It’s the start of the new year, but many college students are already struggling financially. With Christmas and all the festivities in the past few months, many of us have used our money for presents and for entertainment. It is now time to save for the rest of the year before the holidays come again. Here are several of my favorite finance tips to help you save money for the new year!

1. Create a Budget One of the most important steps in having your finances under control is to create a budget. You need to find out the amount of money coming your way from jobs, relatives, and friends in order to decide how much you are going to spend for your expenses. Use a spreadsheet to organize your numbers. 
2. Spend Less Than You Earn If you spend less than you earn, you will reduce the chances of building up credit card debt. When you have excess cash, put it in savings for the future. 
3. Buy Used Every semester, we are bombarded with textbooks to purchase for classes. These books can be as high as several hundreds of dollars. Don’t buy the new copies! Try buying the online version, buy used, or rent the book for a semester. With these alternative options, you can save money. 
4. Cook instead of eating out/dining hall If you are living in housing that does not require a meal plan, don’t purchase the meal plan. Buying groceries and cooking for yourself can save you a lot more than you can imagine. 
5. Get a Job It’s never a bad idea to find a job on campus or even off campus. During the school year, you might have loads and loads of work and projects. Instead, look for a job during the summer and work a lot! Save what you earned during the summer and use it for the school year.

   Some of these tips might seem obvious, but they do make a difference in your finances. If you haven’t considered them before, give them a try! With these tips, you can have your finances under control for the new year.