College is a transitional stage when a young adult tastes his or her first licks of freedom. It also heralds in an impending doom called adulthood. There are many tips and shortcuts to surviving the apocalyptic sequence of events that make your old, raggedy teddy bear seem not-so-important anymore. However, to make it through the anxiety attacks, passionate yearnings, night binges, and netflix-and-chill dates, you must learn how to reach true freedom by becoming financially independent from your parents.
The parental unit: an encouraging, generous person who dedicates their time, energy, love, and wallets, to ensuring the happiness of their offspring. Sooner or later, though, they grow tired of sourcing the fountain of youth, and the water runs dry. You, thirsty and balancing on the edge of ultimate freedom, are ready to take the plunge into a new watering hole.
DISCLAIMER: This does not work if you are unemployed. With that being said, once you have a job, you are ready to call in the big guns: responsibility. Your best tools here are restraint and organization. Control your spending urges so you can put those extra dollars towards the necessary expenses that your parents once helped you with.
Keep in mind that in order to retain sanity, everyone still needs a little fun money for shopping trips and weekends out.
Balance your bills like you balance your diet: don't be afraid to splurge on a milkshake at lunch, but that means you better eat a salad for dinner. Find the middle ground between your needs and wants, and try not to go overboard with the latter. The more you get behind on your bills, the more you will owe in the long run.
Meet your new best friend: Microsoft Excel!
Categorize your monthly expenses (rent, car insurance, cell phone, etc.) together in one column, and debt expenses (credit card, car loan, etc.) together in another. Include the minimum monthly payments for each as well as due dates. A spreadsheet like this gives you a reliable and easy-to-track visual laid out in front of you.
Don't worry yet about health insurance or student loans.
Typically, most providers allow you to stay on your parents' insurance plan until your late 20s or until you get married, whichever comes first. Student loans do not require you to start making payments until you've graduated, and by then you will be an expert on managing your finances!
If you have more than one credit card you are trying to pay down, the best method is to pay the required minimum on each one except for the card or loan with the lowest balance.
Pay twice the minimum on the lowest balance until it is paid off, and then move on to paying twice the minimum on your next lowest credit card or loan balance. This is the quickest and most efficient way to pay off debt.
Evaluate your grocery shopping habits.
How much do you spend on groceries each week? Is there a cheaper store you can shop at? Are your favorite name brand snacks really THAT much better than the cheaper store brand versions? If you have roommate(s), how can you split costs? Asking yourself these questions can assist in prioritizing your expenses from most to least important.
Break up your bills into weekly payments instead of paying lump sums.
This has been my own personal financial lifesaver! Let's say your cell phone bill is $100 a month- pay $25 a week to it instead of all of it at once. This affords you a wonderful flexibility! Perhaps your paycheck was smaller than usual this week, or maybe you really want to buy tickets to see your favorite band at an upcoming concert. On top of that, your cell phone bill is due! Well, instead of dishing out $100 of your hard-earned check to cover it, you only have to pay $25 since you've already paid the rest over the last three weeks. Now, you have that $75 on hand so you can buy those concert tickets!
Obtaining financial freedom is both exhilarating and daunting.
It represents a turning point into a responsible and respected grown-up, but it also doesn't come with a perfect "Adulthood for Dummies" guideline. It is the final step into the freedom adulthood provides, and it enables you to make a way for yourself the same way your parents once did for you. Like an old Chinese proverb says, "Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day; Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime."
