Homecoming week at Augustana College in Sioux Falls and that means lots of fun for students, but it also means lots of extra spending.

In a tough economy, they're forced to balance their fun with their finances. And now students are realizing the importance of being conscious about credit.

Augustana student Thomas Alexander says homecoming is a hard week to watch the spending.

And that's the case for most students. Augustana junior Brent Jamison says money isn't something he likes to think about, but right now he's getting help from his parents to pay for school.

Brent Jamison says, "They like to give me money from here and there to make sure I'm still having fun and not studying too much."

But both Brent and Thomas say one thing they aren't doing is over spending on credit cards.

Thomas Alexander says, "I try to keep off the credit card thing cause one thing I can't resist is temptation."

Brent Jamison says, "I have a credit card. I try to use it as little as possible mostly like emergencies, gas, things that I can pay for later."

But it's that pay later mentality that Tom McKee with New West Credit says hurts credit users. His company is starting to implement credit education to teach students how to monitor credit.

Tom McKee says, "Freshman orientation. First thing they do is the credit card companies are right there. They should learn what the effects are."

And while that can be true for many college students, Brent says they've become more conscious about credit.

Brent Jamison says, "So many people have had problems with it that they are being warned about the dangers of credit cards."

But they say there's still money for fun if you're willing to consider what you're spending it on.

Thomas Alexander says, "No one can afford anything at college. It's kind of interesting, but people still find a way to get their pizza somehow."

The students we talked to say it's their parents and college professors who have given them advice to stay away from credit card debt. They say as they watch the troubled economy, they're glad it's advice they've taken.