One of the best lessons that college will teach you is how to stretch a dollar (and by that, we mean a really long way). Whether you’re fortunate enough to attend school on scholarship, you are on financial aid and/or you need to hold down a job in order to make ends meet, we have some smart ways for you to save money while you’re enrolled so that you can enjoy all that college has to offer; including having a great social life!
Stay away from credit cards. Credit card companies love college students; so much, in fact, that you’ll probably see some of their representatives hanging out in your student union at least once a month. The main thing to remember about credit cards is that they are loans that you must pay back with interest. For that reason, you’re best sticking to cash and saving up for things that you really want.
Buy (or swap) used textbooks. There used to be a time when people didn’t have much of an option outside of going to the campus bookstore to purchase the textbooks that they needed each semester. Things have changed drastically, in part, thanks to the internet. Now you can purchase used textbooks for really cheap and even trade books with students on your campus. Chegg, Half and Textbooks R Us are websites where you can buy used books. Student Books Trade and Student 2 Student are two websites where you can make even (relatively speaking) trades.
Date cheap. One great thing about dating while you’re in college is that the object of your interest is usually in the same financial situation as you are (trying to make ends meet). So, try and avoid going to the most posh places in town. College cities tend to have nice coffee houses and delis, you can get movie discounts and there is always something happening on campus.
Consider going without a car. OK, this particular tip might be a bit hard to swallow, but if you’re living on campus and/or there is great public transportation system in the city, you can really save a lot of money by leaving your car at home. Not only do you have to spend money on gas and maintenance when it comes to a vehicle, but there are many college students that will attest to the fact that parking tickets, over time, can really start to stack up.
Plan ahead. Whether you’re studying to become a doctor, a teacher or even to get a RN to MSN Online degree, one thing that’s for certain is that you have to make plans about how you want your academic future to go. The same thing applies to your finances. Each week, make a point to schedule out things that you’d like to do that will cost money and see if it fits within your budget. This will cut down on impulse spending. When it comes to trips over the holidays or spring break, make sure to save over a period of time. Fun with your friends shouldn’t have to put you in debt and if you plan ahead, it won’t.
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