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This budget template is for college students who want a simple, straightforward way to manage their cash flow.
Pin Financial knowledge and education are crucial components of college success. The 2017 SCFW found that while many college students reported frequently engaging in positive financial behaviors, nearly 70% are stressed about finances. What’s more: Research has shown that financial stress has a detrimental impact on not only academics but health as well. Given these points, it’s clear that budgeting in college is important. The problem is where do you even begin, right? Despite any preconceived notions, you can effectively take control of your finances without spending all your spare time crunching numbers. Here’s how… Use my budget template for college students and quickly get a snapshot of the whole month.
Pin Budgeting is simple. I’ll show just how easy it is with a college student budget example. In the images below you’ll see a place to write down your income, savings, and expenses. By filling out the worksheet you’ll be making a budget.
Pin It all boils down to this… A budget is a plan for your money. Nothing more, nothing less. You start by making an estimate of your total income for a month. If your income is inconsistent, I recommend estimating low. These are the funds you have at your disposal for spending on expenses. Related: 9 Easy Ways for Busy College Students to Make Money Next: Take into account all your expenses. Break it down into two main types of expenses: fixed and flexible.
Pin Fixed expenses are expenses that don’t change. For example, a Netflix subscription is a fixed cost. The price is consistently the same on a month-to-month basis. Flexible expenses are expenses that change. They aren’t like a bill that has a flat monthly fee. Groceries and eating out are flexible expenses. How much you spend is determined by your choices or other external factors.
Pin As you can see, I grouped similar expenses together on the college budget templates. I’ve found budgeting is easier when the categories are broken up. I also included common expenses for students to give you a clear idea of how it works.
Pin Have you ever thought to yourself – Where did all my money go? I can’t even remember what I spent it on. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution… Because included with the college budget worksheet is a log for tracking weekly spending.
Pin Simply write down what you spend on a daily basis and you’ll finally know where it all goes. The visual reminder will help you make better choices, too. And thus over time, living within your budget will become second nature.
Good news: You can get the college budget template PDF for free! As shown above, they come in 4 different colors and 3 different headings. Additionally: I created completely blank versions . There are no dollar signs (for those who live outside of the US) and you can fill in the categories with custom expenses. The free budget templates + weekly spending log sheets are available for instant access in the Resource Library here on my website.
To access these freebies (+ over 25 other awesome printables): You’ll just need to be an email subscriber. Stick with me for a moment before you exit the browser. I know that all too often unsubscribing is a real pain in the ass. And even when you do manage to find the teeny tiny link to click, the emails won’t. stop. coming. That’s why I make it extremely easy for you to unsubscribe at any time. So if you absolutely loathe our twice a month emails, get sick of ’em after a while, or just want the damn printables – All it takes is one click and we’ll stay out of your inbox for good. Still interested in grabbing the budget template for college students? Get the password to the Resource Library right away by entering your info in the box below. ⚠️**If you’re having trouble with the box below, head to this page where you can enter your info to access to all our printable content – including the budget templates!
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Learning how to budget is such an important skill! I hope my college student budget template helps you get a handle on it. If you have any feedback about it or want to suggest a way I can improve it, drop a comment below. (:
