Nobody understands being poor better than college students. I am not ashamed to say that I have lived many weeks on nothing but cafeteria food and shrimp Ramen. I have done lots of things to save money while I've been in college. Some of them I am very proud of (being frugal is a great thing!). Others...I'm not so proud of. Regardless, I have gotten by these past three years. Upcoming freshmen have not even begun to understand what the words "broke college student" means. So, I came up with a list of things that I have done in order to save money.
1. Look For Student Discounts.
There are countless stores that offer student discounts. You just have to know exactly where to look and how to ask. For example, the Salvation Army has a "college day" every Friday and everything is 50% off (yay for cheap date party costumes!). Ann Taylor and J.Crew offer 15% off your entire purchase in store when you show your college ID. These saving can quickly add up and save you a good amount.
2. Look For "College Nights" At Local Restaurants.
There are tons of restaurants that offer discounts on certain nights of the week if you show your student ID. Izzo's Illegal Burritos has one on Tuesday nights and it makes their food considerably cheaper. If you look and find these discounts you can justify eating at a place that is more expensive. It will also help break up the monotony of eating on campus or McDonald's all the time.
3. Coupons, Coupons, Coupons.
I know that the TLC show "Extreme Couponing" is completely ridiculous, but those people are definitely on to something. Now, I'm not saying sit in your room all day clipping coupons, but you should definitely check every week to see if there is one that would be useful to you. There are certain types of coupons that get release often because its one that people use. For things like shampoo and toothpaste, I definitely recommend looking for a coupon. That will save you more money than you realize.
4. Look at deals in local stores.
The Winn-Dixie in Hattiesburg regularly offers random savings on great things. They will not release a coupon, but they will just randomly mark items down for the week. I'm addicted to carbonated water, and Winn-Dixie almost always has 12 packs for like a dollar. That is just a deal that that specific Winn-Dixie allows and it has saved me hundreds of dollars (seriously it's an addiction).
5. Find Places That Allow You To Print For Free On Campus.
Every campus has at least one place that offers free printing, but it is almost always one of campus's best kept secrets. At Southern Miss, the Office of Greek Life offers free printing to those involved in Greek Life. Ask around on campus to try to find that place. I promise you that there is one.
6. Get FREE Refills At Starbucks.
You heard me. Starbucks offers free refill on basic coffees and teas. If you're planning on being in the library for an extended period, it might be in your best interest to get a $2 cup of coffee and keep getting it refilled. That's way better than buying an expensive coffee or using your own coffee in your room.
7. Find Your Textbooks Online.
In a lot of cases, if you Google the name of your textbook and add "pdf" at the end of it, there will be a free version online. I find about half of my books that way each semester and save them as a bookmark. Class of 2019, you have no idea how useful this is. Textbooks are crazy expensive. This tip has saved me hundreds of dollars over the past three years.
8. Get Your Notebooks And Other School Supplies At Dollar Tree.
It may not be the cutest or the best notebook you've ever had, but who cares? IT'S A DOLLAR. I can deal with anything if it's only a dollar. Dollar Tree is also a great place to buy baskets and organizational supplies for your dorm room. It may not be the best or most durable, but I'll repeat: IT'S A DOLLAR.
9. Buy Cheap Movie Tickets.
I'm not necessarily proud of this one, but I've done it. Every time I go to the movies, I go to the kiosk and buy a Senior ticket. I know, I'm a horrible person. BUT, it saves me $2.50 every time I go. And that equals a cheeseburger at McDonald's after the movie. Like I said, I'm not proud of it.
10. Go To Free Events On Campus.
Okay, this is a shameless plug for this Resident Assistant. Guys, go to your RA's programs. They work so hard on them and put countless time and energy preparing them. And nine times out of ten there will be free pizza, Chick-fil-A, or Subway. Just come, spend 15 minutes to make your RA feel good about their program, and get some free food. Because, if your RA is like me, they love and care about you and they want you to get the free food!
There you go. The ten things that I do on the reg to save money to pay for dues or a bottle of wine. It's not always fun but it is well worth it!
