The semester has just begun. You finally have your room the way you like it, but it’s never too early to think about the move off campus. You may know about rent, but there are other bills that are to be expected, such as the cable, gas, electric, water, car and cell phone bill.

There is nothing wrong with living in the residence halls, but students may eventually want to move into a place of their own. No matter what the living situation is, budgeting will be even more important once you have graduated. Taking control of your spending is something you can start right now.

“Don’t’ spend it if you don’t have it,” said Brian Fleming, personal banker for Associated Bank who recently did an important program with Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., called Reaching for Resources. The program, which was held Aug. 27 in the Stevenson Residence Hall, featured very valuable information on credit cards, payments, interest, APR and a game of Financial Jeopardy.

“People don’t realize the risk of credit cards and how they can have a long-term effect. Being careful with spending habits and managing money is a skill that needs to be mastered once in college,” said Jasmyne Portee junior elementary education major from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. “People look back and say ‘I didn’t know,’ and through our program we hope to avoid that outcome when it comes to budgeting and credit.”

All of this translates very quickly to the move off campus. To even be considered for an apartment, a credit check is usually run. According to Student’s Legal Assistance Web site, under “Why Your Credit Rating Is Important” in the Consumer Credit section, “your credit history includes information on your requests for credit or charge accounts, personal loans, insurance, as well as your history of payment on your bills, your income and the amount of your debts. It will show whether you have ever been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy.”

It’s easy to see how quickly an easy decision like moving off campus may become a very difficult one. Student’s Legal Assistance offers more help to prepare students for the move off campus, like information on consumer credit and landlord and tenant laws and rights.

“Looking for the right roommate, finding the right apartment, saving money, not getting any credit cards and finding a job that will fund all my needs,” are things Keith Winford, junior communication major, said it would take to make his move off campus a successful one.

Experian, a consumer and business credit reporting and marketing services company, did an analysis of 3 million people ages 20-29 from August 2001 to August 2006 that found college students have an average debt of $16,120. With this in mind, taking control of credit and budgeting is more of a necessity than an option. The earlier you prepare yourself, the better prepared you are for the real world after college, which comes with a lot of unforgiving consequences.

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