College 101
Yet More Ways to Save Pennies in College
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Not every college student is perpetually broke, but there are enough to justify the stereotype of the cash-strapped co-ed brainstorming ways to put a few dollars back into their budget. If that sounds familiar, or if your last meal was a ketchup and mayo sandwich, then maybe this list is coming just in time.
Here are five more ways to save a little (more) money in college. Don't say we never did anything for you.
Downsize Your Mega Meal Plan
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The price of tuition rises faster than inflation, and the cost of room and board isn't far behind (source). How's a thrifty students supposed to cut back on expenses? Well, if you have a six-meal a day meal plan, you might want to start there. The prices of college meal plans vary wildly, so you should probably take into consideration how much you're actually utilizing yours. Consider switching to a more inexpensive plan if you're not taking full advantage of your allotted meals.
If your dorm or apartment offers personal or communal cooking spaces, you should also try supplementing your meal plan by—gasp—actually cooking for yourself. You don't have to become a world-class chef or anything, but it helps to cut out the middle man.
Refurbished, Secondhand, Resale: Your New Best Friends
So you absolutely need that new MacBook, right? Hm. Maybe we can negotiate on the "new" part.
Many retailers offer steep discounts on refurbished goods—basically, stuff that's been previously returned and spruced up by the manufacturer. Refurbished goods usually go through rigorous testing and it's a good way to save up to $300 on that new (to you) laptop you've been eyeing for months.
But why stop at just refurbished electronics? You can check out resale shops for lower than low prices on clothes, furniture, and anything else you might need. We definitely don't recommend grabbing toothbrushes there, but you're your own person. Best of luck with that.
Snatch Up Some Credits at Home
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So you're home for the summer and you're thinking about spending every waking moment at the beach. That's pretty rad, but also consider taking classes at a local community college. It's almost definitely a cheaper way to grab credits than at a four-year school, especially if you're not paying for room and board.
Some schools like Penn State University make it crystal clear what their policies and requirements are for transferring credits, but at other schools, you may have to dig a little to find that information. Either way, it's worth your time and your valuable bucks to at least look into summer classes.
The beach will still be there next summer, and who needs all those sunburns anyway?
Live With Friends (Cue Guitar Riff)
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When you were a kid, you might have imagined how cool it would be to live with your friends without all of your parents' lame rules. In reality, that place probably hasn't seen a vacuum since sometime last year and you might be in for an argument or two about those dishes in the sink. (Here's some help with that, if you need it.) However, the benefits are as obvious as basic arithmetic: rent divided by more than one will save you money.
Whether living off-campus or in dorms, living with a roommate is almost always a better financial proposition than living alone. There may be other factors to consider like the value of your privacy or how much you trust leaving your stuff around new roomies, but cash benefits are hard to ignore.
Now if only they'd take out the shmooping trash.
Student Discount. Student Discount. Oh, and Student Discount.
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You can get a student discount everywhere from Spotify to Adobe to The Wall Street Journal. It's one of the more awesome parts of being a student, actually.
What isn't awesome is not even knowing that a student discount is available and potentially leaving money on the table. Do your homework, like any good college student, and research the places that offer these discounts before you even show up. It'll help you decide where to spend your money smartly, but remember that discounted is still more expensive than free.
Check out and take advantage of free resources and use discounts as a back-up in order to really stretch those precious dollars.