Challenging times often have an impact on our financial situation. Financial well-being allows us to identify our relationship with money, and gain skills in managing resources.
- Student Resources
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- Financial Resources for Undocumented Students
- Find your local food pantry: Feeding America
- Food Insecurity
- Hoos Need Help (ODOS)
- Next Steps Fund (accessing mental health care in the community)
- Smart Women Securities (investment fund for UVA women)
- Student Loan Advice
- Student Loan Calculators
- UVA Career Center
- UVA Community Food Pantry
- UVA Mutual Aid
- Google Search Suggestions
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- Saving Money in College
- Guide to Budgeting
- Part-time jobs Near Me
Start Budgeting
Write down your budget. Knowing your income, expenditures and disposable income once your expenses are covered will give you confidence in your financial decisions.
- Wally - Wally is a super simple app that’s perfect for keeping track of expenses. You can track your purchases by assigning pre-made categories to your purchases and see an overview at any time of your spending breakdown.
- Mint.com - You can connect your bank account to this free web app and Mint will pull all your purchases, categorize them, and give you an easy-to-understand breakdown of how your money is spent.
Build an Emergency Fund
Accidents and disasters happen, but the majority of Americans don’t have enough in their savings to cover these unexpected costs. Building up an emergency fund can help you manage the curveballs life will throw your way.
Reduce Your Expenses
The easiest way to save money is to cut down on spending. Once you have a few months of historical data in your budget to look at, finding ways to reduce expenses is one of the best things you can do.
- Cut spending on textbooks. Buy used textbooks or ebooks whenever possible. Also, sometimes you are able to find a pdf of the course material - check your syllabi with the names of the resources you need and search Google.
- Take advantage of college amenities. At UVA, all athletic and fitness centers are free to use for students. Also, take advantage of UVA sports games as an alternative to going to the movies or out to dinner with friends.
- Walk/take public transportation whenever possible. The University Transit System (UTS) is free to use for students. Also, Charlottesville City transportation options are free to students if you show your student ID.