Everybody knows tuition and books eat into a college student’s budget.

But Robert Baker, a counselor at Housing and Credit Counseling in Lawrence, is seeing a new culprit trying to ruin students’ budgets – cell phones.

Whether it’s talking too many hours during peak times or being charged for “extras” like instant messaging and sending photos, the technology is the newest in a line of budget-breakers that could send students into debt.

“It’s easy to do,” Baker said.

Most students enter Kansas University at age 18, with little experience following a budget on their own. That, Baker said, makes them susceptible to financial trouble.

“When you’re in high school, the money you have is pretty much spending money,” Baker said. “The mindset changes when you go to college. The money that might have been spending money before might be used for living expenses. It changes that mindset.”

Baker offers these suggestions for students:

¢ Minimize your cost of housing and utilities.

Having roommates instead of living alone can free up money on rent and utilities for other expenses.

With apartment vacancy rates high in the city, Baker said students should “shop around to get a good deal.”

¢ Minimize food costs by filling up at home instead of eating out. He suggested hitting buffets when you do eat out to get the most meal for the price.

¢ Stick to your budget, especially on clothes and entertainment costs. Those can get out of hand quickly.

¢ Be careful with credit cards. Baker noted that 50 percent of the money credit card companies make are on late fees, charging over limits and other fees.

The average cost of attending KU, according to the Office of Student Financial Aid, is $13,778 per year for an undergraduate student who is a Kansas resident.

That breaks down like this: $4,738 for tuition and fees; $4,954 for housing; $750 for books, $1,304 for transportation; and $2,032 for personal expenses.

There is a cadre of KU employees also designated to helping students make it through school financially.

Stephanie Covington, associate director of the Office of Student Financial Aid, is one of them.

Though March 1 is the priority deadline for financial aid for the fall semester, Covington said it wouldn’t hurt students who haven’t filled out an application form to do so if they haven’t, even when they arrive in August. But, she added, “it’s kind of bad news if they’re just figuring that out.”

Students often are eligible for more student loans than they need to pay for school. But Covington said they should be careful when deciding how much to accept – especially considering they’ll have to pay it back someday.

“Don’t spend the financial aid check in one place,” she said. “They need to have to make sure they have enough money to cover their monthly expenses.”

Covington’s No. 1 piece of advice for students: Plan ahead.

“It’s very disheartening to work with a student in a dire financial situation and needs money right away,” she said. “It’s easier if they do that up front.”