Dear Nikki,

At school, I constantly feel pressured to buy. Whether it’s going out to dinner in the Square, getting nice things to decorate my room, buying new books instead of used, or throwing parties, I want to spend the money but don’t feel like I can.

—Constrained Consumer

Let’s be honest: while the best things in life may indeed be free, we still worship MasterCard, and this is a material world. (Madonna, after all, is always right.)

Separate from the hefty tuition bill, extraneous expenses during the year can be steep and daunting.

The temptations of designer jeans at Jasmine Sola, an apple martini at Noir, a full membership to Wellbridge Gym, or a weekend jaunt to the Cape may be difficult to resist, but assessing what it is you really want and coupling that with careful budgeting is key to coming to peace with your spending habits.

If the word “budget” makes you cringe, think of the process as simply a self check-up on how you’re spending your money. Anxiety comes from the ignorance of how so many bills are flying out of your wallet—so avoiding the belief that your money miraculously disappears is step one to getting in control.

A budget is simply a tool to increase your consciousness of how and where you spend your money so you have a guideline to help you dish out the dough on what’s most important to you (and so you can feel better about splurging every now and then).

It really is simple: first set up some goals for yourself by writing out categories—i.e. books, clothes, food and drinks, illicit drugs (ahem)—and how much money you’d like to spend within each category. Then, record your expenses (take five minutes at the end of the day to write down how much you spent). And finally, reassess your goals in relation to your spending habits.

Another tip: signing yourself up for a campus job will not only keep you mindful of your expenses but will also prevent you from daily ATM withdrawals. Even if it’s making just $30 a week, that can be moolah that’s not taken directly out of your bank account for dinner and a movie with a special someone.

While you should make some room to treat yourself now and then, also keep in mind that you simply cannot have everything you want. If you’re aching to buy something you tried on, try my prized “one hour rule”: Walk away from the store. And if you are still thinking about how much you want it one hour later, go back and get it. Try not to be vulnerable to instant gratification—pure pleasure is only an episodic phenomenon...so don’t let such an ephemeral force feed its way too deeply into your wallet.

Giving it to the birds and the bees,

Nikki