2008 Woodie Awards
Pennies count in college budgets
Money-saving strategies to bank on this semester
Sara Siekierski
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Arts & Lifestyle
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Among the many things to worry about in college, a lot of students find themselves worrying most about paying for their expenses. The stress of paying for college can be reduced, however, by learning how to budget expenses wisely.
As tuition rates continue to rise annually and students face more bills, budgeting for college expenses can seem like a nightmare. A full-time UW-Whitewater student taking 12-18 credits now has to pay an average of $2,930 a semester, and that cost does not include housing, meal plans or parking. Add bills for cell phones, car insurance and other expenses, and it becomes increasingly important to have a strict financial plan.
Financial Aid Director Carol Miller believes college students really need to take a look at their miscellaneous expenses. While students don't have any choice when it comes to paying for tuition and housing, they do have a choice as to how they spend their money in other places, Miller said.
Students can save money by choosing not to have their cars at school. An annual campus parking pass costs $200, an added expense that many students do not need.
A free downtown shuttle bus will take students from the Visitor Center to the center of downtown Whitewater beginning Sept. 4. The bus will operate Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and will run every 20-30 minutes.
There are also smaller ways to save money that can end up really making a difference, such as buying the cheaper brands of groceries, riding your bike around campus, and renting CDs and DVDs from the library to listen to music or watch movies for free.
Often students do not keep track of how much they are spending on discretionary expenses. One easy and effective way to do this is to set up a budget to keep track of annual expenses. FinAid.org has several budget calculators that can help students figure out how much school will cost, how much they need to save, and how much financial aid they'll need. The Web site's student budget calculator calculates the difference between expenses and income and identifies when a student is spending beyond their means
As tuition rates continue to rise annually and students face more bills, budgeting for college expenses can seem like a nightmare. A full-time UW-Whitewater student taking 12-18 credits now has to pay an average of $2,930 a semester, and that cost does not include housing, meal plans or parking. Add bills for cell phones, car insurance and other expenses, and it becomes increasingly important to have a strict financial plan.
Financial Aid Director Carol Miller believes college students really need to take a look at their miscellaneous expenses. While students don't have any choice when it comes to paying for tuition and housing, they do have a choice as to how they spend their money in other places, Miller said.
Students can save money by choosing not to have their cars at school. An annual campus parking pass costs $200, an added expense that many students do not need.
A free downtown shuttle bus will take students from the Visitor Center to the center of downtown Whitewater beginning Sept. 4. The bus will operate Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. and will run every 20-30 minutes.
There are also smaller ways to save money that can end up really making a difference, such as buying the cheaper brands of groceries, riding your bike around campus, and renting CDs and DVDs from the library to listen to music or watch movies for free.
Often students do not keep track of how much they are spending on discretionary expenses. One easy and effective way to do this is to set up a budget to keep track of annual expenses. FinAid.org has several budget calculators that can help students figure out how much school will cost, how much they need to save, and how much financial aid they'll need. The Web site's student budget calculator calculates the difference between expenses and income and identifies when a student is spending beyond their means
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