Alright, we've all had the realization that September is fast approaching, and whether this is your first year away at college, or this is your last year and you want to actually be able to afford life this school year, you’re probably reading this because you want some advice on how to not live off of Ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese for the upcoming year.

I am known amongst friends as the frugal one. I like a bargain, and I like to think I've perfected that skill set, when it comes to how I save and cut corners. One of the most handy tools I learned was budgeting at a young age. That said, I prefer quality over quantity and ofen rearrange my budget to accomodate things like that.

I have broken this process down into a five step process. So let's take a look shall we?

Step 1: Look at All Your Funds Currently

Compile a list. Grab yourself a notebook. And a pen. And probably a calculator. You might need some coffee or tea, too!

Open up your online bank account information.

You’re going to write down all the money in all of your accounts. So that means savings, checking, and even make note of what your credit limit is. How much will you have in campus cash? What about meal swipes?

And add them all together. See? I told you you’re going to need that calculator!

Step 2: Add Up All Your Monthly Income

How much do you make at work? Do you receive any sort of assistance from elsewhere, such as your family or benefits?

You’ll want to add these up so you know how much you’re working with monthly. If you are paid a fixed amount weekly then this is easy and you can just add up each week in a given month. However, if you’re paid hourly, and your hours change weekly, this gets a little bit trickier: most budget bloggers recommend using the minimum you’ll have coming in.

Step 3: Make a List of All of Your Expenses

So where in the world is your money going?

MY budget is going to look different than your budget, but I'm fairly convinced that there will be some similarities.

Here is my list of expenses.

Some of these items are umbrella-ed with other things such as my “cleaning” money includes money for things like toilet paper or Lysol wipes, while "hygiene" includes laundry, but also haircuts or things of that nature for the month since I don’t do certain things every month.

Step 4: How Much Do You Spend Anyway?

So now you’re going to write down how much you spend. It may be helpful to look at your bank statement or past receipts.

I’ve seen this done three ways: monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly. So you can pick the best one for you and your lifestyle. My example will show this from a weekly and monthly stand point, even though I get paid bi-weekly. I find that breaking it down both ways makes it so if I go under or over my weekly budget, I know how much I have left to work with for the following week or for the rest of the month.

Step 5: Elimination

Okay, so you’ve survived steps 1-4. Now it’s time to go through and make cuts wherever you can. I usually start with things like takeout, alcohol, and I limit my credit card spending. The example I show above is actually my final budget, so I’ve already cut out my weekly coffee consumption and things of that nature completely out. A tip I found that works the best for limiting that sort of spending was last year I only allowed my takeout and coffee consumption to be paid for with my Flex Cash that I had. If I know money is going to be tight for the month I plan ahead, starting in the month before to try to reallocate money so I have a little more wiggle room.

There are several apps out there that help you organize your budget and keep you on track, but if you want to go for a more old school approach? I know several people who stopped using their debit cards all together, and opted to use envelopes to split their cash up. This is super helpful to some people, but can be difficult if your bank is not nearby.

While most people I know don’t want to have to live off of Ramen and Macaroni and Cheese all semester, keeping a few on hand for the tough nights when you don’t have any meal swipes left or you’re just too busy to stop by the d-hall to eat. But if you’re wondering how to eat healthy and stay on budget next semester? Stay tuned for next week’s article!