7 Effective Ways to Save Money in College Life
College is the doorway to the real world. Once you are graduated from college, you can start a new chapter of your life. You might not want to start your after college life burdened with the liabilities. Hence, the best way is to start saving early.
Moreover, college life gives you plenty of opportunities to save money while studying. Plan your college life completely and calculate the total cost required for your college education. Find out the tuition fees, books cost, supplies and lab fees for the entire college life and make a estimated budget.
Now, when you have figured out your college expenses, let’s move on to other helpful ideas to save money while you are in the college.
- Apply for FAFSA and Other Scholarship Program
Before you start college, you must get all your financial resources ready. FAFSA is a free application for student aid. So make sure not to miss an opportunity to get student aid. Also, there are multiple websites and companies, who love to award a scholarship to deserving students. Therefore, make a list of such companies and apply for their scholarship program. You will be competing against many other applicants so make sure you give your best. Apply for an on-campus internship to make extra money without disturbing your credit score.
- Save on Books Purchase
Books are an essential part of your college life. There is no way to cut down on books but, you can always save. Don’t spend money buying new books that are costly and last for only a semester. You can rent the books from senior students or purchase e copy form the online shops at a much cheaper cost. Join the study groups to share books between the members and splitting the book cost.
- Utilize your Tuition Fee
Usually, students neglect the tuition fees bifurcation. If looked correctly, you will find various fees like library fee, gym fee, lab fee, technology fee, and an event fee added to your total tuition fees. Therefore, you should wisely use all the paid facilities. Never miss any college programs that offer free food as it always good to enjoy free meals. Talk to student accounts officer, to take advice on your tuition fees facilities.
- Save on Staying Arrangements
Most students live away from their homes to complete their graduation. Staying near the college campus or in a lavish place will cost you additional money. Therefore, opt for an apartment in a slightly cheaper area or have a roommate to split the staying cost. The later one is more convenient as having someone to talk is always a great idea. Use only essential furniture or appliance so that there is no big bill to pay at the end of every month. While picking a roommate, be very careful, bad influence can ruin your budget plan.
- Save while Commuting
Transportation is another reoccurring cost which adds a lot to your overall expense. Depending on the traveling distance, find out various modes and see which one is less expensive and time-saving for you. If you have a car, try not to spend much on gas by roaming excess around the city. Parking at the university may be added expense hence avoid it by using public transportation. Riding a bike is also an exceptional idea to save money. It saves money, keeps you healthy and doesn’t add to environment pollution. Go for used or discounted bikes so that you can save more.
- Save on Food Facility
As a student, you will get the constant urge of eating out and drinking in the pub. However, doing so can be a costly event in the long run. Having fun is allowed once or twice but don’t get swapped by it. Use coupons to grab the best grocery deals. Shop in bulk for the food item that has a shelf life and is healthy. Consider cooking your meal on at home and never leave the room without eating. Keep some healthy snacks handy to avoid outside expensive food. This way, you won’t feel hungry or weak in college.
- Take Student Discount Benefits
One of the perks of being a student is student discounts. You get great discounts on most of the brands/stores. Even entertainment places have student discounts. Besides, food chains like Subway, McDonald and Pizza Hut are offering saving programs for their loyal customers. Hence sign up for such programs and get discounts on your meals. Join the reward programs of your often visit stores and save money on your shopping.
Final words
In addition to the above tips, make coupons your best friend for life. You can save so much on various product purchase using coupons. There are many coupons distributing website such as Couponobox.com where you get the latest coupons of all the major brands. So, applying coupons to your every purchase is again a smart way to save your money. Saving money can make your after college journey so much better. There won’t be any extra burden on you to pay the college education loan. You can focus on your career and passion without any second thoughts.
