About Ramen Ledger

What this is

Ramen Ledger is a set of ten free calculators for college students managing money and living on their own, many for the first time. It covers the questions that come up in the first years away from home: whether the dorm or an apartment really costs less, what rent your income can carry, how to split bills with roommates, what renter’s insurance costs, when a landlord has to return your deposit, whether a meal plan is worth it, whether to buy or rent textbooks, how many hours of work a goal takes, how much interest a student loan builds up in school, and what you need on a final.

Each of these has a specific answer, but the inputs are scattered: a state statute here, a federal announcement there, a USDA report, a syllabus. The tools put the arithmetic and the reference data in one place.

How it works

Every tool is plain HTML, CSS and JavaScript that runs in your browser. There’s no account and no server-side processing. What you type isn’t sent to us or stored; close the tab and it’s gone. The one exception is a convenience: when you click through to the next tool, a number you entered (like your rent) may be carried over in your browser’s tab storage so you don’t have to retype it. It never leaves your device. The site shows ads through Google AdSense, which uses cookies; the privacy policy explains that.

Where the numbers come from

Most tools are pure math on the numbers you enter. Where a tool depends on outside data, the page names the source and the date it was checked:

• Security deposit deadlines and caps (all 50 states + DC): cross-checked across three state-by-state compilations, with disputed figures read against the statute text. Each state shows whether its figure was checked against the statute, needed a conflict resolved, or rests on secondary sources.
• Federal student loan rates: from Federal Student Aid’s official rate announcement for 2026–27, shown as an editable default.
• State minimum wages: from the U.S. Department of Labor’s state table, updated for changes through September 30, 2026.
• Cooking costs: from the USDA’s monthly Cost of Food at Home reports.
• Renter’s insurance: from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ national premium data.
• Average room and board: from the College Board’s Trends in College Pricing.

Where sources disagreed, we used the statute’s figure or, where it’s genuinely unclear, the more conservative one, and said so on the page. A number you can’t check is worse than no number.

What this is not

It isn’t a law firm, a financial advisor, an insurer or your school. Nothing here is legal, financial, tax or academic advice. Laws and rates change, and cities, schools and lenders often have their own rules. Use these tools for a fast, honest starting point, then confirm anything important with the people who have the final say: your school’s financial aid office, your landlord or lease, your loan servicer, or a local legal aid office.

Corrections

If a figure is wrong or out of date, we want to know. Send the tool, the figure and ideally your source through the contact page.

Reference data last checked: September 30, 2026.