How to save money while in college

College life is great – it lets you have the fun of your life and gives you unique opportunities to learn, play and grow in a pleasant and stimulating environment. Every single day presents you with a new lesson which is supposed to train you for your tough post-graduation life filled with endless responsibilities, moral dilemmas and genuine worries. Each night before you go to sleep you should feel a bit more independent, just a fraction wiser and… thriftier than ever before.

In fact, the ability (or is it a skill?) to make prudent financial decisions while attending college or university can easily prove to be one of the most practical lessons you will ever learn in life. Some college or university students find it extremely hard to survive on their notoriously tight budgets, but the good news is that there are plenty of proven ways to save money while in college. Some of the money-saving methods are so simple and brilliant at the same time that will leave you wishing you had read them earlier.
So, how to save money in college?

Save big bucks on living costs

The living costs can easily eat up a large chunk of any college student’s fragile budget unless some money-saving precautionary measures are taken from the very start.

• Find a responsible roommate to share your living space with, and all of a sudden the monthly expenses for the rent and all the utilities will be effectively cut in half.
• Your electricity bills can really hurt your financial stability while in college so do your best to conserve power whenever you can – unplug electric appliances and electronic devices when not using them, turn off the lights whenever possible, and take advantage of natural sunlight every chance you’ve got.
• Make sure you check what you already have in your dorm or apartment before rushing to purchase a duplicate item. Some places will be pre-equipped with basic furniture pieces and essential appliances such as microwave ovens, refrigerators, etc.
• Don’t forget to keep your living space in good shape so that you don’t end up forfeiting your security deposit, if any.

Save loads of money on tuition and college costs

Tuition and college expenses are never a joke but you can still employ some smart tactical moves to save money while in college or university:

• Purchasing new teaching materials, and textbooks in particular, can quickly burden your tight budget and thus kill your efforts to save money as a college student. First, try to borrow your textbooks from the local city library or the library in your own educational institution. If that is not possible, then consider buying your required materials from secondhand bookstores or online. If all else fails, purchase them new but not before you have looked hard for discounted books or special bundles.
• Regardless of whether purchased new or secondhand, take really good care of your books during the school year so that you can sell them when you no longer have any use for them, and thus earn back some of your initial investment.

Save a good amount of money on food and drinks

You will be consuming food and drinks on a daily basis so any success in reducing their costs will prove as a huge boost for your limited student budget.

• Take good use of your meal plan before you ever decide to switch to the much more expensive option of eating out or ordering in.
• Provided that you’re a smart shopper /see below/, home cooking should always be the cheaper option of keeping food on your table. If you don’t know how to cook, learn to do so via free cooking instructional videos on the Internet.
• Think twice each time you plan to head out to a restaurant or order food over the phone – is this the only way to keep your stomach happy and your spirits high?
• Forget about frequent trips to Starbucks and purchase an inexpensive coffee maker. Trust us, this way you will save a crazy amount of money even in a single semester.
• Cut back on drinking overpriced alcohol, or quit drinking alcoholic drinks altogether to help greatly both your wallet and your health simultaneously.

Save plenty of dollars on shopping

One thing is clear – you’re going to have to become a really smart shopper to avoid any financial crises during your college years.

• Avoid always going for overpriced brand products. Whenever possible, opt for generic items which are much less expensive simply because they have less costly packaging and don’t serve a particular costly brand. Next time you’re in the supermarket, compare the ingredients and see for yourself.
• Before the regular trips to the grocery store, make sure you have checked what items are on sale so that you can do your grocery shopping in a way to get the biggest bang for your bucks. Look for discount coupons, purchase products in bundles and always check the store sales papers to plan your purchases accordingly.
• Use every good opportunity to shop secondhand but be extra careful about the condition of the cheaper items. Make it a rule to sanitize and clean well each item that’s already been used, which is especially true for pieces of clothing.
• If you’re sharing your space with a roommate, don’t forget to coordinate your buys with them so that you don’t end up duplicating items or obtaining ones that none of you will eventually need.

Save good money on transportation

To go easy on your student wallet, you’re going to have to also think about how to cut down on your transportation expenses.

• If the city you’re living in has an inexpensive and easily accessible public transportation system, then you can as well get rid of your personal car or leave it at your parents’ house. Save money by not paying for parking permits, gas, repairs, maintenance and other related expenses.
• Besides taking advantage of a good public transportation, do your health a favor and walk or ride a bike to your college or university, if possible.
• Carpooling is also a good option which will keep more much needed money into your pocket. Also, whenever you are pressed to take a taxi, look around you – maybe a friend or two are going the same way? Splitting the cab fare always feels good, doesn’t it?
• If you need to take a bus on a cross country trip, always ask for student travel discounts.

Save a fortune on relocation costs

The best case scenario is to start saving money even before you reach the college or university of your choice. Everybody knows how costly a move can be so one of the shrewdest decisions you will make before going away to study is to use the services of a professional moving company that cares for students. To take a wild guess, this is probably your first independent move in your life so your best bet is to put your trust in experienced professionals in the moving industry AND save a fortune at the same time.

We, at Xpress Movers, will be happy to be your ultimate student moving partner. To prove our deep understanding about how tough it is to move on a limited budget, we offer a special student moving discount coupon as a goodwill gesture towards all college students. Get 10% off from the expenses for final moving labor and transportation service to cut your relocation costs and have an advantageous head start in your future college life endeavors.
Oh, and one final thing – please don’t skip college classes, for doing it is nothing less than throwing money out the window.