Where my girls at who are going back to school this week?! I’ve been seeing a bunch of people post about packing up and going back to school and it’s making me feel so old! I’m an adult now ugh that’s so weird! I’ve been out of college for 2 years now and even though that feel’s like a lifetime ago, I still want to share what I’ve learned while I was in college about saving money and how I wish I could still do a bunch of these things but alas, adult world isn’t that easy.
- Student discounts everywhere! Seriously, you would be so surprised to learn where you can be saving money (check here!). Especially if you’re buying something really expensive (like a car or computer, I got discounts on both!) or when you’re online shopping, check to see if you get student discounts simply by going on Google. I also recommend signing up for UniDays because that is a super easy way to get a discount code. Also, make sure you keep track of those discounts and when you should be getting a discount because I know in particular, Amazon can be sneaky and make you pay full price for prime if you don’t renew your Student Prime Membership.
- Rent books: and DO NOT rent the book until the first day of classes. I can’t tell you how many times I would BUY an expensive book just for my professor to tell me on the first day I didn’t need it. If you can, rent the book from Amazon USED and you will save so much money.
- Take advantage of the free things on campus: If you haven’t figured this out yet, you should’ve by now. College offers so much free stuff that you should really be taking advantage of. Somethings that come to mind are free t-shirts, a free gym membership, free food giveaways, free activities to do when you’re bored and the list goes on!
- Don’t buy a lot of stuff just for college: I accumulated so much junk over the years, especially in my dorm rooms. Dorm rooms are so temporary and looking back, I wish I hadn’t cared so much about decorating or having certain ‘dorm staples’ because I would just throw stuff away at the end of the year and never use half of that stuff ever again. Same goes for school supplies. Check and see what you already have laying around before you go out and buy folders, binders, pens, etc… Some classes require certain materials but in other classes you will just be writing down notes on a printed out PowerPoint (and make sure you use the free prints you have at the library…no, you don’t need a printer).
- Make your own coffee: Trust me, you’re gonna wanna get in the habit of this early on. If you’re like me you need caffeine to start the day, but getting coffee everyday can be soooooo bad for your bank account. Invest in a Keurig or coffee machine and stop buying Starbucks everyday before class.
- Master the art of pre-gaming: I like to think I got pretty good at this. Even during happy hour and college night deals, do yourself a favor and limit the amount of drinks you buy because that adds up so fast and half the time the drinks are awful and watered down. Pregame at home and then go out.
- Side jobs and side hustles: So this isn’t really a way to save money, but I am a firm believer that college is a great time to master the side hustle. I had 3 jobs while I was a senior. I was working the front desk at my school’s career services, taking grad photos and working remotely for the company I now work at full time. And I was so busy but it was so worth it because the money was great and I was able to live my life the way I wanted to especially my senior year. So I highly recommend finding some sort of side hustle (designing tshirts, photography, dog walking, Uber…) and a easy desk job on campus where you can do homework and get paid at the same time.
Did I forget anything? Comment below if I did!
Thanks for reading! xx