It doesn't matter how much money you are going to make after you are out of school and on your own, you are probably going to have to watch what you spend while you are in college. Whether you work or not while going through college, you are going to be tight with money on many occasions. Smart students know that spending less means less worry about finances and more time to concentrate on study. If you are in college, or are soon to be, think about some tips for saving money in college. You may be surprised how fast the small savings can add up.
Tips for saving money in college are as simple to learn as they are to employ. One thing that most people have to have in the morning is a cup of coffee or seven. If you go to class with a cup of coffee in your hand, you probably have at least a few more throughout the day. You can save a lot of money if you simply choose to make your own and take it with you in a travel cup. Not only will you save a lot of money, you will also avoid adding more waste to the landfill. It may be inconvenient to go back later to refill, but you can still save some money by taking your first cup with you.
Think about how much money you spend each week on eating. You may have meals included if you live in a school dorm, but not all students have this. If you must buy and prepare your own food, you probably spend a lot of your money eating out because you don't have the time or inclination to cook. If you come up with a good plan, you be saving money in college on your food bill. Come together with four or five other students. Each plan a meal for one day of the week and serve everyone. You will save on your groceries, have a hot meal each night, and only have to cook once or twice a week.
Depending on where you are going to school, you can start saving money in college by taking the bus and ditching your car. If you are in a school that is close to public transportation, you can save by not buying gas, paying for parking, or paying car insurance each week. This is not always an option with schools out of town and away from buses, but can be a great idea for some students. This can save a ton of cash. You could even pitch in for gas with someone who does have a car to avoid some bus rides if you are in that situation.
You can also think about saving money in college by forgoing the new textbooks. Those that have gone through the same courses as you will often sell their text books to make some of their money back. You get the right book and you save money at the same time. Just make sure the book you find still fits the course, as some while change books or there will be updated versions of text books that you have to have. If you can spend half of what you would spend on new books, you will have saved a lot of money by the time you graduate.