How To Save Money In College, According To A College Student

Ready or not, the season of living at home, having your parents do your grocery shopping, and no homework is almost over. As universities across the world gear up for a new year, college students dread having to choose between barely edible food in the dining hall and getting tacos off campus with friends. As exciting as it is to be able to hit up your college bar again, those watered-down-yet-overpriced drinks catch up with you, draining your bank account faster than your bladder after “breaking the seal. ”

Between textbook discounts, happy hour specials, and budgeting apps, it is actually possible to cut down on spending without cutting down on your social life. We did the work for you by finding five accessible ways to save some money, and all are student-approved!

1. Be realistic when it comes to cooking.

Are you someone who buys overflowing bags of fresh produce just to have it go bad a few weeks later? Honestly – skip the produce section. In order to still get your fruits and veggies in, we recommend shopping in the frozen aisle, as they can be stored and saved for future use. You have to be realistic about what you’re going to be spending money on.

Rachel Kirkwood, a junior at Tulane University, suggests trading the grocery store for smart, on-campus shopping: “I am not a home cook by any means, so I know that it’s more worth it to not buy groceries that will just sit in my fridge until they go bad. Instead, I use my meal points for breakfast, snacks and coffee (the only palatable things in the dining hall), and go out to restaurants for dinner when I can.”

Many find themselves going to the grocery store excited to make a new dinner, but end up coming home with same chicken and pasta recipe that’s been made every day for the past two weeks. In that case, look elsewhere for your meals! Meal subscription services such as BlueApron or HelloFresh provide ingredients to make fresh, healthy meals that can be customized through their apps. Although this may not be the first place that many college kids would think to look for their meal, it actually provides an accessible and fun way to cook! For example, BlueApron provides a two-person meal twice a week for about $23.90 per person each week, or $12 per meal. In my experience, the proportions seem a little large, and my roommate and I found ourselves having enough leftovers for another meal each.

Speaking of meal plans…

2. Find a meal plan that makes sense for you.

Many university meal plans can feel like a burden — something that is required, yet rarely gets put to use. Before settling on one meal plan, check out the options and choose the one that seems most realistic to you.

In addition, while meal swipes often make up a large percentage of a meal plan, many plans also have hidden gems (such as points to use at convenience stores or restaurants around your college town). Make use of these features, as they become a waste of money if they sit unused.

3. Download apps to help track money and spending.

Do you ever cover your friend’s meal/drink/Uber and feel uncomfortable asking them to pay you back? Apps like SplitWise keep track of all expenses and let you decide how you want to split costs, removing the middleman (you). You can connect it straight to your Venmo, so all you and your roommates/friends/family have to do is settle them on your phone.

Apps like UNiDAYS and StudentBeans offer student discounts for anyone with a valid school email to stores like Apple, rag & bone, and Hunter, and chrome extensions like Honey can automatically apply discounts to your purchases online.

4. Buy or rent used textbooks.

The worst feeling is to go into the required textbook section of your syllabus and realize that you’re about to spend upwards of $300 on textbooks that you’ll only use for one semester. But there are many ways around spending an exorbitant amount of money on books. First of all, rent used if possible! Unless it’s a workbook, there is really no reason to buy a new book that costs so much more than the used version. At most college bookstores, they have the used version available, but if not, check out eBay and Amazon for a possible cheaper option (and do it ASAP, as many of the versions sell out). Before you settle on any version of the required reading, do your research, as most campus bookstores will price match. In addition, CampusBooks offer discounted prices on textbooks, as well as a buyback for the versions only available to buy at your University bookstore.

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