The “broke college student” stereotype is in place for a reason — between paying for tuition, rent and food, many of our bank accounts seem to constantly be running low.

On top of it all, attempting to have a social life often means going out to meals and spending money on other activities with your friends. While many students try cutting back on their spending, the reality of it is, budgeting can seem inconvenient and difficult to commit to. Here are a few easy ways you can save money without having to give up much.

1. Drink water when going out to eat

Soft drinks at restaurants often add around $3 to your meal. While this may seem insignificant, it can really add up over time, especially if you go out to eat often. Water is free at restaurants and saves you money without you having to cut back on going out altogether. Speaking of water…

2. Carry a filtered water bottle with you

This is a really easy way to save money on water when you go out (and help the environment as an added bonus). If you’re not allowed to take water with you someplace – like at an airport or a football game, where you’re not permitted to bring in liquids – you can bring in an empty filtered bottle and fill it for free at a drinking fountain.

Places like these tend to jack up prices on water bottles because people can’t bring their own water in, so using this trick can save a lot of money. Bringing a bottle of water on day trips or even when you go out shopping also keeps you from spending unnecessary money when you get thirsty.

3. Pack snacks

When you’re hungry, it’s easy to spend money on food just to fill up, even if it’s just something convenient and not something you particularly wanted to eat (like vending machine food or on-campus meals).

Bringing filling snacks with you can help you resist the temptation to buy things just because you’re hungry and helps you save money for the things you actually want to buy.

4. Buy things because you want them, not because they're on sale

Many of us have fallen victim to purchasing an item because it was cheap and then proceeding to never touch said item again. If you don’t really like whatever you’re buying, chances are you’re never going to want to use it.

Ask yourself if you’ll really wear that sale shirt – if not, save $5 and put it back.

5. Save up your $5 bills

After you use cash, put the $5 bills from your change away so you don’t spend them. Over the quarter or semester, your collection will add up, leaving you with a decent amount of savings. If $5 is too much for you, even saving up your $1 bills makes a difference.