University can be tough on your bank account and so many students look for ways to cut back on their expenditure and make the most of their money. With this in mind, here are a few ways you could make the most of your student finances.

Look to the future

It might be a bit odd to start with a suggestion about making an investment, but students need to plan for the future like everyone else. Whether you’re looking to fund a post-university gap year travelling, save for a house or put yourself through an internship, it makes sense to save what you can. And, even though the idea of getting something like a share ISA might initially sound scary, if you want to make the first steps into owning shares, it’s a good way to go.

One of the benefits of a shares ISA is that the dividends are tax-free. This might not affect you very much while you’re a student, but it’s a benefit you’ll still be able to enjoy once you become a taxpayer. There is a risk involved as there is with any type of investment, but if you look for a stocks and shares ISA you can find and invest with the long term in mind, there’s every chance your investment will grow over time.

Pool your resources

One of the great things about university is that everyone is pretty much in the same boat. Everyone is in a new situation and most people are going to be having the same money worries as you. This is why pooling your resources can be a good idea. For instance, living with other people will dramatically reduce your share of the bills, and even adding one extra person to your group of housemates will help significantly. Queues for the bathroom might be a small price to pay for a smaller cut of the gas bill.

Also, other students can be good for resources such as books. Many universities offer places – on and offline – for students to sell unwanted textbooks and other items, and this can be a good way to get what you need for your course for a fraction of the retail price.

See where your uni can help

Since you’re paying to be at university, it also makes sense to make use of what it has to offer. For instance, the students’ union bar is likely to be subsidised, making it a more affordable option for a night out than the expensive clubs in town.

You can also make use of the library to avoid having to buy so many books – the library will probably also have good internet access, and increasingly universities are offering Wi-Fi, so if you don’t fancy stumping up for your own internet connection, you could just make use of the university facilities instead.

While money market accounts do allow access to funds, and many institutions provide checks for that purpose, a money market accounts should not be considered as a checking account.  Withdrawals are limited by law to six per month, and anything in excess generally incurs a substantial fee.  Also, minimum balances tend to be higher with money market accounts than with traditional checking accounts.  Some banks charge a fee if your money market balance drops below a certain amount at any time during the month, or if your average balance drops below a stated amount.

Money market accounts often give the depositor access to other banking products and services, such as wire transfers, stop payment orders, cashier’s checks, debit cards and foreign currency or check conversion.  In the United States, money market accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, or FDIC, giving extra protection to your funds.  Money market accounts are highly competitive between banking institutions, so consumers who spend some time comparing the Annual Percentage Yields (APYs) between banks, can often find an account that fits their needs and pays a higher rate of return.  For customers who are comfortable with online banks, these can often pay at least as well as a bricks-and-mortar bank in your town, though of course there will be no building or tellers.

Before deciding on a money market account, look at any rules and restrictions associated with the account.  What fees might be assessed?  What is the minimum opening balance?  Is there a minimum balance requirement, or average balance requirement, throughout the month?  What happens if you don’t meet that?  Is there a fee for writing a check?  If you prefer a paper statement, is there a fee for that?

Because interest rates are low right now, find out if the interest rate on the account is variable.  Try to choose an account with a variable rate so that when rates rise, your interest rate will go up with it.  Check to see how often the rate may be changed, and also to what instrument the rate is tied, like the 30-year Treasury bond rate or other ‘floating’ indicators.  The more often your rate can change, the better off you are when rates are rising.  Just remember that one unexpected fee, such as an overdraft fee, can eliminate some interest payments, so examine the fee chart closely.

Get into good financial shape

Preparing a budget for college is an essential part of getting into shape for good financial management. Calculate likely outgoings depending on your course – not forgetting course materials and books, tuition fees, accommodations and subsistence. Check these against income – there might be parental contributions, payments from a student job or income from a student loan for living expenses at college.

If these are set out together on a basic spreadsheet, they can be turned into a cash flow simply by estimating when costs and income fall due, and apportioning these on a monthly basis. This is a great way of finding out which months may be ‘leaner’ than others, and taking steps to adjust spending accordingly.

Be equipped for financial survival

If a loan is needed – and there are, in fact, a range of financial arrangements available for students, such as those at Miami College – try to factor in some level of repayment as part of normal outgoings – this will help keep any debt at the end of the study period as low as possible.

Aim to find a part-time or flexible jobs so that this income will be there as a regular back-up to other kinds of support.

Practice good financial control

There are lots of good and useful tips and ideas for saving and making money. Look for scholarships, grants and bursaries relevant to the chosen course of study – these do not have to be repaid and will sometimes cover specific items such as tuition fees or course materials.

Check out or on-campus student jobs, as these are often very flexible in terms of working around study requirements.

Remember that students get discounts on lots of things, including on clothing, in restaurants and in bookstores. Having said this, cooking and eating at home is less costly than eating out or ordering in takeaway meals.

As far as possible, underuse a credit card or overdraft facilities as debts caused by these can easily spiral out of control.

Get champion results

Perhaps the single biggest challenge about going to college is managing the finances, so that down the line, when leaving, there are no huge debts to settle at the point where a first job is on the horizon. With a budget in place, the right kind of financial resources identified and self-control when it comes to managing expenditure, it’s possible to live virtually-debt-free at college, and leave it with finances that are relatively stable and intact.

The stark economic situation leaves many people with little choice but to get an education and take out student loans. While it may be impossible in this situation to graduate without any debt, there are, however, numerous ways to lower the cost of education and reduce that debt in the process. Here are a few such approaches you can take:

-Get an online degree. Overlooked by many employers just a decade ago, online schools have grown highly respected in recent years due to their focused pre-professional approach, their increasing popularity, and to the gradual blurring of lines between traditional and virtual universities. Online schools are also far cheaper than their real-world counterparts. Whether you’re seeking a business, criminal justice, or healthcare degree online, you can probably check out online-degree.com and find a program well-suited for your needs – and for your budget.

-Use digital textbooks. Although tuition makes up a substantial portion of any college cost, the high price of textbooks adds up quickly over a few years or semesters. For example, a science major at a four-year school may need four textbooks every semester at a cost of $120 each, bringing the total expense to $3,840 over the course of the degree. Digital textbooks are a great low-cost alternative to the traditional variety. Priced in the range of $15, using these books can translate into considerable savings in the long run, even if you have to buy a laptop or a tablet up front.

-Get scholarships. Many people assume that they won’t qualify for any college scholarships, believing that they aren’t poor enough for need-based aid or smart enough to receive a merit award. While having few assets and a brilliant mind is certainly a great way to secure scholarship funding, there are scholarships out there for all types of people, interests, and backgrounds. There are scholarships for people with red hair, scholarships for those of Bulgarian descent, and scholarships for students who have an interest in rock climbing. The list goes on and on.

-Seek a loan forgiveness program. Most students paying for school will attempt to take out subsidized loans of some sort. While most loans are pretty similar in nature, some colleges, programs, and loan lenders have a forgiveness policy that can help a student eliminate their debt in the long run. Such a policy will usually forgive a student’s remaining debt if they have been paying it off consistently and out of school for a set number of years.

These are a few of the many ways that a student can work to reduce his effective cost of education. While it’s difficult these days to find a degree that comes to us cheaply, there are numerous opportunities and possibilities for those who seek to chip away at the total and save themselves some money.

The purchase of a property might represent the single most valuable asset a person acquires in their lifetime. If that property is a home, then it is highly likely that a home loan will be needed to make the investment possible. Loans are not unfamiliar territory – finance is often needed for the purchase of vehicles or business equipment, for example, so how do home loans vary from other kinds?

The key difference between home loans and other sorts of loans is the terms and conditions that are attached to a home loan, or mortgage, arrangement. Usually a home loan is repayable over a fairly lengthy timescale – traditionally somewhere between 15 and 30 years. A deposit has to be paid in order to secure a loan, and this is normally a percentage of the value of the property; in different neighborhoods, cities or states this could be anywhere between 5% and 20% of the property value. Interest rates and types of mortgages vary considerably, but the bottom line is that the borrower commits to repaying the loan over the term, or the number of years agreed, and at the end of that term the property is free of debt – the owner’s home is their castle.

Understanding Terms and Conditions

Very few people can afford to buy their home outright, and home loans often make it possible to get started on the property ladder, or to upgrade when a growing family demands more space. Sometimes a property is in need of a bit of fixing up; extending an existing home loan, instead of taking out a new loan with a bank or finance company, can help with this too.

With so much choice available, the terms and conditions attached to home loans are very important. For example, a conventional mortgage might have a slightly higher rate of interest than a flexible one, but the monthly funds required will stay the same throughout the repayment period of the loan. Flexible, or adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) generally have lower introductory rates of interest fixed for maybe five or seven years. After this, the rate will fluctuate every year during the rest of the repayment period.

There are also government-insured home loans via the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or the Veterans Administration (VA), serving buyers of more modest means and properties, and jumbo loans for high-flyers in a high-priced property market.

Finding the Right Home Loan

Standard mortgages are a safe bet – they suit people who have a good credit rating and do not mind slightly higher interest rates because they are comfortable with payments that will remain fixed and steady over the years.

ARMs have variable rates after the initial fixed period but – unless interest rates soar unexpectedly – generally a lower cost overall. They are useful for homeowners who plan to move on within reasonably short time periods, say five years.

FHA and VA loans have a low interest rate and a low down payment, and are most suitable for cheaper properties and buyers who have a medium credit rating.

The most crucial factor when considering your student finances is the type of loan you will inevitably have to source, and how to plan for a perhaps unfamiliar style of frugal living. Unless you are lucky enough to have parents with deep pockets or an independent income, you are unfortunately going to have to learn the art of living on the cheap.  Before you even reach that stage you must start to make enquiries about the student loans that are available, interest rates and the repayment period – it is vital that you make the correct choice.

Everyone’s personal financial circumstances are different and student loans also come in a variety of shapes and sizes, with differing terms and conditions. When you have found what you consider to be the best student loan for you, the best advice is to forward plan as to how you can clear the debt as quickly as possible once you have graduated.  This is not easy, as employment will not yet have been addressed, but paying off the loan as quickly as possible must always be your prime concern.  Financial advisors will tell you this about any loan; the longer you keep them the more they will cost in interest rates.

The majority of young students will never have been responsible for their finances before, and suddenly having what seems like a fortune at your disposal can sometimes be problematic. Remember you will have to pay for your rent, food, travel, tuition fees, bills, and that’s before you’ve even thought about entertainment or a shopping spree for new outfits.

To calculate the amount that you will need to borrow, you should first calculate how much money you would need to survive each month – tot up your expenses and see what you’ve got to pay out. From there you can see where you can make savings and cut back on your outgoings. When you start college begin sharing shopping costs with a friend; look out for 2 for 1 bargains, BOGOFF deals and sales. Put any spare change in a jar, it’s surprising how quickly you build up a little fund.  You should also use public transport instead of running a car and freeze leftover meals for another day.

Course books and materials can also be quite costly so hunt out graduates who may be selling old books quite cheaply, or checkout online auction sites to see if any are for sale via the Internet. Graduate students are just as likely to be on the look out for extra pennies as well.

Check out the local papers and job centers for part-time work to bring in a little extra cash, although competition for even the most basic of jobs can be tough. It may also be worth looking at online work, there are a myriad of Internet jobs available that can be undertaken at any time of the day or night, leaving you time to concentrate on your studies.

The most important aspect of budgeting for student life is to prepare from the very start, once you’ve run up a debt, exhausted your overdraft and loan facilities it will be that much harder to keep things on track. If you start off by planning and preparing carefully, you will find that you are less likely to struggle during the course of your studies.

Credit ratings and credit scores are two different things yet both are often used interchangeably. Your credit rating is the culmination of many factors such as your purchases, frequency of bill payment, history of bankruptcy, and other personal information. Your credit score takes all of these factors into account and determines it, though a three-digit number or score, using the information from your credit report. The higher your credit score, the more likely you are to receive loan approval or even increase your chances for more favorable rates.

It’s important to note that every consumer should try and maintain as high a credit score as possible. If you’re looking to buy a home or a car in the future, your score can definitely be a determining factor in that purchase. A low score might make buying that home or car too expensive. Also, the effects of a low score can even go beyond purchases and can determine the quality and cost of insurance.

Even if you’re not looking to make any large purchases in the near future, make sure you have control of your credit history. In today’s world of identity theft it’s important to ensure that someone is not taking advantage of you. According to the Federal Trade Commission, identity theft was ranked the number one complaint among consumers and estimated a staggering 1.3 million people were victims of this crime. The number has only increased from year to year.

So whether you are planning long or short-term purchases or simply ensuring that your identity is safe and in complete control by you, check out your credit score. Educate yourself on the importance of having a good credit score and ensure the financial stability of your future.

This post was inspired from J.D. Roth’s post about taking a 2nd job to earn some money and it also features Dave Ramsey and Brad Tutte from Time Magazine’s Money Blog.
Enjoy!