1. Start a syllabus for spending
One of the biggest mistakes young people make is spending money without any pre-planning. You map out your classes for the year, you map out your spring break road trip, you map out your outfit for that party on Friday night. To successfully arrive at the end, you've got to have a plan to get there from the beginning. Figure out how much money you have, what's necessary, what's a luxury, and then budget (on paper!) how much you need to stay afloat over the year.
When it comes to phone services, one way to avoid sinking your budget is by choosing a provider that offers unlimited add-ons for features you may use a lot, like text and long-distance (important when your friends and family are across the country).