Student contribution: budgeting

I don’t know about you, but the whole “broke college student” thing is pretty overrated. Personally, I enjoy the feeling of paying my bills without worrying if the check will go through. I like feeling like I can take care of myself. I think a lot of people can relate to that. Another word for this is “financial security.”

When budgeting, the most important part is considering WHY you are budgeting. Financial security is great motivation, but understanding what you can do with all the money you’ll save is even better! You can try a new sport, travel, buy a house, ride a horse, skydive, own a restaurant, pay off loans, take a cruise, go to the Super Bowl -- anything!

I know some of these things seem to be in the far, FAR future -- but this is 2018. Everything is different now, the internet changed the world. Twelve-year-old kids are making six figures on Instagram, Mark Zuckerberg became a billionaire at 23, Steve Jobs was 21 when he started Apple … age is no longer an excuse. My point is, a budget will only help you if you follow it. Remember WHY you are following your budget, and as a result, making good choices with your money becomes seamless.

Creating a budget is helpful, but you’ll yield better results and savings if you get help. There are a few apps I use to help make budgeting easier. The Mint app connects to your bank account and automatically categorizes charges into budget categories (such as groceries or gas). The other app I love is Acorns. Acorns takes your change and invests it. “Change” in this case is the leftover 5 cents on your $3.95 latte. These are just a couple of tools that I use -- check out this list of great budgeting apps that could work for you!

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Meet Aubrey

I am currently a junior in the W. P. Carey School of Business and I major in business (public policy and public service). When I’m not in class, I love volunteering and socializing with the brothers of my business fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. As an Arizona native, I have always had a strong connection with my community through community service and professional endeavors. Anyone who knows me well, knows my life plan is to kill it in the business world, retire early and volunteer for the rest of my life. I’ve had five internships, and in a couple months I’ll be a licensed real estate agent, so as you might have noticed, I love to learn!  

I have been blessed by a network of peers and mentors that taught me how to learn from my mistakes -- and when it comes to career and personal finances, I have made every mistake there is to be made. Fraud? Budgeting? Saving? Career fair? Credit card debt? Student loans? You name it! I am thrilled to pass along what I’ve learned to my community of peers.