Surviving College Life

Smart Money Advice for New High School & College Grads

June 30th, 2008 Jamie

Handling your own finances isn’t easy (in fact, far too many full-fledged adults still struggle with it) but luckily for you, there are a plethora of resources you can turn to for help. From books to blogs and everywhere in between, money advice for new grads abounds!

Here are a few of my favorite recent articles from around the web to help you out as you start to figure out the how-to’s of money management:

The New York Times’ article A Primer for Young People Starting Their First Job

Ooooh, a job with “benefits!” Health insurance and a retirement plan–that must be awesome, right? If you’re like most new grads, you probably don’t know a good insurance plan from a bad one, or how to start planning for retirement. Click through the above link and two pages of reading later, you’ll find yourself just a little more prepared for the reality of the real world.

Surviving College Life’s article on How to Set Your First Budget

Um… is it cheating to refer you to my own article? Hopefully not, because I think it’s a relatively important topic to wrap your head around (plus I created a free budget worksheet for you.) If you want some off-site budgeting help you can also try Gather Little by Little’s tips about how to Create a Budget AND Follow It.

Being Frugal’s clues about Frugal Living for Beginners

Once you’ve started budgeting, these five simple steps can help you start whittling down your excess expenditures-fairly painlessly-so you have more to live on (and to save!). One suggestion I should start following is #4 Carry your own water with you. A bottle of water should cost a few cents, but at a coffee shop (or, say, a very very warm graduation ceremony) you’ll pay more like $2!

Get Rich Slowly’s special post Life After School: Advice for New Graduates

I love that this article covers money-management from a more emotional standpoint-it takes into account the natural human reactions to things like finding a job and getting a raise, and tells you how to overcome the impulses that will drag you down financially. (You should also check out the article there about paying yourself first–it will get you started saving. Did somebody say “early retirement?”)

Do you have any great advice to share–or bookmarks with other people’s money tips?

photo: City 2 by woodsy

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• 50 Smart and Easy Ways to Save Money in College

Entry Filed under: budget & finances