“Utilities bills were atrocious in winter,” Welton said. “Usually between $120 and $150, but they went down during the spring. It should have gone down more in summer, since we never ran our air conditioning, but we ended up being back (near) winter level.”

Welton said she tries to consume as little energy as possible, mostly to save money.

Andrew Greenwell, a criminal justice junior living off campus for the second year, said utility bills at his house can range anywhere from $100 to $250 per month. Several factors weigh into the bill, such as whether or not one of his roommates runs his air conditioning unit or if the heat is on during winter.

“When we moved in, we changed the regular light bulbs to the compacted fluorescent ones,” Greenwell said. “We just try and keep stuff off, use extra blankets in the winter, use a bunch of fans instead of A/C — that kind of stuff.”

Jan Beecher, director of MSU’s Institute of Public Utilities, said Welton’s practice is good not only for the wallet but for the planet. Developing good habits when students are young will help them become more conscientious consumers through the rest of their lives, said Beecher.

“Think about all those plugs as energy vampires and unplug what you can when not in use,” Beecher said, citing cell phone chargers as a prime example.

Beecher recommends that students consider what they can do to use as little energy as possible. She says air drying clothes and using efficient wash cycles can be two easy ways to cut down on both the water and power bills.

“Be aware that your old ‘beer fridge’ is probably inefficient and can cost you a lot,” Beecher said.

Greenwell said he made a budget this summer to do his best to plan out what he knew he was going to have to spend money on. Between rent, utilities, school, food and money for unexpected costs, Greenwell said planning things out made everything easier.

“It just takes planning,” Greenwell said. “It’s a lot harder if you don’t count on the things you know you’re going to have to spend money on. You can’t just go out and blow a ton of money.”

Welton said she does her best to pay off bills by working during the school year, but is limited by the number of hours she can work. However, she said she is accepting the fact that by the time she leaves college, the experience will leave her wallet a little light.

“I already know I’m going to be thousands of dollars in debt,” Welton said, laughing.