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But unless you had generous scholarships or a rich aunt, you're probably already saddled with thousands of dollars in student loan debt.
• (Note to entering freshmen: Tread carefully around student loan debt. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has a great guide for making informed decisions about paying for college at www.consumerfinance.gov/students.)
• After you've factored in rent, car payments, renter's and car insurance, credit card charges, student loan balances and other monthly bills (not to mention payroll taxes such as Social Security tax, which went up 2 percent this year), your new salary probably won't go as far as you'd like, especially if you're trying to save for one of those life events.
• That's where a budget can help. Numerous free budgeting tools, including interactive calculators, are available at such sites as the government-sponsored MyMoney.gov (www.mymoney.gov), the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (www.nfcc.org), Mint.com (https://www.mint.com) and Practical Money Skills for Life (www.practicalmoneyskills.com), a free personal financial management program run by Visa Inc.
• Next, know the score, credit-wise. Many people don't realize until it's too late that a poor credit score can trash your financial future. After you've missed a few loan payments, bounced some checks or exceeded your credit limits, you'll probably be charged higher loan and credit card interest rates and offered lower credit limits (if not denied credit altogether), unless and until you can raise your credit score. You may even have to pay higher insurance rates and harm your ability to rent an apartment or get a cell phone.

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