With students shelling out thousands of dollars for tuition and fees, the occasional cafe stop or CD purchase often doesn't seem worth noting. But the costs eventually take their toll, and students have to somehow keep track of their dwindling bank accounts.

While a large majority of Harvard undergraduates take their finances seriously and often diligently pay their bills, the same students admit that they are unable to track exactly how their money is spent.

Josh Berson '97 says he always balances his checkbook, one way or another. "I balance it loosely," he says. "If I round up the figures every time I balance, I'm more apt to spend conservatively. It exaggerates my sense of loss."

Most Harvard students are like Berson and discover innovative methods to organize and regulate their cash flows.

Sofia I. Echegaray '97 is one of the exceptions. "I'm so completely unorganized in every single way," she says. "I can't even balance getting up in the morning with changing my clothes, much less my checkbook."

The Vice-President of Marketing at Cambridge Savings Bank Alison A. Charello estimates that 70 to 80 percent of their customers holding no-service-charge checking accounts are students.

"A lot of kids have never managed on their own before," she says. "But we've never had any trends of difficulties with students."

Charello says the bank sees students as future opportunities, since many stay in the area after college, and are likely to keep their same bank.

Most students say they have never bounced a check. Sunaina Maira '91, a second-year education graduate student, says it is more likely to happen in the summer when her finances are lower. "It's sinking feeling," she says. "I hate it."

Nearly all Harvard students say they pay their bills on time, with many writing the check immediately. But students say they do not usually make a budget for their funds.

Laura B. Pincus '98 budgets her money but says she knows the reason why. "It's probably because I'm a freshman, and all of a sudden I'm managing my own money," she says.

While most students only have one credit card, Carsten M. Reichel '98 admits he has four. "One's my mom's, and I got the rest because they gave away free t-shirts when I signed up," he says.

Many students, especially first-years, say they have joint credit card accounts, with bills going to their parents.

But credit cards can cause a slew of problems for students by encouraging the urge to shop.

Claudio S. Siniscalco '98 says that during his Christmas break in New York, he went on a spending spree. "It was horrible," he says, blaming his credit card for the moment of weakness.