Money Saving Tips For Any College Student

Everyone knows that college students usually live up to the stereotype of being a "broke college student." This is not necessarily a fun reality but it is a reality. So here I will give you Eight Money Saving Tips to help you when money is tight.

1. Don't Buy Your Textbooks Full Price

College textbooks are way overpriced and it would be ridiculous to buy them at their full price. There are several different options you can use to buy your books. First, Thriftbooks is a great option. Not only can you buy your textbooks there, but you can also buy novels and such from them too. Here is the link: https://www.thriftbooks.com Another place you can find cheaper books is on Amazon. Specifically, you should look in the "used" section. You really don't need textbooks to be in brand new/pristine condition. There is usually a good discount on this. You can also look at Barnes & Noble, but usually, these will be at their full price. The last place I would check would be your school's Facebook page. Now I know most people don't use Facebook, but this is one nice way to find books that precious students used for the exact classes you are going to take. I personally used this and saved a TON of money on my textbooks last year.

2. Make Your Own Coffee

I know, I know. It's way better to have an Iced Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks, but spending five dollars every morning on coffee is just not reasonable. Personally, I buy coffee beans and grind them myself and then make my coffee from that. One bag of coffee beans may cost around $15 and makes a lot more than three cups of coffee. Of course, treat yourself to a few specialty coffees a month, but definitely don't have that every day.

3. Meal Prep/Eat Before Class

We've all been in that situation when you get to class and your stomach starts to growl. You didn't get breakfast and you still have a couple minutes before class begins. So you run down to the vending machine and buy a pack of Pop-Tarts. I have definitely been guilty of this once or twice. While food from the vending machine is nice in a pinch, it should not become a regular habit. To fix this, I usually put a granola bar or fruit in my backpack so I don't get too hungry during class. This saves money and is way healthier in the long-run.

4. Wash Laundry At Home

This is only something you can do if your school is close enough to home. My school is all the way across the country from my home, but my roommate lived about ten minutes away from school. The cost of laundry can definitely add up quickly so if you can do it at home, save the money.

5. Budget Your Money & Limit Certain Categories

Budgets aren't really fun, but they are realistic. I found myself at the beginning of the school year, spending way too much on treats and stationery and then I would not have a lot to spend on books and groceries. If you figure out about how much you spend a month on needs and then what your income is, you can then plan for what you can spend on treats and then what to save. It really is pretty simple and is super helpful!

6. Open a Savings Account

One thing that I have found helpful is putting every other paycheck in my savings account. That way I am less likely to spend it and easily save money. This is something I learned to do while at school because I was spending money way to impulsively and needed a way to not spend as much as I was.

7. Avoid Impulsive Purchases

This is something I definitely had to learn my first semester. I was very easily distracted by Amazon and would buy things that were helpful but were not needed. They may not have cost very much but all those little things would add up very quickly. A cup of coffee here, a journal there, some pens, and who knows what else. lol. The way I avoid impulse spending is by asking myself three simple questions.

a. How much money can I actually spend right now?

b. Will I still use/enjoy this in three weeks?

c. How will this benefit me and help me in everyday life?

After I go through these questions I will usually sleep on the idea before I actually make the final decision of purchasing it or not. If this is a matter of purchasing food or coffee, then simply set aside a certain amount of money for that each month and don't go over that amount. This is part of the budgeting that I spoke of in number 5.

8. Carpool as Much as Possible (Last One!)

While at college, it is fun to get off campus and explore and have fun. So, if you have five people who want to go somewhere, you can take one car instead of five and all save on gas money and you are more environmentally friendly. (Added bonus!) You can even split the price of gas and help out your friend who is driving.

Well, those are just a couple of ways to save money while at school. There are probably several other ways in which one can save money, but I thought I would just list a couple. Hope you enjoyed this and Happy Saving!