Whether you’re about to go to college as a freshman or a senior about to leave and enter the “real world,” you know how difficult it can be to balance school and work commitments, friends, family and yourself. You also probably know just how tough it is to be a broke (or nearly broke) college student, which is why learning how to manage your money now will help you for the rest of your life. I know it may seem like you can’t fit learning money management into your busy schedule, but trust me, you can! Here’s how.
During some free time, when you need a break from studying or when your need something to listen to as you study or complete a workout, switch up your typical YouTube routine with a quick video on budgeting or money management.
To help you get started on managing your money like a boss, I’ve compiled a list of some YouTube channels with great videos on budgeting tips and advice for what it means to be “money-wise” or “financially smart.”
1. The Wild Wong
My personal favorite channel out of this list is The Wild Wong, who is very friendly and fun to watch. There is an entire playlist called “Money Stuff”,where she talks about all kinds of financial issues and important terms. Her videos are short, clear and concise, but she delivers her message on money management with humor and lighthearted fun.
The Wild Wong also has a video called “Why We’re Afraid of Money” and has produced videos on other budgeting channels geared toward college students and young adults.
2. LaTisha Styles
This is a great channel geared directly towards college students and young adults that gives guidance for managing all different types of expenses and finances that come up during and after college. The videos are all a part of Styles’ company/blog Young Finances, which serves to help students to learn how to budget, invest and save their money wisely.
3. My Fab Finance
With such a fun goal as being “financially fabulous,” My Fab Finance focuses on how women, especially, can become financially savvy, but the advice and tips given in these videos can be applied to anyone. “Talk Money with Tonya” is a video series on the channel that answers viewers’ questions related to finance, such as budgeting for travel, avoiding defaults on student loans and learning how to handle income reductions, among other topics.
4. Rachel Cruze
The author of Love Your Life, Not Theirs, Rachel Cruze uploads videos every Monday and Wednesday on her channel about how to “handle your money with wisdom” and live debt-free. In a playlist titled “Budgeting and College with Rachel Cruze,” videos focus on topics such as student loans, graduation gifts, paying off debt and planning for college. Other videos focus on a wider range of financial topics that will benefit anyone at any age.
5. Life with Sarah
This channel offers mostly organizational tips for life in general, but Life with Sarah also features great financial advice based off of her own experiences. Life with Sarah also has videos on creating a budget in a journal or planner, as well as other videos with tips on creative budgeting.
6. Absolutely Adonis
This channel features a college student giving advice to fellow college students, in a way that feels really comfortable and sincere. After breaking down the basics of starting a budget and taking smart financial steps, Adonis also advocates keeping a journal to record money management information in one place, making it easier to find and keep track of.
7. Patricia Keele
In this channel, Patricia Keele gives her steps for creating a balanced budget, as well as other organization tools and methods that are helpful for money management. In her soft-spoken voice, she calmly explains what you can do to save and manage your money wisely, making the process of budgeting much more comforting and not nearly as intimidating as it sometimes sounds.
In the meantime, check out the videos on these channels for some budget set-up tips.
8. HangingWithLeeTV
This channel gives a simple and hilarious breakdown of why starting a budget is important when you move out and how to create one. Lee also has some “how-to” videos with advice on “How to Make Extra Money” and “How to Budget for Groceries,” among other college and young adult life related topics.
9. Mix It Up Erin
Erin shows how to create and then stick to a budget layout in a bullet journal. Her channel offers other helpful ways to organize a bullet journal, including how she creates and tracks her household budget and keeps a savings/spending tracker for her bank accounts and cards.
10. Emily Bland
Emily gives 10 tips for money management and then shows how she sets up her monthly budget. This channel also gives a mix of general and financial tips for living abroad, like how to apply to rent in Germany or what free things you can do in Berlin.
It is incredibly important to know how to make smart financial decisions today, but who says that learning how to do so has to be boring or scary? Watching these videos during free time between classes or while you’re hitting the gym or hitting the books will help you begin to understand and then implement these money management tips, ideas and advice in a quick, easy, fun and engaging way.
