Senior journalism and English studies student Caitlin Butler is well aware of the poor economy, especially the job market she’ll face after her spring graduation from the University of Minnesota.

But while most people are cutting back, Butler said her everyday spending habits on coffee, eating out and entertainment on the weekends hasn’t changed drastically.

Butler is not alone. While business profits plummeted across the country, college students have, for the most part, kept on spending.

Nationwide, college students have $5 billion more at their disposal to spend on nonessentials than in 2007, bringing their combined pocketbook to $53 billion, likely funding anything from movie and electronics purchases to going out on the weekend, according to a 2008 study from Alloy Media Marketing.

The study shows that the 13.6 million college students on campuses this year, ages 18 to 30, spent a record $237 billion — an increase of 20 percent since 2007, the largest jump since the study’s inception in 2001.

Many campus businesses have seen the positive effects of students continuing to spend.

Pat Weinberg, owner of the Purple Onion Café on University Avenue Southeast, said he has been surprised at how good business has been.

“All we hear in the news is how bad everything is right now,” he said, “so you don’t expect business to be up.”

Although the cost of coffee drinks seems to be general knowledge among students, Weinberg said he hasn’t seen a decrease in drink sales.

“Almost everybody gets some kind of drink,” he said.

Butler, who was studying at the Purple Onion Café on Wednesday, said she probably purchases about four teas a week, but makes an effort not to spend more than $30 to $50 on eating out and entertainment expenses, like going out to bars.

Christopher Shaffner, general manager of Downtime Bar & Grill in Dinkytown, said although he believes overall business in the area is down, Downtime’s books don’t show much of a difference in numbers from last year to this year.

“When the economy goes south, usually a lot of the first types of things that get cut from your budget is pleasure spending,” he said.

Students getting financial support from parents, not having to pay a lot of bills or taking out loans, he said, all could protect students from what the average person is dealing with this economic downturn.

Receiving financial support from parents is one reason Covered style adviser Bridget O’Brien said she believes sales haven’t been down.

The Dinkytown boutique, which sells premium denim and clothing, has used the economic crisis as a way to cater to all of its shoppers, including students, O’Brien said.

Last weekend, the store held its version of a “bailout” by offering customers $20 off a purchase of $100 or more, $40 off a purchase of $200 or more and so on.

“Honestly, having been a college student once myself, I would say, from my personal experience, a lot of college students aren’t necessarily footing their own bill,” she said.

While public relations senior Cristina Reginato hasn’t cut down much on entertainment expenses, she said shopping trips are one expense she has cut back on, but wouldn’t credit the poor economy as the reason.

Reginato said she’s in between switching part-time jobs, which has made more of a difference in her spending habits than the economy.

No matter what a student’s financial situation is, they need to be aware of how much they’re spending, Catherine Solheim, associate professor of family and social science, said.

Solheim, who teaches a class on personal and family finance, said people often don’t know how much they spend.

“If you ask people how much it takes them to live for a month, most people underestimate,” she said.

The students in Solheim’s class have expressed concerns about finding jobs after graduation in today’s tough job market.

To ease those fears, Solheim recommends students try to put away enough money to live off of for three to six months, while they look for a job.

She said students should look at their time as undergraduates as a job that will come to an end, like a lay-off.

“It will really hit you as a shock when you have to start paying for [living expenses],” she said.

Food price increases have affected Butler the most, but the senior said she and her friends are not depending on jobs right now to pay for big items like cars and houses.

What seems most important to college students is saving for the short-term, like extra money for Christmas gifts or an upcoming trip, Butler said.

Although saving for the future is a good idea in theory, she said most students just don’t make enough money.

“I don’t think we have a significant amount of money, so saving a little bit more might put you at a small advantage,” she said, “but it won’t be the life or death of you.”