How College Students Can Save

Are you a college student struggling to make ends meet or do you know a college student? As a college student myself, I have been able to find ways to save money. Some of these ideas may have already occurred to you or a friend might have mentioned them but I hope some of these will be new.

Thrift stores are your new best friends! Thrift stores, Goodwill, and Salvation Army are great stores for college students. If you need clothes the temptation to go to the mall or higher end stores is incredibly strong but thrift stores would be better. Before you go shopping make a list of what you NEED. If you figure out that you do not need anything then DO NOT go shopping. If you are like me then it does not matter whether you need anything or not, I end up buying something anyway. If you have a list of what you need and limit yourself to your needs, then that should help keep your costs down in addition to shopping at thrift stores.

You do not have to go broke doing laundry! If you know friends who live in apartments that provide a washer and dryer then go there and do your laundry. If you are close enough to go home on the weekends then consider going every other weekend to do laundry. Be careful and make sure that you do not end up spending more in gas than it would cost to do your laundry on campus. It is helpful to do laundry with your roommate. Offer to do all the laundry together and you pay one week then he/she pays the next week. That can cut down the cost a good bit for laundry.

Bum rides off of people and be willing to have people bum rides off of you in return. Once you have that list of what you NEED see if anyone is going by where you need to go. If you are not able to find a ride, then go ahead and drive yourself. Make sure you invite your potential future rides to come with you, that way it will be a fair trade. This cuts down on gas expenditure for everyone and makes like a little bit easier.

Wash your own darn car! I have found that many students pay to have their car washed. Buy a few car washing supplies and wash your own car. The total cost of the supplies should cost less than having your car washed by someone else. I know that I used to have my car washed (inside and out) for about $25 each time. That money adds up! If you really wanted to capitalize, then you could offer to wash other cars for a fee. Make some quick cash and save by washing your own car.

I hope these tips help. Each tip is pretty simple to carry through it just requires thought. Think about where your money goes and how you can cut your costs. I am sure that any college student can learn to be frugal. Good luck!