It is summer. Already those families with sons or daughters who are going off to college in the coming school year are hard at work preparing for what is to come. All manner of things are needed: Clothes, books, computers, a decent dormitory space and more.

All these in the name of quality education require what may seem like a mountain-sized budget, without even factoring tuition costs. Yet sometimes, the biggest costs are not what take place in preparing for the school year. The really financially heavy tests have been known to come when the school term itself begins. They come in the form of requirements that a class has to purchase, or that ream of papers that need photocopying for a research task. They might be a set or reference materials assigned in advance, or equipment that he or she will need in laboratories for Science classes.

That’s not even to mention the kind of extracurricular activities one may find themselves enjoying. From the nights out in town to the pizza run while watching the big game at someone’s house, these are moments that are part and parcel of college life. There are lots of things one has to save money for in order to give that future genius in your family a rich and full college experience.

Of course, we’re not saying you should just hand a college kid a big wad of money to splurge on as he or she is living far away from the family home. Far from it! If there were any sure-fire ways to ruin a college student’s chances of studying and getting school work done, that would be offering complete financial freedom with no responsibilities or strings attached.

But there are solutions out there today in order to help one adjust, as well as to keep money safely within the family coffers. Here are some useful tips.

Don’t use credit card extensions; Prepaid cards are better
Rather than get an extension of a credit card, which can lead to irresponsible spending and rapidly incurred debt, get a new prepaid credit card and load it with a fixed amount of money instead. Now your freshman is free to withdraw the money and spend it as needed, while being taught the value of spending only what one has wisely. Cashless transactions are also a good bonus.

Teach them the meaning of money management
Nobody wants to raise somebody who will mooch off of you forever. But at the same time, you can’t totally cut your children off. Give them a fixed budget for a certain period of time, say every month or every term, and let them find a way to make it fit. If they need to find a job to earn some extra money, then so be it, as long as it doesn’t interfere with the reason why they’re in college in the first place – their academic performances.

Money transfers keep things simple
Today, if one is short on money, they can make a phone call and the money can be easily wired to them. This is true even more so today. The Internet and mobile telecommunications have made calling a bank for almost any manner of services incredibly quick and easy. Should there be emergencies, these services can be a big help.

Prepaid card loading = cheapest money transfers
Putting #1 and #3 together, you can use a prepaid credit card and have money transferred quickly and easily, with minimum charges. While most companies will charge a percentage of the money you seek to deposit in the card as a service fee, there are those like MiCash that simply set a low flat rate. Seek them out, so all transfers can be made without fuss.