I received a question from a reader via Facebook (Saving Dollars & Making Sense), so I decided to address it this week.  Feel free to message me your questions or email them to: savingdollarsandmakingsense@gmail.com.

Dear Chase,
I’m a freshman in college and I’ve realized that everything is so expensive.  I’ve also realized that it’s not so easy living on my own.  I’ve got a lot of responsibilities that I didn’t have while I was living at home.  Do you have any advice as to how I can save money and save myself from going crazy?
Thanks,
Frantic Freshman

Dear Frantic Freshman,
You have to come to that stage in life when we all realize that we are no longer kids; we’re adults, and we must take responsibility for that.  When it came to my freshman year I did nothing but work, practice (I was a Music Major), party, and eat Ramen Noodles. 
The first step in saving money, while living in college, is realizing that you DO NOT have to spend money on everything.  I’m assuming that your parents are helping you financially, which makes it even more difficult seeing as how it’s not actually your money that you’re spending.  I got my refund check from school and spent the entire $600 in the first two weeks.  I bought stuff for my apartment, kitchen appliances, a new comforter set, name brand food,  not to mention all the times my roommate and I went out to eat. 
DO NOT DO THIS!  Save that money.  Put it into a savings account and don’t touch it.  Also, you may have to get used to eating Ramen Noodles, PB&J sandwiches, and canned soup quite frequently, because, as I’m sure you’ve already noticed, you’ve probably spent most of your money on books and other things for school.  You can also look back at some of my columns on Couponing and saving money and learn from them as well. 
As for how you can save yourself from “going crazy;” simply step back and take a look at your life as an adult.  You will have to start making more responsible decisions (staying in and studying versus going to a party, etc.) and you will also have to learn a lot about being an adult.  I remember one of the first times I realized I was completely lost was in one of my classes.  My professor was talking about careers and sarcastically said, “Raise your hand if you would like to be one of those high and mighty people making $15,000 a year!”  Well, $15,000 per year sounded like a lot of money to me so I raised my hand.  I’m sure my face turned eight shades of red because everyone else giggled and I put my hand down.  The professor looked at me and said, “Well, I’m sure there’s a McDonalds down the road that’ll put you to work and then you won’t have to sit through my boring class.”  At that time I didn’t realize that $15,000 per year was very minimal compared to what most people WANT to make.  That being said, you will make mistakes, but you must be willing to learn from them.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions, because the only dumb question is the one not asked. 
Good luck!