How to Attend College on a Budget

Living:

The many things that go into moving to college is figuring out the best housing option for you. It is important to weigh the pros and cons of all options, especially financially. Here are some things to look at and analyze before picking an option that best fits you!

Dorm:

• Has the necessities you need such as a bed, desk, and dresser
• Food included
• One bulk price
• Amenities such as the gym, pools, and dining halls are within walking distance

Apartment:

• Typically, larger in size
• Usually nicer and close to downtown areas
• Things such as rent, electricity bills, and groceries are on your own
• Typically has some amenities such as a gym available. Some apartments provide you with housing necessities and furniture too.

Everyone has their own preferences though when it comes to size, location, and amenities they want to have while at college, but when you are on a budget, weighing the pros and cons of housing is crucial to saving money

When it comes to living on your own, it is important to create healthy living styles to save money too. Here are some tips to save your money where it matters!

- Food: I cannot stress this enough, buy groceries instead of going out to eat! If it is possible, buy items in bulk so grocery shopping does not happen as frequently. Buying your own groceries is much cheaper than going out to restaurants or fast food dining, nonetheless healthier too.

- Going out: That being said though, make time for social fun too. Grabbing a bite to eat with friends or a drink once a week is OKAY, just make sure you budget it in monthly. As a college student, you have an advantage too! Since you are a student, you can show your student ID almost anywhere and get some sort of discount. Every penny saved, adds up believe it or not. There are also some nights of the week that places run deals such as BOGO (Buy One Get One), $2 drinks, or free cover. Look for these opportunities to save money if you so choose to go out. Going out is a part of the college experience too, remember that.

College

Let’s face it, college itself is expensive on its own, but there are also ways to save money in the grand scheme of things.

- Scholarships: Apply for any and all scholarships applicable within your college. You never know! Yes, the essays are long and sometimes annoying, but scholarships are free money and usually you get more than one. Not only should you apply for the ones within your school but the ones online and around you. There are many local scholarships available in your town typically as well as state and nationally.

- Books: College and tuition rates are high but so are book prices. Most classes that you take during college have a course textbook they require you to buy in order to learn all of the material for exams and they are not cheap. One way to save money on books is to rent them instead of buying them. The condition is normally still good, and this cuts the price in half! If there your particular textbook is not available to rent, you can buy a new book but sell it at the end of the semester. Sometimes the book store will buy it back for a good price and at least you can get some of your money back. Again, every penny helps!

Work

Nobody wants to work while they are in college but sometimes there is no way around it. If you did have to get a job while attending school, a positive is it will teach you time management skills and recruiters for companies really admire the fact you can balance all of it at once. An important part of the college experience though is being on your own and experiencing all the 4 fun years it offers so it is crucial to find a flexible, part time job.

- Recommendations on jobs to have while attending college:

• Restaurant’s: waiting/ waitress is one of the most popular, easy, and money-making job you can get during college. The cash is great to have in your pocket and normally restaurant schedules are very flexible. Once of age, bar-tending is a good idea too.
• Babysitting/Nannying: Babysitting is normally pretty easy if you are good with kids and sometimes this allows for homework time while watching children. Money and knowledge? Win/win
• Campus jobs: Your campus has work opportunities to help support you as well! Things such as the dining halls, the gym, the library all have positions that can be filled by students which normally results in extra benefits for you as a student too.

If you are lucky enough to not have to have a job while attending school, sometimes having a side job of these above frees up the budget portion of your life, giving you extra spending cash.

College is an overwhelming experience, but they are not wrong when they say it is the best four years of your life. Live every second to the fullest because one day, it will come to an end and you will look back at all the things you didn’t do. Take the leap of faith, do the things that scare you! But also, don’t be afraid to say no, especially when it comes to sticking to your budget.