Understanding Student Spending Behaviors
Written by SayStudent Adminstration // 2013/07/31 // Student Budgeting // Comments Off on Understanding Student Spending Behaviors
A significant number of people who went to college tremendously enjoyed their time there and for good reason. College is one of those few places where people believe they can do pretty much anything without worrying too much about the consequences. Financial matters in particular are really not accorded the importance they deserve, and this is evident in the numerous number of college students who spend way too much money than they should. But why exactly do college students overspend? There are quite a number of reasons actually:
Entertainment
Probably the best word to describe college life is hedonistic. Most college students spend a significant amount of their time and money for entertainment. And what can’t they do; after all, there is no one to scream orders at them. So really, as far as the issue of having a good time is concerned, the sky is the limit. From drinking to holding parties to taking friends out for movies; college life, one might think, is all about having a good time and nothing else. All these activities and many others cost money, and since most college students are not fully independent, engaging on the same too frequently can be financially draining.
The solution to this problem is simple; one should practice self control and most importantly; realize that the main reason for being in college is to study and not to party. It’s basically all about getting one’s priorities right.
Trying to Keep Up
The college environment brings together people from all walks of life; some are from privileged backgrounds while others not so much. For this reason, different students will have varying lifestyles. The rich, for example, will be able to afford all the trappings of a good life, for example, buying big screen TVs, holding big parties every other day, shopping in high-end fashion outlets etc. For these people, living this kind of life is really nothing special; having such friends, however, can add a lot of pressure to some people especially if they can’t afford the good life. Many are those who go to great extents to try and keep up including borrowing money and living on credit; this is a dangerous path to follow.
It is very important to live within your limits; trying to live a lifestyle that you can’t afford is the surest way of getting into debt and probably depression. It is, therefore, important to focus on excelling in one’s studies as this will create the opportunities necessary to enable one live the kind of life they want.
Food
In most colleges, food is relatively affordable and, therefore, it is possible for most students to remain within their respective budgets by eating within campus. There are, however, those who prefer eating out because they want variety or whatever else. While this is not a bad thing, it can very easily develop into a habit which undoubtedly can be very financially draining.
The best way of dealing with this problem is by controlling oneself; this simply means that one should keep such outings to a minimum. It may also be a good idea to find restaurants that offer student discounts; there are actually quite a number of these, but they require one to have a valid student ID.
Working Out
Some students prefer going to gyms and fitness centers outside college. These are usually quite expensive and more so for students who rarely make a lot of money. The good news is that there is no need to spend money in such establishments because pretty much all colleges have in place fitness centers that students can use for free. Sticking to these will go a long way in bringing down the cost of living for any college student.
Author Bio
Ryan Ayers is a writer who creates informative articles in relation to education. In this article, he describes a few spending behaviors of university students and aims to encourage continued study with a UC Masters in Applied Behavior Analysis.