Start now! Don't wait until the day you start college to make changes. Begin by keeping track of how much you spend and what you're spending it on. Then plan a budget, thinking about what you can do with out and what things are essentials.

As soon as you finish your budget, start living by it. Limit your shopping. Spend more of your time with friends doing free or inexpensive activities. Learn to love Ramen noodles and macaroni and cheese--the mainstays of every college student's diet. Take another look at that list of "essentials" and decide how many are really necessary. If your budget still won't balance, plan on getting a part-time job on campus for a few hours a week. This is a great way to accumulate a little additional cash without taking too much time away from your studies.

When financial aid officials calculate financial need, some use an estimated figure of $150 per month for nine months of miscellaneous expenses. That amount would cover any clothing you would buy, extra food, entertainment, transportation--everything other than tuition and fees, room and board, and books. It's only an estimate, but it may be helpful as you think about what you spend now.

If you learn now to live within a budget, you'll have a lot fewer headaches in college and be better prepared for financial responsibility after graduation. You will become a good steward of your money, too, and will probably be more generous with what you have--all of which is honoring and pleasing to God. You can adjust your spending, and you can make it on a college student's budget!

My parents are freaking out about the cost of college. We can't even discuss it anymore without fighting. Every time the subject comes up, they lay this huge guilt trip on me that my little sister will never be able to go to college if I spend all the family's money. I don't think that's true, and I don't like getting blamed for a worst-case scenario that probably won't ever happen. This situation is ruining my senior year. Help!

First of all, start to turn that frustration into positive energy. Investigate what scholarships are out there, and start applying for as many as you qualify for. Imagine how great it would be if you could surprise your parents with some college funds that you yourself took the responsibility to find.

You also can gather more information on financial aid. Parents often suffer from "sticker shock," the price they think it will cost for you to attend college. Accurate information can help give you and your parents a better understanding of how much money your family will really need to come up with. Many schools provide an early estimate service that can be a great help in determining affordability.

Depending on your family circumstances, you may be able to get some help from grants and even some low-interest loans that you, as the student, take out and pay back after graduation. A financial aid officer at any college or university can advise you as to what is a reasonable amount to borrow based on your anticipated earnings after graduation from college. You may be able to put some things in place that will astonish your parents, help them see that you are being mature and taking initiative, and lessen their college-cost shock.

You don't talk about the age difference between you and your sister. If you are close enough in age that you will both be in college for one year or more, your financial aid will increase during the overlapping years. On the other hand, if there are several years between you and your sister, your parents' finances will be able to recover before it's time to start paying for her education. Also, the years between siblings often provide increased earning power for parents.

Yes, college is expensive. But I believe college is worth the expense. College graduates make more money over their working lifetime than most non-attenders. Some calculate that difference at a half-million dollars or more! And there are many other benefits of a college education, both tangible and intangible. It opens the door to opportunities and relationships you'd never have otherwise. Also, as a Christian young person, college provides the opportunity for you to prepare yourself for a life of service, helping you develop the gifts God has given you.

As important as all that is, the most important thing for you right now is maintaining your relationship with your parents. Don't let the question of college costs force you apart. Ask them to sit down with you and help you understand your family's financial realities. Encourage them to tell you how much they can and will help you financially. In all of your discussions with them, be respectful and open. Work together to determine which schools your family can afford and still be able to contribute to your little sister's college plans. The best thing for everyone would be that both you and "Sis" end up with college educations and a great relationship with each other and with your parents. Ask God to help you be wise and loving as you work this through with your family.

By doing some of these practical and positive things, you can start to enjoy your senior year again. Then be at peace and relax. Financing your college education will probably work out better than you think.

As soon as I turned 18, I started getting all of these credit card applications in the mail. I think it would be a good idea to get one, because if I need to buy something while I'm at college, I can't just ask my parents to pay for it. But my dad says college students can't handle credit and thinks it's a bad idea for me to get a card. Who's right?

Sorry, but Dad wins this time. The students I talked to totally agreed with him. The reality is that credit cards put a lot of students in debt. College students told me that they know many friends who are in serious trouble with credit, so they have this advice for you:

• At some point in your college career, when your parents agree that you're ready, get one credit card and use it for emergencies only. (Emergencies include car trouble, a plane ticket home for a funeral--not a great sale on shoes!)
• Use that solitary credit card for the purpose of establishing a good credit rating.
• Never charge more to the card than you have the cash to cover at the end of the month.
• Choose a credit card company very carefully, checking on annual fees and interest charges. They vary significantly, and many of the offers you're receiving probably have some of the steepest rates around.
• Consider a debit card (or "check card"), which draws right from your bank account and won't get you into trouble with interest.

Most people agree that credit cards aren't awful in and of themselves. They're actually quite handy, and some things (especially those bought by phone or on the Internet) can't be purchased any other way. The key is using them wisely. Establish good patterns for your credit card use in college, and you will prepare yourself well for post-college money management.

I know it's not right, but I'm really jealous of this friend of mine. Her parents gave her a brand-new car as a high school graduation present, and because her mom and dad make big bucks, she'll have all kinds of money to spend at college. I'll be lucky to afford a pizza once a month! What can I do about my jealousy? And how will I ever have fun at college if everybody else is like her, always going out and doing stuff I can't afford?

Everyone at college is not like her. You'll probably meet some other students like her, but believe me, they'll be the minority.

Whatever our age, we tend to overestimate other people's wealth and underestimate our own. You probably have friends who think you have more money or can afford to do more fun stuff than they can. Whether or not money differences become a friendship-breaker is up to the people involved.

However, it's true that people often hang out in groups where everyone has roughly the same amount of money. At college, you'll be able to find friends who have similar spending limits as yours, and you'll have a great time doing whatever fits your budgets. Besides, college social life isn't about money--it's about spending time with people, which doesn't have to cost anything. The friends you'll meet are a great benefit of college life, one you could never put a price tag on.

Your friend with the brand-new car may have to leave it home during her freshman year anyway, because many colleges don't allow first-year students to have cars on campus! If that happens, don't gloat; take the opportunity to learn to be thankful for what you have and not envy others. In Hebrews 13:5, the Bible tells us to be content with what we have. With God's help, someday you'll be able to rejoice over your friend's good fortune and be at peace about your own circumstances. When this happens, you will have learned a significant lesson about what it means to live as Jesus taught us to live. So enjoy that monthly pizza with your friends, whether they are rich or poor. And when it's time to pick up the pizza, ask your friend with the car to drive!

Judy Moseman is Vice President of Student Life at Bethel College (Minn.).

Questions you would like considered for this column should be sent to: Campus Q & A, Campus Life, 465 Gundersen Drive, Carol Stream, IL 60188. You can also reach Campus Q & A via fax (630-260-0114) or e-mail (CLMag@campuslife.net).

Copyright (c) 1999 by the author or Christianity Today, Inc./Campus Life magazine. For reprint information on Campus Life, email them at CLMag@campuslife.net.

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