How to Make Ends Meet While in College

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

making frugal living a priority
a plan

Step 1

save money when you can

Buy your textbooks used if you can, or borrow them from someone who has already taken the class. If you must buy new, then shop around, the college book store isn't always the best place to get a good deal. Try Amazon.com and other web sites that sell books.

Sell all your text books at the end of each term. Selling to other students directly may net you a better price than selling them back to the college bookstore will.
Step 2

dorm cooked meal

Food is another big expense for college students. If you have a college food plan, then use it to the full extent you are allowed to. Some plans allow you to eat as often as you want to, or let you take food to go for example.

For those who want to do their own cooking in the dorm rooms, or to supplement the school cafeteria food with some dorm cooked meals, there are several things that you can do to spend less on food while living in the dorm.

In the resources list below are several articles I wrote about cooking in a dorm and/or saving on food, so check them out for even more tips on saving money on food.

By cooking your own food, no matter how simple, you'll save a ton of money over fast foods, or late night pizza runs. Have good foods in your dorm room that you like to eat, and that are easy to fix. Microwave popcorn is handy for snacks anytime.

Make your own coffee too. At $3.00 a pop, it adds up to around twenty dollars a week for just one fancy coffee drink a day. Can you really afford that? Get an inexpensive coffee maker and make your own instead.

Bottled water is no longer chic, now that we are waking up to the real costs for us and the environment. Not to mention how expensive it is. So buy a water filter and a reusable water container to take with you and use those instead.

If you must eat out, at least get your moneys worth. Go at lunch time instead of dinner because lunch is almost always cheaper, and take a doggie bag of leftovers home with you.
Step 3

college drinking

College students are well known for their excessive drinking habits so if you insist on drinking at least go where the drink specials are. Many college town bars have "college night" specials.

Don't take more cash with you than you can afford to spend, and never charge alcoholic drinks.
Step 4

college life

Learn where the free or very inexpensive entertainment is at your college and in the local area. Use your student card whenever you can for discounts. Take advantage of any free student concerts, free movie nights, or whatever else your college offers in the way of free fun.

Take full advantage of your dorm room television, and your own computer too. You can watch dvd's in your dorm room for free if you borrow from your friends. There's Net Flix and the library for movie rentals too.

The city library is a good source of free entertainment, besides books and movies to check out, there are often free or inexpensive classes, concerts, and other events put on by your local library. Ask for their newsletter or go online to see what they have coming up in the way of fun things to do.
Step 5

credit cards

Get free checking and savings accounts, and make a record of every check you write, and every atm withdrawal so you always know your bank balance.

Watch out for those credit cards! Many college students get in way over their heads with the first credit cards they receive. Make sure this doesn't happen to you by buying responsibly and paying more than the minimum every month.
Step 6

Save on laundry by always doing full loads. Buy detergent for the cheapest price you can find, or make your own.

You may even find that going off campus to wash and dry your clothes elsewhere saves you money, if your dorm laundry room prices are very high.
Step 7

If you really want to save on internet use then take advantage of the free wireless service that most colleges offer.
Step 8

furnish inexpensively

Furnish your dorm room the inexpensive way through hand me downs from mom and dad, the local thrift shops, or by taking advantage of all the stuff other college students put out in the trash at the end of every term. You can find all kinds of furniture and school supplies, including text books in the trash on moving day. Reuse it, recycle, and save a bunch of money.
Step 9

college friends

The same goes for clothing, find bargains at the local thrift stores, or go online and check out craigslist and freecycle for clothes and other goodies.
Step 10

ride a bike

To get around campus and the local area as frugally as possible, walk, ride a bike, or take the bus. To go home on weekends or for vacation, carpool with others going the same way. Or take the bus.
Step 11

enjoy life

Save on everything you can, cell phones, makeup, personal care items, posters, decorations for your room; everything. Barter, find bargains at dollar stores, and thrift stores, ask your family and friends for hand me downs. Be creative and you'll be able to come up with lots more ways to save money at college, while still getting a good education, making new friends, and having a lot of fun.

Comments

stlscientist said

Flag This Comment

on 6/15/2009 OMG! I was a starving college student, how funny! Of course, not at the time. Here's a tip... go to textbook sales and buy the cheap ones. My university used to sell old textbooks for under $5. I would sell them on eBay easily for over $20.

LivnLovnNLernn said

on 10/3/2008 You can also find BOOKS at your local thrift stores. Many times thrift stores will even throw them away because they get so many of them. You can usually get
them for $1.00 or less a piece!!