Nicole Schafer
The Paw Print
With the prices of college nowadays, it seems almost impossible to save money and stay on top of finances. Books are outrageously expensive and let’s face it, none of us realized the cost of food until we had to pay for it ourselves. Gas prices are skyrocketing and there seems to be no end to the demanding needs of finances. Here are some tips to start saving money and get ahead of the financial demands.
Don’t make impulse purchases.
Never go grocery shopping when you’re hungry.
Limit the number of times you eat out monthly.
Cut out vices – smoking is terrible for you and expensive.
Always pay bills on time to avoid late fees.
Walk, use public transportation or ride a bike instead of having a car.
Live with others so you can split rent and utilities.
Cut out expensive cable packages you don’t need.
Consider more basic phone packages and plans or plans that include unlimited texting with free incoming calls
Don’t buy the most expensive college meal plans. Figure out what you actually consume and get the correlating package.
Shop where they offer student discounts. There are so many places that offer discounts to students with a school ID.
Sell what you no longer use or need. There are plenty of stores and web sites, like Ebay, Amazon and Craigslist, where you can sell your used clothing, furniture or tech items.
Don’t buy unnecessary school supplies. Why buy cumbersome notebooks when you can type on your laptop? It’s better for the earth anyway!
Don’t buy books you will only need for a short period of time – check them out from the library instead and if you absolutely have to buy them, get them online for a fraction of the price.
Take advantage of what your campus has to offer in terms of activities, rather than spending money on going out. Many campuses have an array of museums, offer movie nights and other social events for cheaper or, sometimes, for free.
Wait to get a pet until after college – a pet can become very expensive. Not only do you have another mouth to feed, but veterinary bills are costly. If you love animals, there are plenty of shelters that need volunteers.
Go to class. You’re paying for it and skipping is like throwing money out the window!
Drink water. It’s free and better for you, anyway.
Make your own coffee. While coffee shops are convenient, they charge hefty prices that really add up over time. Like Starbucks-$4.00 coffee.
Open a savings account that earns interest. Credit unions have fewer fees and are great for students.
Don’t buy music. Use free services like Spotify, Pandora, SoundCloud, Youtube etc.
Look into class requirements and the options for testing out of classes. Why pay for a class you could test out of?
Consider becoming a RA. Many get free room and board.
Coupon Clipping: many receipts from stores will provide free coupons and there are always coupons in your local newspaper, check them out, clip them and start saving.
Save old pieces of soap and mash them together to make a bigger one to use and squeeze that toothpaste tube dry!
Ultimately, college students need to become penny pinchers. Start recycling, use second hand items, and never waste a thing. College is already expensive as it is, find some ways to cut costs so maybe you’ll have some vacation money.
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