College students are experts when it comes to getting by. If you’ve ever brought your own Solo cup to a party to save $5, then you know what I’m talking about.

Make no mistake about it, having the ability to scrape by on limited funds is a worthy attribute, but what if you could avoid getting stuck in that hole in the first place? Well lucky for you, not only are there countless money management services on the web today, but some of the best ones are free.

So without further ado, here are 3 of my favorite free websites that I would recommend to every student:

Mint.com, or “Where is my money going?”

If you’re looking for a clean, easy-to-use service that beautifully arranges your expenses in an array of colorful graphs and charts, look no further than Mint. Simply set up an account by entering your bank account information (don’t worry, I’ve been using the site for 3 years without any safety concerns), and Mint will do the rest. Instantly the service will spit out everything from pie graphs that break down how much you spend on fast food each month to line graphs that detail your net worth over time.

But perhaps the highlight of Mint is their budget setting feature. Let’s say you’ve been spending too much money on clothes lately. Simply set up a budget for $100 a month, for example, and Mint will track when and where you spend your clothes money. You can add as many budgets as you want and track your progress throughout the month.

PayPal , or “Pay me now, pal”

Another website I can’t live without. We all know PayPal best as a service that conveniently facilitates payments for online purchases, but did you know it’s an ultra easy way for transferring money between friends?

Unlike using the major bank sites, which require you to know your transferee’s mother’s maiden name and blood type to make a simple fund transfer, PayPal requires only an email address of another PayPal user to send money, regardless of what bank they use. So getting a friend to split the beer with you should be no problem now that transferring money is as easy as, say, drinking a beer.

SmartyPig, or “I’ll need this later”

Setting goals for yourself and saving money doesn’t sound like very much fun, but you’ll be happy you did once you graduate and find yourself swimming amid a stormy sea of debt.

Start by setting up an account with SmaryPig and decide what you want to save for – be it a new toaster, car, or a toaster-shaped car (I’m looking at you, Scion). Once your SmartyPig account is ready to go, you can decide how much you want to allocate to that goal each month with automatic payments. Much to your delight, others can even contribute towards your goal with great ease.

While you still may consider yourself a master when it comes to getting by, that’s certainly no way to continue to live your life. So get your act together now and start spending and saving better! You’ll thank yourself one day.

And that advice, as to stick with the theme, is free of charge.

Guest post by Brendan Baker of Student of Fortune – the online homework help site. Get fast and reliable homework help or make money as a tutor helping other students. You can find him on the Student of Fortune blog.