Have you ever checked your bank account balance and instantly felt sick to your stomach? Yeah, me too. However, we all have those #treatyoself moments which is totally normal for a college diva like you and me. So if you’re looking for ways to maintain your diva lifestyle while keeping your budget in check, here are some of my best tips to help you save money!
1. Ask for Student Discounts
This tip is probably one of the most obvious ways to save money, but many students somehow neglect to ask if the establishment offers student discounts. From clothing stores, to restaurants, to various services, student discounts can save you huge chunks of money if you simply ask for them. Seriously, just ask! You’d be surprised at how many businesses offer discounts.
2. Search for Coupon Codes Before Buying Online
Before you purchase anything at all online, some great resources to check for coupons include Groupon, RetailMeNot, and other similar websites. These websites will tell you the coupon code to enter at checkout, the success rate percentage, and when it expires. I have saved as much as $35 on a single online purchase just by searching for coupon codes before clicking “Submit Payment”… that would pay for a pedicure!
3. Hit Up Your Local Beauty School
Of course natural hair is the cheapest option, but if you’re still set on getting your routine platinum blonde highlights every six to eight weeks, try scheduling an appointment with a beauty school student. Not only will you save money by skipping the pricy salon, but you will also help these eager students learn new tricks and styles. Honestly, most of the time these students are just as skilled or even better than many pro hairstylists.
4. Take Macklemore's Advice... Go Thrift Shopping!
Whether you go to Goodwill, Plato’s Closet, or a generic thrift store, you can find incredibly great deals on brand-name clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, and so on. Of course there will be some not-so-nice stuff mixed in, but once you finally find an item you like, it feels as if you found a piece of treasure!
5. Why Buy Makeup When You Can Get It for Free?
Makeup can get pretty expensive, especially once you start to consider the higher-end brands. Luckily for us, some brands such as MAC, Clinique, and Estee Lauder will occasionally give out free samples of their latest items. All you have to do is go to their counter in the mall and ask for them. So forget about the drugstore makeup, and treat your face to some free yet more luxurious products. #blessed
6. Utilize the Student Wellness Center
Did you know that most college campuses have a Student Wellness Center that provides free products for many of your basic health and even sexual needs? Some of the products offered to students include medication, such as cold, flu, or pain medicines, Band-Aids, ChapStick, condoms, lubricants, and much more. If you’re feeling a little embarrassed about stopping in, just know that these workers see so many students per day and they want you to take their free stuff!
7. Skip the Tanning Bed (and Cancer)
Don't pay $30-$60 per month to lay still for 20 minutes in a cancerous bed full of lightbulbs (and don’t forget about the extra $20-$70 for tanning bed lotion!), just purchase a bottle of self-tanner for around $10! Self-tanning lotions are much better than they used to be. These days there are practically no streaks, spots, and definitely no Oompa Loompa skin. Self-tanners now give you a bronze glow that lasts all year. Trust me, your skin and your dermatologist will be thankful.
8. Replace Your Daily Diet Coke with Water
Americans spend tons of money on soda every year which is crazy because soda should be a treat, not an everyday necessity. Also, we all know and understand the risks of consuming large amounts of soda: bloating, weight gain, skin conditions, even health problems such as diabetes. Choose to drink water on a daily basis instead so that your inner diva can have a healthy body and brag about all the money you’re saving.
Now go out there and save your money, diva!
