10 Ways To Save Money In College

Being a senior in college, I've learned many crucial things over the past few years. The first and biggest thing I've had to learn is how to live on a budget while still having some extra money for fun and entertainment. I use the term "budget" loosely as in living a more frugal lifestyle, not necessarily a spreadsheet of my expenses. A set budget has never worked as well for me as it does for some. So, what works for me? I've complied a list of 10 things that I have done to noticeably save me money and keep me financially on top during college.

1. Pay rent and utilities in cash- When I cash my checks at the bank, I automatically take out rent or utilities (whichever one is due that pay period) and I put the cash in an envelope. My debit card is now left with spendable money with no worry about when a check is going to clear and if I'll have sufficient funds by then. I have been doing this for a few months now and it's made the biggest difference in my stress level regarding bills. 

2. Use Amazon to your advantage- What exactly does this mean? Well for example, last month I needed a new case for my smartphone. Best Buy was selling them for $20 or $30. Umm, no thanks. Of course I wanted one at the moment but I saved over $20 by shopping on Amazon. They have even cuter iPhone cases for as little as $2.00 + Free Shipping- and they're adorable. I bought one!! And of course I saved at least $20.00. 

One of the many adorable phone cases from Amazon

School books, electronic accessories and random household objects (recipe cards, things for my plants, clocks) are my favorite things to purchase on Amazon. Give it a try! 

3. Carpool & Use Public Transportation- Here at Utah State University, all of our public transportation is free. There is a bus route to take you anywhere in Cache Valley that you may need to go. They even go up to campus and USU has a campus shuttle.  I take the bus every day to school and I walk home (even though it's kinda far).  It has saved me money not only on gas but a parking pass. I don't have $200 to spend to possibly get a spot in the parking lots or garages. Try to take public transportation because it's also proven to be quicker than personally driving with traffic and parking. 

4. Compare prices at the grocery store- Many times the "off brand" at a grocery store is a few dollars cheaper than the name brand. I buy the Wal-Mart Great Value or Smith's Kroger brand for most things and I have been all through college, because now I'm spending own money. Trust me, it all tastes the same! The only thing I would not stray away from is Motts Applesauce and Kraft Mac & Cheese. Everything else tastes fine. And if it's really a big deal to you, just try it on a few things before making the switch and after college when money is more plentiful, you can go back to buying your name brands. You'll save money on your grocery bill -- even if it's only a few dollars at first, but it'll add up. 

5. Try really hard not to eat out every day- For me and most of my friends, eating out is our biggest weakness. Whether that's going to dinner with friends, snagging some lunch on campus during a busy day or swinging by McDonalds on my way home from work, it's not worth it!! I used to not even buy groceries and I would justify eating fast food every meal because that was my so called "grocery money." I met girls who cooked almost every meal and they saved so much more money. HOW?! Well, the $5 I spent eating out for one meal a few times a day bought them milk, bread, eggs and basic ingredients for a week. I decided to try it, I was only going to allow myself 2 fast food runs a week and cook everything else. I SAVED MONEY!!! I began cooking myself lots of baked potatoes, crock pot meals, hot sandwiches in my oven, frozen pizzas, pasta and snacking on fruit. I ate better food and my money went a lot further. 

6. Resist the urge to shop- At my worst financial state in college, I had $5.63 in my bank account.. for a week!!! It was rough! When I finally got that paycheck all I wanted to do was shop! TJ Maxx is my happy place. I can ALWAYS find the best stuff there. Instead of not shopping at all, I made sure my bills were all paid, my groceries were bought and depending on the size of my paycheck, I decided whether or not I could spare some money for a new accessory or maybe even a shirt. Usually, I have as little as $10-$20 to use for non-essential things. New make up, a shirt or maybe a scarf. But some is better than none. Just make sure to keep a cushion after all your expenses so you don't have the extra stress if something comes up. 

7. Don't rule out the DI-  The DI (Deseret Industries) is a thrift store similar to Savers, Goodwill and the Salvation Army. Never rule these stores out when you are financially struggling and need things. I needed a large pot a few weeks ago and the DI had a bounteous amount of them for $1-$3. What's wrong with a pot that you can scrub clean? Nothing! Put the pride aside and get in there and check it out. Sometimes you even find treasures! They have small kitchen appliances, electronics, light fixtures, furniture and basically everything else. It's also a fun place to go with friends when you're bored, you find the most eccentric random things.

Photo Credit:
Keith Johnson, Deseret News

8. Share groceries with your roommates- This can be a great idea if you are friends with your roommates and if you all relatively eat the same amount of food. I have two great friends I used to live with and we shared everything. It made grocery trips so cheap because we would split everything three ways. I never drink all my milk or eat all my bread before it goes bad anyways. We would also share things like butter, condiments, fruit bundles, bagels, cream cheese, cheese, tortillas.. basically anything you can buy that consists of more than one item. The great thing about that situation was the fact that we would cook for each other with the food we split and then put it in the fridge for left overs. If someone made dinner, they would make enough for everyone. We would then all have our own individual food items too like yogurts or things you can't or don't really want to share. It saved me money and was fun for my roomies and I. 

9. Make your own inexpensive fun- When my friends and I don't have much money we make our own fun. For example, last week we had a blanket toss. We had a king size sheet and about 15 people to hold around the perimeter. A person climbs in the middle and everyone bounces the blanket up and down three times in unison. On the third time, you fling the person in the middle up in the air and they land in the blanket! It's so much fun. Everyone was able to do it too -all heights and weights. That's just one of the many fun random things my friends and I do to entertain ourselves. Now that it's getting cooler outside, game nights, pot lucks dinners, hot tubbing and movies will become more common but my point is that there is always free ways to have fun! 

10. Enjoy these moments- Enjoy this time in your life. I know it's hard to think of why you should enjoy being super poor, but these are memories you will look back on and be so glad you had. The reason I am in school is so one day I will have more luxuries of life. But for now, I realize this is part of the hard work I need to endure to get there.

Good luck to you!