Everybody knows that college students are broke. College is hard enough as it is, but there is also the pressure that it’s supposed to be the best four years of your life and you need to take advantage of every minute, but having fun costs money, and if you’re like me you have a pile of loans waiting for you when you graduate! I am going to tell you some of my favorite tips on how I manage being a student while having fun, and also saving money in the process.
Tip #1: Get an On-Campus Job!
For me, working through school is a must. I’ve had both on and off-campus jobs while in school, but my preference is definitely having a job on campus. Most of the time on-campus jobs have flexible hours, and your employers often understand that being a student comes first. Something to look for in an on-campus job is a job that you have down-time at because this allows you to get homework done while at work! For me personally, I work at the Library at Merrimack, and whenever I’m not checking out books, or answering questions I can get my schoolwork done which is super helpful! In my experience on-campus jobs are more convenient and work better with my schedule because I can fit shifts in between classes, or when I have free time. Since I live on campus I don’t have to worry about commuting because my work is within walking distance. Not only is an on-campus job convenient, and flexible, but it also helps you to make connections within your school!
Tip #2: Make a Budget and Hold Yourself Accountable!
This is definitely the hardest tip to stick to, but if you do, it’s definitely worth-it. What’s worked for me with budgeting is trying to make it as realistic as possible, and making tracking my finances a habit. What I do is, every month I make a monthly budget with categories for everything I know I’m going to spend money on (like car insurance, subscriptions, groceries, eating out, etc), and I set a limit for each category. I also make sure to build in a “random expenses” category for all the little things that come up that I wasn’t expecting to buy. Every time I make a purchase I track it on my budget sheet, and this helps me get a visual on what I’m actually spending my money on and can help identify any unhealthy spending patterns. How I make budgeting a habit is I make it fun for me. I find a cute template on notability and make my budget sheet visually appealing and organized so I want to look at it and keep going back to it. At the end of the month, I add up all the money I spent and compare it to my goals for the month, then re-adjust for next month.
Now, just because you are on a budget, it doesn’t mean you still can’t have fun! Some small things I do to save money are when I go out to eat with my friends I just get an appetizer or a couple sides and it’s typically the same amount of food as an entree, but less expensive. I live close to home so I often go grocery shopping at my favorite store; my parent’s home! I know not everyone is able to do this, but here and there when I go home I grab some snacks, toiletries, or cleaning supplies from my parent’s stash. Even though it’s hard, the biggest thing that helps me is only buying what I need, and as I will talk about next, if there’s a free alternative on-campus I will always choose that over something that will cost me money.
Tip #3: Utilize all the Resources your Campus has to Offer!
Merrimack has so many events, programs, and excursions that are free to students, you just have to keep your eyes open for them! I swear this is not an ad, but one of my biggest suggestions is to keep an eye out on CORQ. Through events on CORQ I have been able to get free crafts, art supplies, skin care products, food, t-shirts, and much more. I’ve also been able to go off campus to a goat yoga class, I’ve gone on fun fall excursions to farms, and my friends have gotten to go to Broadway shows, go ziplining, and take a cooking class all for free! Also through Merrimack, I enjoy free workout classes, bowling, and cheap drinks at Augie’s pub. My point is, it may not seem as exciting because it’s on campus, but if you get your friends together and go to these events you can make them fun and make the most out of it and it doesn’t cost you anything (besides your tuition bill ;) )!