10 Ways to Save Money During College

If you're like me, then you entered college broke and wondering how you were going to pay for everything. The first weeks will be the most overwhelming. You will learn about all the bills and books you have to buy, and you are left without a clue. I have used some savings methods which I plan to share so that maybe you won't feel so dumbfounded your first couple of weeks.

Not Getting Taken

About a month or two before school starts you will get offers in the mail about what you'll need from your college. They will have partnered up with some company who will offer to sell it to you. Don't get taken. My letter told me that the bed was a unique size, and that no sheets would fit on it except the $49 kind they were offering. Not only were they offering sheets but a "full bundle" of things I would need. This is the thing, they didn't know me, so how could they possibly know what I needed? I kept the list and looked around the house. To my surprise found ¾ of the list in a closet where we just placed random stuff. Their bundle cost $300, but at a savings store I could buy everything on the list for $66. With the savings store minus everything I already had I only spent about $20. The only thing I ended paying for through the school was a $5 mailbox key.

Savings #1: The offers you receive won't be cheap, but don't fully ignore them. Read the offers. Write a list of things included that you need. Look around the house for things you already have.

Books

I thought that my financial aid would pay for my books, but that was not the case. The college did not allow people to use financial aid towards books. Instead, they said I could use my financial aid REFUND for books, but the refund would not come until a month later. I had no idea what to do. I only had about $75 for emergencies. My books cost $350. I was in a pickle. Although some classes did PowerPoint notes, the tests were based on the book. Another dilemma was that one of my classes, philosophy, had a $120 book, but the teacher covered chapters so slowly. It took three weeks for him to finish chapter 1. I did not want to buy a $120 book that I'd only read about three or four chapters out of. What did I do to solve this problem? Two things solved my problem.

Savings #2: If you have a computer, an eBook is just as good as a normal book and it cost less. My $120 book only cost $50 as an eBook and they will let you print out the book as long as your name is placed on each page. For my philosophy class I went to a website called ichapters and it allowed me to buy individual chapters. This was great because my teacher skipped around chapters. So instead of buying the $120 book, I only purchased three ichapters chapters for about $24 (about 1/5 of the price.) You will need a credit or debit card.

Savings #3: In my criminal justice class we had to buy the 11^th edition of a book costing $100. Our syllabus told me that we'd be covering the whole book, and that we needed to buy the study guide. The eBook only cost about $50, so I bought it. Yet I still needed the study guide and it was priced at $50. I heard a teacher earlier mention that it was ok to buy an earlier edition because the books said the same thing, except only a few details were added. So I bought the 10^th edition study guide on Amazon for $0.01 and $2.99 shipping. To my amazement the 10^th edition study guide matched up perfectly with the 11^th edition book. Instead of paying $150, I paid $53 which is about 1/3 of the price. If I would have thought to buy the 10^th edition book my savings would have been even better. Instead of buying the costly edition the syllabus lists, you should try eBay or Amazon to buy a cheaper edition that is fairly close to the assigned edition. Sites like campusbooks.com do the searching and comparing for you. It searched every book selling site and lists the prices saving you the hassle. You don't need a credit or debit card for Amazon or eBay.

Groceries

If you're like me you have purchased a meal plan, and then discovered how disgusting the campus food is. Groceries can be expensive especially if you have a work study job, because they don't work you over 19 hours a week. There are lots of restaurants and stores surrounding campuses. Unfortunately for me, all the businesses had high prices. A small muffin and lemonade would cost me $4. Of course I didn't realize that until midway through the semester. I never got receipts; I have a hearing problem and never heard "Your total is $4." My money seemed like it was disappearing, so I began collecting receipts and cutting my spending habits. I found ways to save money with food.

Savings #4: Instead of paying $1 or $2 for a bottle of water, I decided to use my meal plan. The cafeteria usually have "to go" boxes and cups for those on the go. I would just get my water from there, and stuff the "to go" box with fruit. A large portion of my diet is cereal. So I'd find the cleanest milk machine in the cafeteria and once a day I'd get a cup of milk for my cereal. The cups usually hold 16 ounces. You're more than likely to have unused meals at the end of the semester. So just put them to use and once a day or week, go to the cafeteria like it is a grocery store where all the food is free and stack up.

Savings #5: This tip causes you to spend a little. It was my hope that when I went to college I would not be eating junk food all day. So I brought no food with me. This isn't a good idea. I suggest that you find a somewhat healthy, tasty snack and buy it in bulk at Amazon. I would find myself hungry at a vending machine paying $0.90 for a cookie that cost $0.50 in a store. Ifound that Amazon sold a pack of 60 for $15. I probably bought about 20 of those things out of hunger. The small muffin I mentioned earlier, that cost me $2, I looked it up online, and they were being sold $6 for 15 in a case. Wal-Mart is just as good to shop at, but you won't get as much savings. If you buy foods that will last a long time in bulk, you will avoid spending a lot of money. Half of my check would go towards food, and I don't even eat that much. The food is just priced high like at an amusement park.

Savings #6: Don't be afraid to try new things because name brands aren't always worth the price. On sites like Amazon, companies you haven't heard are selling products like crazy. They may not be huge like Kellogg's, but they're on the road there. I found a great cereal on Amazon. I was searching for granola, and ran across a company that had raving reviews. They were selling 8 boxes (shaped like milk cartons) for $15. Each cartoon was about 20-25 ounces. I had been paying $5 for one 12 ounce box of Special K. This new cereal was tasty, lasted longer, and cost half as much. Those eight boxes cost $15, while if I had continued with name brand that would have cost $40. Also try this with household products. My roommate bought a Glade air freshener that cost $2, and I bought some cheap air freshener for $0.99. Her Glade doesn't even have a scent; you have to spray a lot for a change to be noticed. All mines take is two small sprays, and the smell is lingering. Don't be fooled by name brands because some of the best products start out small.

Hygiene

I'm a hygiene freak. Even though I trusted my roommates, I couldn't sit on the same toilet as them. I didn't know if they were active, but I didn't want to catch a STD. I would cover the toilet in tissue. Tissue is expensive you realize when you're the one buying it. Soon I was out, and I didn't want to cough up $2 for one roll, or $10 for a pack. Two things solved my dilemma.

Savings #7: The campus has seat covers in each public bathroom, and technically they are free. So I went inside a bathroom and I took a great big stack of about 100 or more. Now I don't have to put tissue around the toilet seat, and it doesn't cost me anything. Covering the toilet seat was using up the bulk of my tissue stash.

Savings #8: I decided while in the restroom to stack up on tissue also. Everyday I'd go and get enough tissue to last me for the day. If you're uncomfortable with doing this because you think it is embarrassing, then find an unpopular bathroom. Not a dirty bathroom, but one people don't often use. I found a bathroom next to a computer lab. It was hidden slightly where no one could see it, but it was open to the public.

Don't Pay Twice

Savings #9: Don't be an idiot and pay for something twice. When you pay for your tuition, a lot of things besides tuition are included. My school included a gym membership, and even tickets to concerts held on campus with singers like Rihanna. When you walk around campus you will see lots of activity posters saying it cost "x" amount to enter. Don't pay it, there is a large chance that the amount listed you have already paid it. I was ready to play in intramural sport, but it cost money to enter. Sign up through your dorm, because that is likely where the money goes. Your hall monitor is responsible for getting everyone together through activities. Lots of colleges decide to group the cost of "activities" with your tuition, and then give a certain amount to your ha

Road Home

Savings #10: I did not have a car, so my mom would have to pay for gas from point A to B and then from point B to A. Living 6 hours away from home that cost about $200. With Christmas holiday coming home would be $200 and then going home would be $200. That is $400 I didn't have, and I didn't want to ask from my mom. I watched a commercial about the Greyhound, unfortunately there was no station in my small town back home. I then decided to ride the Greyhound as close to home as possible, and have my mom come get me from there. My destination's ticket only cost $30, and the gas to retrieve me would only be $40. Instead of paying $400 I would only have to pay $140 plus $40 luggage (optional.)

You're college money should be spent on personal investments and having fun. I hope my tips have helped you save bundles just like they've helped me. Good luck!