Surviving College: Saving Money In College

Hi guys, the weekend is finally here with us. I feel like just a wink ago, yes you read that right, wink, it was Monday. Oh well! Whatcha gonna do, the latest Surviving College installment awaits.

College in our house hold is one of those rude alerts where it dawns on you that Mom and Dad are not fountains of ever flowing cash. It hits you, and it hits you hard . To survive in this dog eat dog playground called the world, saving is essential and here are just some of the ways I try my hand at it:

Budget. The rule of thumb when it all comes to all things money is budget. That pesky b-word. Well love it or hate it budgeting will never go out of season. Necessities over wants any day. I am talking books, stationery, toiletries over that killer leather jacket you just have to have. On the plus side if budget is not in your vocabulary, why can't we be friends?

Hitch a ride. Once you have drawn up your budget, chances are the future is looking very grey, all 50 shades of them. Moving numbers around does not make the situation any rosier, so here is where the magic happens. Some good old street smarts! When it comes to commuting and your mom, dad or even better, a classmate is going the same way get in to that car. You may very well end up saving 50% of your budget, but do not spend it just yet.

When it comes to the actual commute weigh your options; if you walk to another bus stop that so happens to be further from your regular stop but cheaper it is not rocket science that you need to do the pocket-friendly thing.

Carry lunch, snacks and water/beverages. To pry my hands open of my daily budget is literally impossible. It was not always like this, believe it or not, I once used to spend a LOT of money on food alone but I was still holding it down in the beverage department. What? Give credit where it is due, no? Once it hit me that there was certainly no money tree in my yard, I got on that lunch and snack tip. Yeah, so occasionally a juice box and strategically placed supermarket popcorn go further than tempt me, I am human. However, you cannot imagine how much you can save from eating from your own kitchen.

Walk. Put that energy from your lunch and snack into use. If you have a walkable route from home to school or even half your commute, just put one foot in front of the other and you will be at your destination. Hey, plus side is you get to keep fit while doing it and of course save anywhere between 15-100% of your fare. Classic two birds one stone situation.

Shopping. When it comes to stocking up, when you are on a budget there's an art to the whole escapade. Be on the look out for supermarkets with the lowest prices. Do not just waltz in there any old time, go during offers; Back-to-school, End of Month, Easter, Special offers,usually Buy-one-get-one-free (BOGOF), sales etc. Then you step it up by getting an economy pack of some sort like a pack of pens, pencils but be warned, do the math, the economy pack may not be as economical as it is painted out to be.


Money jar for pocket change. So you have been saving up, bits and pieces here and there and they possibly cannot add up to much, right? Wrong. Empty the coins or whatever that has been jingling in your packets nearly the whole day into a designated mug or jar, funk it up by maybe painting it or labeling it your dream destination. Dolling it up motivates you to save  so in a month you will have quite the amount, in a semester lunch with a plus one might as well be on you and at the end of a year start up capital for a business you may want to start is no problem.

Do not impulse buy. Usually this leaves you reeling in regret and self pity, having to tighten your belt even tighter because of the now dreaded impulse buy. Solution: Do not frequent places where impulse buying has become a norm for you, if you have to walk by these places, put your blinders on. Do not worry, self control will kick in soon enough.

Do-it-yourself. Giving up any luxury is usually the toughest part when it comes to saving. Getting hair and laundry done by another individual is all the rage when money is no object. But if you are a student, you might want to consider squeezing in laundry day and being your own one stop beauty salon.

These are just a couple of ways that have worked for me when it comes to stretching my budget a tad bit. I am no millionaire but at least I have a fortune, no matter how meager to my name. Just a little self discipline and you can join me on the other side of almost financial stability.

Have a god one!