Coming to college and finally leaving your parent’s nest is definitely a difficult change. In regard to money, it is a major adjustment that most college students go through. That pack of gum by the register suddenly feels like it’s $20 as opposed to when it used to cost you nothing. Here are just a few realizations you figure out quickly after beginning college:

1. Paying Student Loans

You start to realize how much college actually costs and start to question your future as a whole. Am I really going to school knowing I have to pay this much at the end of it all while searching for a good job?

2. Difficulties of Finding A Job

You obviously want something that’s not so demanding that it will impact everything else you're at college to do. At the same time, it’s sometimes difficult to find places to work where the employers trust young college kids to do the job.

3. Having to Keep Up With Everything Along With Having A Job

If you are one to get a job, you’ll quickly come to find that trying to keep up with school work, your social life, and extra curricular activities can be a huge hassle at times.

4. Learning To Budget Not Only Money—But Time

Even if you do have a job and have somewhat of an income throughout the semester, it’s still difficult to figure out how to budget in a reasonable matter. However, having a job will also teach you ways to organize every minute you have out of your day in order for you to get to your responsibilities.

5. Watching Others Not Have Money Issues

There’s nothing much worse than seeing your friends who don’t have issues with overspending their money throughout the semester while you're trying to save every last penny you make.

6. Noticing The Costs of The Small Things

Once you've been a professional broke college student for some time, you really start to take note about the little things that cost money. You realize how much more the brand name costs and start to just settle for the generic and even realize that it’s the exact same quality.

7. Dining Hall Food

You really try to pretend you like the dining hall food that your school offers, but sometimes you just have to cave and order in “real food”

8. The Declining Dollar Struggle

You try to spend as little as possible throughout the semester to make them last as long as you can, but halfway through the semester when you run out, you regret every crappy slice of pizza you bought at midnight.

9. Summer Job Money

Even if you do have a summer job, it’s always hard to save all the money you made over the summer and make it last throughout the school year. Saving this money is just another thing to thing about when spending all your money at the bars and on pizza in town.

10. A Learning Experience

Everything you have to do to save as much money as possible just teaches you for later on in life. Budgeting and spending your money wisely will all help you for the future, so just hold on, save your money, and it’ll all be worth it in the end!