How to Manage Bills in College

How to Manage Bills in College

by Evelyn Saunders

Students generally find it very challenging when learning to pay their own bills. It is just new territory and setting limits on yourself is not always the easiest thing to do. Until college, your parents probably took care of all of the financial responsibilities of the family. Learning to teach yourself how to budget and make responsible on-time payments is easier said than done.
College is about more than getting your degree. It is literally about learning to live a responsible adult life. Getting your degree is only the first step in setting yourself up for a financially secure future. Paying your bills on-time may sound like a small part of college, but really it can have a long-lasting affect on your life.

Many students blow off a bill to take a weekend trip with their friends, go shopping, or in some cases, buy groceries! The truth is, many people only become educated about the ramifications of missing payments by actually missing them. This can take a very long time to recover from and it really is not worth learning the lesson the hard way.

Unfortunately, many people are under the false impression that a penalty fee is the only repercussion to paying a bill late. This may even seem true for a little while, until it is too late. You go to buy that first car or home and you simply get denied. This is because utility bills, rent, credit card bills and student loan payments all flag your credit when you miss a payment. After a couple of flags, you suddenly are labeled as a person who overextends themselves financially and then does not manage their time or money well. Once you are seen this way, it can take years of on-time payments to prove otherwise.

Even one late payment can blemish your record. This means that if you do qualify to buy that house or car, you will end up paying a lot more than your peers. This is because banks and loan institutions will require a lot more money down to cover the loan. They will also charge you a much higher interest rate than people that pay their debts on-time. Many mortgage companies require that all bills be paid on-time for at least one solid year before they will approve a loan at any interest rate.

The bottom line is that you really have to take every single bill seriously. Keep your credit as clean as possible so that you can eventually qualify to buy a house or car at low enough rates to afford it. Make sacrifices to pay your bills on-time. Have your paychecks direct deposited if possible and have your bills automatically withdrawn the day after your paycheck clears. Open a second bank account that is specifically for money other than your bill money so that you do not accidentally dip into your bill funds before you get the chance to pay them. Take every precaution necessary to keep your credit card payments, student loans, and utility bills paid in full and on-time.