There’s nothing like the blissful, stress-free feeling of syllabus week. The full class workload and schedule hasn’t set in - all you have to think about is getting settled into campus and re-connecting with friends.
It can be syllabus week for your personal finance lifestyle all the time. With these tips, you can better manage your time and stop spending so much time stressing over your money.
1. Set up account alerts
Most banks allow you to set up alerts for different types of account activity, such as a deposit going in or your balance dropping below a certain level. A few notifications will help you keep tabs on what’s going on in your bank account so you can avoid overdrawing your account and getting hit with an overdraft fee. Want to know when your balance drops below a certain amount? Set up low balance alerts with Kora and the app will manage it for you.
2. Sign up for automatic paymentsA missed payment on a credit account can negatively impact your credit score and profile. Your credit profile is still fresh, which means a late payment can have a larger impact now more than ever. If possible, set up automatic payments for any recurring payments you expect to have (utilities, phone bill, etc).
P.S. Those bank account alerts are necessary for automatic payments so that you avoid overdrawing when the payment gets pulled.
3. Divide up your paycheck so you automatically save
Grabbing a regular paycheck? You can set up an automation so a small percentage automatically goes into a savings account. Automating the allocation of your paycheck reduces the stress of trying to figure out how much to save. Most employers that have direct deposit also allow for automatic allocation.
If your deposits aren’t as consistent as a paycheck, you can set up automatic monthly transfers from your checking to savings accounts. It’s entirely up to you what percent of your deposits should go into savings but even a small amount of savings in college can go a long way.
You’ve got exams and plenty of TikTok videos to watch - make sure you aren’t spending your time stressing over your finances. Automate your budget so that every week can feel just a little bit more like syllabus week.
On the Kora app, you can automatically keep track of your spending and your budgeting goals as well. Download Kora now to get started.