A College Student’s Guide to Saving Money

September 24, 2012 stephanie ucr tips saving money uc riverside broke college student

Face it: with high tuition costs, gas prices, and rent, the cost of college easily burns holes through our pockets. Even with Cup of Noodles every night for dinner, a college student’s bank account can still be close to nonexistent. So here’s a short guide of ways to save money so you can still go out with your friends on Friday night without risking two nights worth of dinner.


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1. Create a budget every month. 
I find there’s a difference between telling yourself you won’t spend much versus planning out how much you’re actually going to spend: inconsistency tends to cost more. So write out an estimation of how much gas, food, etc. will cost for the month so you know what to expect when your monthly statement comes.

2. Learn How to Cook.
Eating out every night, though convenient, can become very expensive. Therefore, instead of going out for dinner, take a trip to the grocery store and use that $20 for a week’s full of dinners. You’ll learn new recipes, change unhealthy habits, and save even more by packing leftovers for the next day at school!

 
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3. Buy Textbooks Online, or Rent Them! 
Prices of books at the bookstore on campus can be jaw dropping. Just know that you can always buy textbooks elsewhere like Amazon and Barnes&Noble . Or even better: you can rent them! The bookstore offers this option. Chegg is a popular site for this too!

4. Carpool or Use Public Transportation.
Gas will be a constant bill as long as you have a car; ways to get around filling up all the time involve carpooling or using public transportation. See if your and your roommates’ schedules coincide and take turns carpooling every week. Or you can check the RTA routes and schedules for a bus ride instead. Did you know it’s free for UCR students?


Source. Carpool lane? Score!

-Stephanie

  1. the-sun-is-shining-bright said: Cooking is a definite must if possible. It might be a little expensive at the beginning if you’re starting out from scratch (i.e. buying the necessities like flour, sugar, salt, etc.) But it really does pay off in the end.
  2. sunshinebemymother reblogged this from lifeatucr
  3. ivanlouis reblogged this from lifeatucr and added:
    lol Steph’s got it down. Wuttttt. And this girl would know about saving money.
  4. lifeatucr posted this