When I attended university I lived on a tight budget. Here are just a few of the things that I did to help me save money while studying:
1. I lived with roommates to share the rent and utility costs. Four of us girls all lived in a house and the rent was less than $200 each. Splitting the utility bills 4 ways made it a lot easier on the budget.
2. I did a lot of tutoring and then got a part time job that worked with my school schedule. Tutoring is great because when you are your own boss you can pick and choose when you work.
3. I took a bus rather than buying a car. Rather than spending money on gas, car maintenance, and insurance, I took advantage of the student rate for a monthly bus pass. Whenever possible, I also rode my bicycle or walked.
4. I packed my own lunches rather than buying food at the university cafeterias and shops. I also brought along snacks so I wouldn’t be tempted to buy junk food from the expensive vending machines.
5. For my English literature classes, rather than buying all of the required novels, I borrowed some of them from the library. Whenever possible I bought used textbooks from other students or from the Archive bookstore on campus. I also took as many full year classes as I could because it reduced the amount of textbooks I would have to purchase.
6. I informed my bank that I was a student and got great discounts, paying very few fees. I also took advantage of other student discounts at retail stores, etc. Students get a lot of great deals!
7. When we first moved into the house we were renting, we had almost no furniture. We went to a few yard sales and it didn’t take a lot of money to furnish our home. I still have the rocking chair I bought at a yard sale for $10!
8. I reused my binders and other supplies every year rather than buying new ones.
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