We have all heard and probably have used the phrase “broke college student” in reference to ourselves – I sure have. But it’s also important to treat yourself once in a while and spending money is inevitable, so learning to stay on top of your funds is key, not only for the college years, as it’s a great skill to have later on. Plus, it’ll be easier than you think.
1. Student Beans
This website is absolutely fantastic, especially if you’re kind of a serial shopper like me. Student Beans is a website for students only with the goal of helping us bring down the cost of shopping, whether it’s to fix up your wardrobe, or get groceries. To start off, you sign up with a personal email and put in your school information to verify your student status. Once accepted, the website opens with hundreds of deals. I use Student Beans all the time and the coupons available are really helpful in bringing down the cost of items. One of my favorite times to browse around Student Beans is during the holidays, where gift giving can really take a toll on spending, so this will help keep the spending down but the value of the gifts high.
2. Groupon
College is a time to have fun and experience new things… except that it can be kind of hard going to school in a major city with a pretty high end market. That’s where Groupon comes into play. I’ve personally had this weird bias against Groupon because it’s supposed to be for “the older generation” but it’s really not. You can hop on, type in your area, and find deals for fun events around you. It’s helpful in a few ways, first being cutting down the cost of a cool experience, but also it helps you find ideas on what you and your friends can do instead of sitting around and saying “it’s so boring here”.
3. Facebook Marketplace
Furniture can be expensive, and I think a lot of us went through that shock when transitioning into adulthood. Facebook Marketplace has been a gem when looking for furniture or more expensive items, and you can really find some heavily discounted items on there when you do a little digging. There are precautions to take with such kinds of platforms, such as never going to pick up an item alone, making sure to use an authorized type of payment such as Venmo or Zelle, and checking the reviews on sellers/buyers. I have also personally used it to sell textbooks I don’t need anymore and other items that people might find another use for. That way I don’t toss things away when they are in perfectly fine condition, and they can be rehomed!
4. Do your research!
The amount of money I would’ve saved if I had just done some research on items is insane. What I mean by this tip is just doing all you can to be a smart shopper. One of my biggest tips would be to check the price of a wanted item across all stores that carry it. One store might have a better price, but another store might be able to match the price and give you some kind of reward on top of that. It’s those little things that can really help you maximize the money you spend. There are also certain apps such as the Target Circle app that really encourage you to save money. You can add coupons onto your barcode and have them all in one place to scan when checking out.