The upcoming school year will bring a wave of freshmen facing the difficulty of learning to budget while paying for school.
Oregon State University has a multitude of resources to help with budgeting including the Center for Advancing Financial Education and the Basic Needs Center. 
According to their website, CAFE provides equitable access to financial education within the OSU community and across Oregon.
In an email from Kayleen Salchenberg and Michael Budke, program managers at CAFE, the center provides free one-on-one appointments, self-study modules, presentations and workshops about how to save money while attending OSU.
The organization guides new students in crafting a plan to manage college expenses and clarifies the crucial elements of billing. Their team can assess whether there will be any funding shortfalls and, if gaps are identified, proactively explore methods to fill them, such as seeking additional funds or finding ways to save, according to Salchenberg and Budke.
CAFE connects with students at their current stage, helps them make sense of their financial puzzle and supports them in putting all the pieces together.
“Our goal is to help students prepare and create a plan to manage these expenses, ensuring they avoid registration holds and the stress that can affect their overall well-being. We emphasize being proactive rather than reactive,” said Salchenberg and Budke.
CAFE is available on campus while school is in session. According to Budke, the best way to get in touch is through their website where students can book appointments with an advisor.
The Basic Needs Center is another resource for students needing to budget. The organization offers many resources including food assistance, textbook lending and housing help.
The food assistance service includes a food pantry, Healthy Beaver Bags, and help with applying for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, better known as SNAP.
The food pantry is completely free and open on Wednesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at 1030 SW Madison Ave, Champinefu Lodge.
Healthy Beaver Bags are provided to OSU students every Friday from noon to 2:30 p.m. throughout the term and during finals week. These bags feature themed recipe kits crafted by the center’s peer navigators and members of the OSU community.
According to the BNC website, originally established with a generous gift from the Women’s Giving Circle, the BNC Textbook Lending Library offers over 2,000 textbooks that students can borrow for an entire academic term at no cost.
This resource is sustained by donations of textbooks from current and former students. Students can help by donating their used textbooks to our library anytime throughout the year.
In order to get involved with these resources, more information can be found on the BNC website.
