Five small tricks and one big one for saving money during college
August 3, 2012
Sometimes the small things make all the difference, and that's never more true for your wallet than during your four years of college. A penny saved is a penny earned, and you're going to need all the pennies you can get once you graduate. Do your best to save more than a few cents at a time with these quick tips for saving money during college.
1. Pack your snacks with protein. Rather than running to the store or snack bar every few hours for a bag of chips, grab some food that'll fill you up and keep you going. Protein-rich snacks like nuts are great for this. So, while almonds might be twice as much as Oreos, they're worth it.
2. Find a bike, fix it up. Transportation will probably end up being essential at some point during your campus life. Instead of sinking thousands into a car and hundreds in gas, get a bike. Better yet, get it used and fix it up yourself. It's exercise, and it's free!
3. Consider your textbook purchases carefully. Major chunks of your bank account are going to go into textbooks, so always pause before you buy one from the school store. Purchasing online is always a viable option, but never as good as picking up a copy from an upperclassman who's already taken the course. Also keep in mind that most libraries have copies of class texts, and if you're a lit student on a shoestring budget, most classic works of literature have entered the public domain and can be printed out for free via the internet.
4. Avoid going out to bars with a cover charge. These are just excuses for a place to skim money out of your pocket then charge you a lot for drinks. When you go out with friends, choose a local hangout where you know the prices.
5. Balance your checkbook. Stay on top of your expenses, do cost-benefit analysis, know what your major cash drains are and do your best to plug them up.
6. Apply for scholarships. One of the most important things you can do, for your wallet and your sanity, is apply for scholarship opportunities before you matriculate and during your higher education. Tuition, room and board are all expensive, but applying for scholarships will help you keep your head above water.
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