College is EXPENSIVE! After paying for tuition, textbooks, rent, and a meal plan most of us settle with saying that we're "broke college kids"... BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO BE! I got stuck in this mindset when I first moved out of my parent's house junior year, BUT I finally got tired of having $5 in my checking account after paying my bills! We want to spend money on clothes, going out to eat with friends, and weekends downtown... but we're all stuck on how we actually make and save the money to do this! There are some really easy ways to avoid being broke in college, and I'm here to tell you how!
1) SELL YOUR STUFF TO SECOND HAND CLOTHING STORES
Places like: Plato's Closet, Style Encore, Play it Again Sports, and Clothes Mentor are great places to sell current clothes! They'll buy items from jeans and sweaters to exercise clothes and shoes... AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN! During my most recent "broke college student" moment I made $250 IN ONE DAY selling clothes, shoes, jewelry, and purses that I hadn't worn/used in months! ALSO, if you have any upscale brand-named items that you're looking to sell, consignment shops, Poshmark, and Ebay are a great option!
Some advice for selling clothes to stores: BE SMART ABOUT WHEN YOU GO! You should avoid weekends when the store is super busy... you want them to pay attention to your clothes so you can maximize how much money you will get! Also, if store A doesn't buy something always try store B and store C, because someone will probably buy it! If at the end of the day you still have a bag of clothes that no one wanted, go to a Salvation Army or Goodwill and donate your remaining clothes! Most donation centers will also give you a receipt that will help you out on your taxes!
2) JOIN YOUR UNIVERSITY'S BUY AND SELL FACEBOOK PAGE
During this past spring semester I made a large post of items that I was selling, including the brand/size/asking price for the items! Usually people comment on the pictures claiming what they want, and then they ask you when you can meet up! I packed all of the items into a reusable shopping bag, and took it with me to the library when I was studying for finals! I was able to make around $200 during finals week WHILE I WAS STUDYING!!!
You can also find these "buy and sell" pages for your hometown! Just be smart when meeting up with strangers, always do it during daytime and in a public place! These pages can also be used for miscellaneous items!
3) UTILIZE LIFETIME WARRANTIES
There are a lot of brands that will fix or replace anything you buy from them FOREVER!! Companies such as Polar Bottle, Jansport, Eddie Bauer, L.L. Bean, Columbia, Patagonia, REI, and Nordstrom (just to name a few) all have warranties that will save you money! In college water bottles will break, shoe soles will start to rip off, and zippers will stop working... BUT YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPEND MORE MONEY! Simply look up the brand's warranty! You can find more info HERE and HERE!
4) PAY YOURSELF
This one might be a no-brainer, but it's still really important! Whenever you get a paycheck, money from your parents, or money from selling your clothes MAKE SURE TO PAY YOURSELF! Always put a chunk of money into your savings account and save it for a rainy day! You never know when your endeavors to earn a few extra dollars will fail you, so it's always best to have a little cushion in your savings account! Overtime you may even save up enough money to fund a spontaneous spring break trip or vacation!
Remember, you don't have to be the broke college kid if you don't want to be! Good luck!
