Four Tips To Better Manage Your Finances While Studying Abroad

As a first-generation college student, planning a study abroad experience can be difficult. 财务规划尤其令人生畏和恐惧. Financial aid at your institution may help cover some of the fees and costs of the program, 但可能有必要考虑得更远. Before I got on my plane to Florence I had a solid financial plan accounting for a) daily expenses, b)大的，如旅行或活动/经历. However, it can be hard to plan and account for everything beforehand. For me, I had to learn to give myself some grace to enjoy my experience abroad without too much worry. 虽然在旅行时很难控制开支, 这是我学到的四个最重要的教训.

1. Plan before you leave: Apply to scholarships and grants, and budget your overall spending

Before choosing a study abroad program I recommend researching the cost of all the programs available at your institution. While looking at your options it is important to see which ones will take your scholarships and grants. Knowing the amount that will be available to you will allow you to think about the rest of your expenses. Personally, all my financial aid was able to cover the cost of this study abroad program, 包括住宿费和学费吗. Being aware of that allowed me to focus on ways to get scholarships that could help with my daily expenses. 我申请了多个我符合条件的奖学金. With scholarships, I was able to save around $3,000, which is used for my daily expenses. This aspect of planning was time-consuming but extremely helpful and important to me. I was able to get scholarships both from my college and CEA CAPA.

2. 在你的东道国旅行并计划一日游

While being abroad a lot of people choose to travel outside of their host country. 在我看来, we live in the United States and still choose to travel to different states, so why not do the same within your host country while studying abroad? One reason why Italy is a popular study abroad destination is it offers the opportunity to easily travel to multiple cities. 在佛罗伦萨期间，我去过威尼斯, Rome, Siena, Milan, Lucca, Pisa, 和圣吉米尼亚诺, 都在意大利境内吗. 而我在一些城市花了更多的时间, I learned that taking day trips is a great way to explore while also keeping your expenses in mind . Train tickets are easily accessible and efficient for exploring Italy. Planning small trips is a great way to explore more of your host country and city. Being able to visit other parts of Italy has been one of the highlights of my experience so far.

3. 在家做饭，知道什么时候出去吃饭

在国外的另一大笔开销可能是伙食, but grocery shopping in Italy has been manageable and affordable. 我已经学会了计划每周的膳食. 在工作日，我尽量在家里吃饭, 周末或者旅行的时候我会出去吃饭. 虽然我的饮食主要是意大利面和三明治, 我可以在食品杂货上花大约25欧元到30欧元, 可以维持两周吗. 吃这么多意大利面似乎是重复的, but it gives me more chances to get creative with how I cook it. I enjoy cooking so being able to save on food gives me more room to spend on other experiences. I still eat out when I want to with my friends without breaking the bank. 关键是要知道什么时候去做 save and when to spend.

4. 用现金支付日常开支有助于预算

The last tip I have is to use ATMs to get cash to spend on daily expenses. While planning I knew I would have access to one of my savings accounts from which I could withdraw money to pay cash for recurring expenses. Note: Multiple banks have international fees for using cards abroad. Having access to cash for some of these payments makes it easier to save on fees and conversion rates while also controlling your spending. 我的大部分现金都花在了食品和晚餐上. I save the money on my cards for plane or train tickets when traveling. Having these two separate ways of accessing money has been a way for me to be mindful of my expenses and aware of how much I am spending.

在国外，金钱可能是一个难以接近的话题. After multiple spreadsheets and budgeting sheets, I found a plan that worked for me. These tips are ways I financed my experience abroad and saved on money once in Europe. For example, there is a big emphasis on traveling through Europe while you are here, yet I find that you can still enjoy travel even if it is within your host country. Do not get hung up on where other people are or what they are doing-enjoy your experience and find what works for you! 我希望这对你有帮助.