Being in college is great in so many aspects of your life however, your financial situation might not be ideal. More likely than not you’re working between 15-40 hours a week for minimum wage and between rent and books sometimes that just doesn’t cut it. Luckily there are many places you can save money while away at school. But there are also some times when you should save up your money and splurge on a more expensive item. Here’s a breakdown of a few key pieces that fall in this list:
Save
Shoes –
Don’t get me wrong, you should have a few good pairs of shoes – winter/rain boots being one of them, but as far as dress shoes (read: the shoes you wear into gross frat basements) should be cheap enough you don’t get super upset when they’re trashed after one too many trips to the bar or down main street in the rain.
Drinks –
This one can be difficult. If you’re going out with your friends aim for getting to the bar right before specials start that way you’re not busting the bank paying full price all night for drinks. Plan before you go out and make the most of your money.
Text books –
Odds are you’re not going to use your textbooks more than a few times during any given semester, so why spend tons of money on them? Use sites like chegg and Amazon and see if you can rent your books before you spend huge amounts of money on paperback books you’ll never use again.
Splurge
A pant suit/dress outfit –
This is a necessity! Always have at least one outfit you could pull out for an interview or presentation. If you’re running around at the last minute looking for clothes you lose time you could be spending preparing and that’s not beneficial at all.
Produce –
When grocery shopping I know it’s so easy to just go right the the frozen food section and load up on dollar dinners but you need to start spending money on fruits and veggies! The freshman fifteen is so real and so are the regrets that come with it!
A day planner –
I don’t care where it’s from or how much you spend on it, but buy one that fits your lifestyle. Be that a spiral bound large planner or a small pocket planner, just make sure there’s space to accommodate all that you need to plan out on a day to day basis.
With these few tips I hope you’re more educated on some of the best ways to spend and splurge while away at school!