So, are you a high school student who has been having trouble coming up with enough money for everything? Between car payments (if applicable) and other financial obligations, is it getting harder to afford the things you enjoy? Like dates, movies, fast food, and cds?

Balancing your student budget is difficult, but not impossible. See, the truth is that it is hard to be a working high school teenager. The jobs don’t pay well, you don’t get many hours, and you somehow have to make due with what you have. This is harder than most people know, but there are things you can do to be able to afford all the fun things without sacrificing those things that you do need.

First, think about how much you make per month. Then, total up the bills you must pay (things like car insurance, car payments, money to buy band gear for school, etc.).  Now, figure out how much “fun” money you have left. Whether it is a lot or a little doesn’t matter.. What does matter is how you use it. And if you use it wisely, you can be much better off.

Most teens, and their money, falls prey to one huge pitfall… impulse spending. Impulse spending is what causes you to go order pizza right after getting your check cashed, or what causes you to buy a new sweater just because you and your friends are at the mall. These things eat into your spending money because you are spending them on things that you don’t really want, they are only impulses. Now, take a look at this illustration.

You cash your check, and your first thought is “wow, I would live to eat Chinese right now”. But, you know that if you go drop $10 for an oriental dinner, you won’t have enough to go to the concert later on this week. So, you go home, scrounge up some mac and cheese, and stuff your impulse back down where it belongs! If you stop spending on impulses and wait until you can spend your money on what you really want, than you will be amazed at how much you can afford. Not only that, but you might even find that after saving up for a couple weeks, you can even afford to indulge in the casual impulsive oriental meal once in awhile!