10 Ways to Save Money in College
1. Stop eating out and cook for yourself
While eating out and ordering in may be delicious and convenient, it's incredibly expensive, and you can save a ton of money buy buying all of your groceries and cooking! Make easy recipes that you can eat off of for a few days, and pack with you for work or school! Some of my favorites are spinach lasagna and tortellini soup, but there are a ton of great ones you can find on Pinterest!
2. Have a Girls night in instead of going out
Going out on the weekends can rack up a serious bill. Instead, bake some cookies, grab a bottle of wine, watch a movie, put on face masks and enjoy a night in with your girls! The total bill will come out to about $5 each instead of $30.
3. Make your own coffee and carry a travel mug
Starbucks can suck anywhere from $3-$6 a day for that coffee habit, but it's so easy to take the MUCH cheaper option and bring your own coffee in a travel mug! (These Kate Spade ones are the cutest!). And if you have to have some sort of flavor in your coffee, International Delight sells a ton of creamers that make plain coffee just as good as that Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha
4. Put that student ID to good use
There are a ton of places that offer discounts with a student ID! I ask practically everywhere I go, because it never hurts, and often the answer is yes! Chick-fil-a and Chipotle will give you a free drink with purchase and places like J.Crew, Brooks Brothers, and Club Monaco give 15% off your purchase! Click HERE for a huge list of places that offer discounts!
5. Find free or cheap things to do in your city
From wandering a park, or going to museums (that offer a student rate), there are a ton of free or super cheap things to do in every city! Time Out posts a weekly list of free things in NYC, and Thrillist has this great article about things to do all the time in NYC!
6. Limit the soda / alcohol
Both for health and financial reasons, limiting your soda and alcohol intake saves some serious cash, and eliminates a lot of excess sugar and calories from your diet (great for improving your skin too!). If you're not a fan of plain water, try adding fruit or making hot and iced green teas instead. Much cheaper and much healthier!
7. Use public transportation instead of Taxis / Uber
I am so guilty of taking taxis to work, but no more! Get out some sneakers and get some exercise by walking or biking to work/school or if your area has public transportation like a bus or subway, take that instead!
8. Try not spending anything during the week
There's a new fad/trend going on where you don't spend a single dime during the week. Not one. You do all your grocery shopping during the weekend, and during the week, save every penny. (obviously there are exclusions for bills, emergencies, etc, but nothing else!) I personally haven't tried it yet, but I definitely will be this semester! Check out my friend Emily's post about her experience!
9. Create a budget, and stick to it
One of the best things I've recently done is made a budget on an excel sheet (both monthly and weekly) and tracked exactly where I spend everything. It's a little time consuming, I'll admit, but it's so worth it when you see how much you've saved when you just pay attention to where you put your money! (example: instead of spending $350 on eating out and taxis this month, I've saved it to spend on traveling in Europe next fall!)
10. Sell old clothes and buy secondhand
If you have clothes that are in good condition, and come from reputable brands that you don't wear much anymore, you can make money from them by selling on Poshmark! I've sold quite a few things on there, and purchased several things that I love! It's a great way to get rid of clothes you don't want, and buy clothes for way cheaper than you would pay in stores! Check out my closet HERE!
If you have any money-saving ideas, please leave them in the comments below!
xoxo,
Audra
