This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Amherst chapter.
- Looking at and choosing storage options.Seems so obvious, right? But actually, we tend to wait until the last minute when everyone is seeking free storage on campus and when storage rates have gone through the roof! Go ahead and make some calls to close friends or relatives, start renting out your big things like fridges and furniture to those who’d be on campus during the summer #extramoney, or go ahead and research and compare local storage facilities, prices, and discount options.
- Selling things you haven’t or won’t use or need anymore.Ok, so it’s almost time to be kicked out for the summer, but you have exams, final projects, 24 hours (10- for hw) a day to do your work, and a whole room to back up during final exam period. Well start cleaning out your room now and make a little extra money for it, which can be used for saving, other urgent expenses, your summer vaca, or your storage opp if you are late to getting free storage on campus.
- Planning ahead for interterm internships/opps, spring break (flights, trips, research,etc.), annual conferences, festivals, flights and applying for jobs and internships.What you get: Cheaper flights (domestic and international), productive time usage and experience during “breaks,” maybe paid experiences (depending on what you apply for and are accepted to), extra money in your pocket, etc.
- Saving money for “rainy days” or surprise expensesBut seriously though, when you get to the airport and you didn’t know there was an extra baggage fee or when you didn’t know you needed a ride and need a Lyft or Uber, or maybe even that you need food, to pay a bill that you forgot about, or maybe there’s an event coming up that you didn’t know was happening that has an admission fee. You don’t have to hurry and try to apply for a credit card, find odd jobs, or anything of this nature if you already have some money put away for days like this.
- Sign up to the e-mail list/always check for discounts on the things you love to buy.What you get: cheaper flights, inside deets on impromptu discounts, travel points and free flights/bus rides/etc., quality clothing/wardrobe for less, more for your money, more money in your pocket to spend on other things or save for rainy days