When you're in college, you're probably dealing with all sorts of struggles. Don't believe anyone who is beyond college-time in their lives who says that 'college is easy,' or who tries to make the things that are stressing you out sound ridiculous. I'm here to tell you that you need to remember that college is actually a series of struggles that ultimately leads to a degree that no one can ever take away from you (#Godbless). Let's focus in on one of those major stressors...
Dolla Billz.
The truth is that many college students experience stress about spending, whether they're stressed about whether or not they've got enough in their bank account for an extra mocha latte, or to pay for their own tuition for the spring semester. Without ado, here are 5 tips for managing your own finances in college
1. Sign up for daily bank account SMS texts
These are amazing. Every morning around 7 a.m. or so, you'll know exactly what's in your bank account. This means that when you're in line at Dunks, getting ready to go out with friends, waiting for Uber to arrive, or buying your third drink at Jillian's, or whatever you're putting your 'dolla billz,' you'll know exactly what you have before you shell it out. Sometimes it has more impact when you're seeing the numbers versus reminding yourself not to spend much.
2. Discover the Dollar Tree
the Dollar Tree (there's 2 of them in Worcester, by the way) is a hidden city gem. They have almost all of the essentials that a college student needs for, you guessed it, $1 a pop. You can get a 4-pack of toilet paper, a few rolls of paper towlels, a jar of spaghetti sauce and some pasta for dinner, AND a chocolate bar for under $10. It's about 15 minutes away from campus and it's basically a low-budget wonderland. Bring your friends, bring your roomates, bring your enemies.
3. Discover the Clearance section of your favorite store
Being on a tighter budget doesn’t mean that you can’t still have your favorite things. It jus tmeans that you have to be more reasonable about what you buy and how often you buy things. Hoping to find a great dress to wear out this weekend? Hit the Auburn Mall and head straight to the clearance section of your favorite store. Give yourself a limit on how much you can spend and don’t let you talk yourself into spending more than planned.
4. Shop for Christmas/birthday presents all year long
Believe it or not, the best way to get an amazing deal on a Christmas gift for a loved one is to go shopping before holiday shopping time officially begins. Check out Groupon.com to see if they have a ‘Paint and Sip’ deal that your sister-in-law would love, check out Ocean State for practical camping gear that your dad would love to use on his get-togethers with the guys, and hit yard sales for coollightly-used housewares that your mom/aunt/whoever would adore. It’s not about not being able to live with a small budget, it’s about figuring out how to plan.
5. Fall in love with an at-home brand of coffee
This one is tricky and most people probably won’t take this advice, but your best bet is not to buy coffee out. There’s so many brands out there that make awesome coffee that costs less than $1 a day. If you really just can’t part with your morning coffee run, consider grabbing your cup of joe at Cumberland Farms, or Honey Dew, for $1 instead of nearly $3 for a medium iced coffee. Bonus: Cumberland Farms actually charges $1 for ANY SIZE of iced coffee, so this also means that you could get more, for less.
No matter what budget you're working with, don't fret, plan. Talk to your friends about what they do to save money. Also, remember to be honest with yourself and the people in your life about what you're working with. The truth is that money does not buy happiness.
