I Don’t Know What Expenses to Plan for Senior Year

I Don’t Know What Expenses to Plan for Senior Year

Senior year expenses feel scattered and hard to predict. There are school costs, events, applications, and “extras” that add up quickly, and it’s hard to know what’s typical versus optional.

CHECK FIRST
Before trying to plan everything, pause and ask:
Which expenses are required?
Which are flexible or optional?
What costs tend to repeat?
Am I trying to plan for everything at once?
Clarity often comes from categorizing, not estimating.

THEN
Choose a way to organize the unknowns.

Option 1: Group expenses by type
School-related, application-related, celebrations, and transition costs.

Option 2: Plan in phases
What’s needed now may be different from what’s needed later.

Option 3: Leave margin
Not everything needs to be decided ahead of time.

PAUSE
You don’t need perfect accuracy to plan well. You’re allowed to adjust as the year unfolds.

NOTES / REFLECTION
If it helps, reflect on:
What expenses feel most uncertain?
What can wait for now?
Where can I simplify?