here are nine tips to trim costs:

1. Match the meal plan to your student's habits.

If your son doesn't get up before 11 am, don't sign up for three meals a day.

"We find that students sign up for a meal plan, but don't use it to the fullest," says Peter Logan, a spokesperson for the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Ask if the school will allow your student to change meal plans according to his schedule after the semester begins.

2. Choose used textbooks.

An older edition of the text may be acceptable, according to Bass.

She compares the earlier version with the updated one in the school library to see whether any significant changes were made.

3. Stop by the student health center, not the local pharmacy, for over-the-counter medications such as aspirin or bandages.

4. Instead of a car, bring a bicycle to college.

"A bike works really well and you save on auto expenses," says Mike Segawa, vice president for student affairs, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, Wash.

5. Learn to use mass transit.

"A lot of places are providing students with subsidized passes. Mass transit is green," Segawa says.

6. Shop for bargains.

"Students might talk about going to Goodwill to buy great clothes," Bickford says.

7. Share course expenses.

Pass documents around rather than buying each one. Split the cost of downloading research from scientific journals.

8. Enjoy meals without the restaurant experience.

Use a dormitory's shared kitchen as the setting for a group dinner (when or if the campus meal plan isn't an option).

"Have people come over and bring something to eat or bring ingredients and cook together. You save so much money if you have a potluck instead of a $30 dinner in a restaurant," Bass says.

9. Protect belongings.

"Laptops and bikes are most often stolen and it's a crime of opportunity," Segawa says.

Use a bicycle lock and lock the dorm door.

"You save money with proper safety precautions," Segawa says.

Bev Bennett, a veteran food writer and editor, is the author of "Dinner for Two: A Cookbook for Couples" and "30-Minute Meals for Dummies"