As a college student myself, I know how difficult it can be to make it through the year with little to no money in your bank account. My freshman year I don’t think that there was a time when I had more than $50 in my account for the entire year. Regardless of what my situation was, it’s a common trend that all college students will experience at one time or another: not having enough money. Here are 10 money saving tips for college students as well as teenagers to make your funds stretch further than you ever thought they could:
1.) Rent or Buy Used Textbooks
I still do not understand why some people purchase new textbooks every semester. My first semester of college I bought all new textbooks and spent $580. Ever since then I have been renting and buying used and have not spent over $150 a semester. Ebay, Chegg and Amazon are great for saving your money.
2.) Drink Water
Don’t waste your money on juices and energy drinks. Water is free and a whole lot healthier than those sugar infested beverages.
3.) Use Campus TransportationI cannot tell you how many times I have gotten parking tickets on campus because I was too lazy to walk or take the bus to class.
4.) Don’t Buy Your Music
Free services like Soundcloud, Spotify and Pandora are available so why would you waste $1.29 for a single song with ITunes?
5.) Ditch The Cable
I had no idea how expensive cable was until I got it for myself. For the cheapest plan on Comcast, it cost me $40 a month, $40 that I really didn’t have to spend. You can watch TV online and play DVDs through your laptop for free.
6.) Pay Bills Before They Are Due
There are too many times where I simply forgot to pay my rent and was forced to pay a late fee for my stupidity. Just plan to pay your rent and bills at least a week early, every month.
7.) Skip The Alcohol
Alcohol is expensive, plain and simple. Especially when you’ve had a few drinks and are at a bar with a few friends, you’ll probably end up finding yourself buying drinks for them out of the niceness (drunkenness) of your heart. The solution? Go to the bar without your credit card or just have a couple drinks and vouch not to spend anything else. Or, just don’t drink!
8.) Avoid Take-Out
Getting take-out is expensive and you will most likely spend at least $10 each and every time. Why not go to the campus cafeteria? Or go shopping and buy your food in bulk so you can save money?
9.) Skip Expensive Spring Break Trips
So many of my friends have always gone on extravagant spring break trips. While I’m sure they are a ton of fun, they cost a lot of money and you end up forgetting more than you remember.
10.) Avoid Spending Money On the Weekends
This may be the best step you can take to save yourself a lot of money. Whenever I find myself with an overdrawn bank account, it’s usually on a Sunday or Monday after the weekend. Almost all of my purchases are made on the weekends on food, movie tickets, etc. Rather than partaking in costly endeavors you could read a book, play a sport or go for a walk (all free alternatives).
There you have it. Here are some great ways to safe money as a college student that teenagers can use as well. Have any other effective methods to save money? Comment them below and lets have a discussion. Thanks for reading!
