College is expensive. There’s no other way to put it…
Whether you are paying for school on your own, or have been given the blessing&gift of someone helping you pay for it, there are things you can do to save money while you are getting your education!
While I was in College, I tried my absolute best to stick to a budget and most of the time I was successful, but majority of the time it was really HARD.
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Here are some ways that worked for me that you can use to save money and stick to whatever daily/weekly/monthly budget you have set for yourself!
1. Skip the bars & restaurants
Eating and drinking out is great, but it is wayyyy too overpriced, and before you know it you could easily spend your weeks grocery budget in one sitting. Plan on going out once a month so it is something you can still enjoy and look forward to, but also makes sure you don’t go overboard.
When you go out, plan to pay in cash. This makes sure that you stick to your nightly budget and you know ahead of time what you are comfortable spending!
2. Cook your own meals
If you live on campus, you may have been required to get a meal plan…which can be good and bad. In my experience, the meal plans are costly so I didn’t have one after freshman year.
I had a weekly budget for groceries and my one Tuesday self-care meal that I went out for (read about why I had a self-care meal here), and I made it a point to stick to it. At the end of the week, it got really hard because I was piecing together random meals, but it was well worth it!
Here’s some affordable kitchen items that I love and still use now:
Cookware Set | Bakeware Set | Bamboo Cooking Utensils | Cooking Utensils | Cooking Utensils with Holder | Silverware Set – Silver | Silverware Set- Gold | Plates, Cups, Bowls | Magic Bullet | Ninja Blender | Toaster | Crockpot | Mixing Bowls | Keurig
3. Do your own nails, skip the color appointments, let the lash extensions fall out, do your own brows, and get a haircut every few months.
It sounds crazy, I know. Believe me, this was a really hard one for me to follow too…I LOVE getting my hair and nails done, but it is SO EXPENSIVE, and honestly its hard to justify spending that much money on things that are frivolous.
I learned how to wax my own eyebrows (don’t do this unless you are really confident in your skills), I would do my own gel nails and bought pedicure stuff on amazon, I grew my hair out, and I embraced my natural lashes. There were some awkward stages, but it was well worth it!
Add up all of the money you spend on these things every month and you will see that you will survive without all of the extra, I promise.
DIY Beauty:
Gel Nail Kit | Pedicure Spa | Pedicure File
4. Walk to campus, carpool, and ride your bike as much as possible!
Gas is also another expense that adds up quickly! If you live close enough or have friends that you trust, walk or ride with them so you can save a few dollars a day!
If you ride a bike, this doubles as exercise and saving money at the same time! Woot-Woot!
5. Rent your textbooks
Unless there is a reason you have to buy your books, RENT EVERYTHING! Theres a good chance you won’t ever open it after the class is done and there no reason to spend a buttload on a book that hardly gets used.
Amazon and Chegg are your best friends when it comes to renting books!
6. Don’t buy things you don’t need
This seems like an obvious one, but once you get in the habit of picking up things that are on sale or that are “cute”, its easy to go over your budget.
When you go to the store, make a list and stick to it!!!! Don’t get distracted by clothes/shoes/makeup/accessories.
Get in the store quick, and leave quicker.
Look at your expenses last month and see what you spent unnecessarily…you’ll be amazed at how much you could have saved!
Which leads me to my last tip…
7. Track your expenses
I am so thankful that my parents taught me how to handle money and budget early on because I 100% believe that it saved me through college and now when I am handling wayyyy more bills and a bigger budget.
Write down all of your bills, what your budget is, what you want to save, and MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.
Set a goal for yourself and do your best to stick to it!
Need a template to help you budget? I made one for you, snag it here!
You got this, friend! It takes a village- leave a comment below if you want to see more money-saving tips or college advice!
