Step1
Money/Budget:
Without this step, the other steps don't really matter, since you won't really be able to focus and keep track of your spending. If you have not had a budget before, now is a great time to start. Set up an amount of money you can spend after all your recurring monthly bills are paid. Setup two checking/bank accounts and put what you need and a little bit more into one account for your monthly bills and set up auto-bill pay for EVERYTHING YOU CAN. If possible, if you have a paycheck or a regularly incoming amount of money, have it auto-deposited to that account. Next put anything remaining into a second account. This is your spending account. Cut up your credit cards or lock them away from yourself or make it really hard to use them. If you can, write checks. Just the fact that they are more difficult to use than cash of credit cards will help you spend less money. Write down how much money you spend every day and always know what your monthly budget is compared to how much you have spent already. Don't go over it. If you MUST use a credit card, pay it off completely every month, otherwise you might as well stop reading this article. It is just flushing money down the toilet. If you want, set aside some money for entertainment/treating yourself to something/eating out once a month so you don't feel like you are living a a monastery/convent.
If you have any money left at the end of the month, (try to save SOME) put it into a money market/CD/IRA type account and PRETEND YOU DONT HAVE IT ANYMORE. Try not to put in just a savings account, since the interest rate is so low. Then when you are done with college talk to smart people who know about money or educate yourself about money and do smart things with it. You can thank me later.
Step2
Books:
Share books for classes with others in your class or read them at the school library if the professor has put them on reserve. This has added benefits: You can meet people. You can set up study groups. Books are a huge expense at college and anything you can do to reduce the cost is going to really make things easier financially. If you can't find people to share books and you find the ones on reserve are always checked out, try to find a used copy to buy. Many colleges have student-run alternatives to the campus bookstore. Also you can put notes up on bulletin boards around campus and on the internet asking for people who might be selling used books you need.
Step3
Transportation:
Take the bus! Or WALK! (If you can safely) Or Ride a Bike! Get the cheapest monthly bus pass you can. I wouldn't recommend hitch-hiking. Too potentially dangerous. But share rides with people you know for things like grocery shopping. Riding a bike is your best bet, but do invest in a good lock, since bike theft is so prevalent at colleges. And try to get a bike used if you don't already have one. A used beater bike that works well enough for you will be a lot less likely to be stolen and will hurt less financially to replace if it IS stolen. if you do bike, GET A HELMET. DON'T get a used helmet. Check to see if there are any bike helmet programs at your school that might offer a discounted price on new helmets. Get a decent light, too. And do something innovative: actually stop at stop signs when you ride. You will earn the endless gratitude of drivers everywhere. Best of all about biking everywhere, you will get in good shape, get places faster and do better in school overall.
Step4
Food:
Eat food with others, if you can. It will be more fun, you will learn to cook/cook new things, and save money. When you can't do that, eat cheap but nutritional food and buy it in bulk then make a huge batch of meals and then freeze them. You don't have to eat vegetarian food, but rice, beans and vegetables save the most money. If you combine frozen veggies, cooked rice and refried beans (preferably lard free) in bowl and then wrap it burrito style in a tortilla (again, preferably lard free) and then freeze it, you've got a meal you can microwave for a minute or two and eat. It is a complete protein and you can carry it around frozen in a ziplock bag for a few hours if needed before you zap it and eat it. (make sure you microwave it for at least a minute) It doesn't taste great, but it is super-cheap and easy. I worked it out to about 33 cents a meal.
Another thing to try is getting a cheap rice cooker and a bunch or rice. You can add all kinds of things to the rice to make it less blah and the rice cooker will make sure the rice doesn't get over cooked. Adding some meat will make sure you get some protein. If you know enough about nutrition you can get the protein from beans and legumes in combination with other things. For the meat you add, chicken or fish is the best for price and nutrition.
If you don't have access to a freezer or a rice cooker (or a place to cook) you can get a lot of good food cheap at fast food places. Most of them have dollar meals these days, and you can even just get a plain hamburger. Don't get soft drinks! They are a waste of money and actually terrible for you. Just ask for a cup of water (not bottled) and it will usually be free or very cheap. If you have to get something other than water, get some tea, or a milk! (not a milkshake!). If you have to make a choice between a dollar meal and something to drink, I would say go for the milk, since it has has protein and calcium and some fluid.
Step5
Stuff:
Shop at thrift stores and garage sales. There is nothing un-cool about used merchandise, and in some places it is a sign of extreme hipness. Don't go overboard, though. Buying too much used stuff can still ruin your monthly budget routine.
Mainly, don't buy stuff you don't need. If you know someone who cuts hair on the side, get your haircut from them. If you want to shave your head, but a cheap electric razor and do it yourself! College is the time to experiment with stuff like that anyway! And you save on your hot water bill, too, since your showers won't take as long.
The things I would not scrimp on are shoes and your favorite soaps and shampoo type items. I hate being away from home and having to use cheap shampoo or bad razors, etc. For shoes, you don't have to spend a zillion dollars, but get good comfortable long lasting (and if your geographic area needs it, WATERPROOF) shoes. Get them used if you can or want to, but don't try to cut corners here. Your feet are your best friends when you are at college.
Step6
Entertainment:
Find movies and live music on campus for entertainment, and have dinner parties/potlucks with friends instead of eating out at restaurants. Rent videos/dvds and watch them with friends instead of seeing movies at first-run movie theaters. You will probably have more fun that way, anyway.
Restaurants will REALLY mess with your budget. Coffee-shops are a different deal. Just try not to go overboard with the $4.50 coffees. And if you are going to hang out a for a long time, take some food from home with you so you aren't tempted by the expensive goodies.
Novice 
