College students tend to have limited budgets. Some usually don’t have much when it comes to spending money. This can make life as a college student a bit difficult. For those who want to make ends meet, here are a few tips that should help you stretch out your money a bit more.
Don’t Hesitate To Get Financial Aid
One thing you have to recognize is that pride is not going to help pay the bills. If possible, look for ways to get financial aid. There are several options out there. For example, you can turn to the federal government to get some financial assistance if you worked as a volunteer with AmeriCorp. There are other aid programs out there running from the state level to private scholarships. If you can qualify for it, it never hurts to apply for it.
Look Around For Second-Hand Items
If you are looking for ways to furnish your college apartment, then you might want to ask for someone’s old items. A lot of people throw away perfectly good items when they buy something new. Ask around for someone who is disposing of their old furniture or appliances. Some might even need a visit to an appliance repairman to get running, but that can be still more affordable than buying a brand new one. This isn’t just for furniture. If you have textbooks with sky-high prices, then you can
Limit Your Borrowing
There are advertisements everywhere about loans that college students can take. While it can be tempting, you should seriously limit your loans to something you can afford later. Additionally, one big loan is better than multiple small loans because all of them are building interest. One loan’s interest is more than enough. With multiple loans, you’ll end up struggling to pay.
Look For Free Options
What a lot of students don’t realize is that there are a lot of free options available out there. For example, some colleges have a meal plan. This means that a student can get food for specific meals of the day. While technically not free, many students skip out on these because there are tastier options out there. But since you already paid for these, it is better not to let them go to waste. It’s the same thing for the library. Your college library is a great resource that you can use: books, internet, and digital files. Some can even provide printing services that you get for free as a student.
Have Roommates
If you plan to live in an apartment off-campus, then roommates are a much better idea than living alone. It allows you to rent a much bigger place than you normally would. You can rent an entire house when you have enough people. Rent is not just the main advantage of roommates. For one, you can have someone to share chores with. This can help make life easier. Additionally, eating is much more affordable when you can pool resources. Cooking in bulk is cheaper, and you can cook for the entire house.
Use As Many Discounts As Possible
There are a lot of discounts available out there. For one, you can find student discounts for a lot of items. Finding them should be simple enough. But don’t limit yourself to that. You can monitor local groceries and restaurants for sales days. These can provide you with great deals. For example, groceries have days when they try to get rid of perishable products at the lowest price possible. As long as you consume them quickly, they can be a good deal. Restaurants also have promo days that can range from unlimited breadsticks to two-for-one deals. Your money can stretch out farther with these.
Use Affordable Transportation
If possible, you should get rid of your car. While cars can be convenient, they can be money hogs. It is a much better option to use public transport. If you live near your college, you should be able to use public transport to get to school. If you want personal transport, you should consider getting a bike. Bikes can keep you in good shape while also getting you to where you need to be.
Money can be tight, but if you do things right, you can save a lot. Besides savings, you can also look for alternate means of income to add to your current funds and allowance. That can go a long way to expand your budget and give you more spending power. Rising tuition costs and high living expenses are making college a lot more difficult. When you are smart with your money, this can allow you to focus your spending on the essentials.