You've forked over money, a lot of money, for tuition, room, and board. Isn't that enough? Nope, sorry. Students need computers. And textbooks. And tickets home for Thanksgiving. And pocket change for the laundry machine. And cellphones to call home for more money.

The cost of attending college is much more than the fixed costs charged by a school. Often, it is even more than the "estimated cost of attendance" the school typically provides. Trouble is, colleges don't take great pains to be precise when figuring out what students' ancillary expenses will be.

So what kind of added costs should college billpayers realistically expect? And how does a student get by on a modest budget when one Spanish textbook alone costs $183? Take a deep breath, and read on.

Books: Scanning the globe for organic chemistry
Phone: Hi, Dad. Send money. Bye
Housing: Ditching the dorm room
Credit cards: Avoiding those plastic perils
Insurance: Bruises, breaks, and sneezes
Travel: A lot of to and fro goin' on
Computers: Learning to lug the right laptop
Study abroad: Paris and Rome on a shoestring
A la carte fees: Brace yourself for a fee-for-all
Entertainment: Yikes! My kid's a social butterfly