This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montana chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.
Being a full time student and living in a place with limited job opportunities often means living an extremely tight budget. While for some, this might mean surviving off of Top Ramen packets and water alone, there are some thrifty tricks to save money in unexpected places.
- Bring your gently worn clothes to consignment stores like My Sister’s Closet. I know I have a lot of clothes that I have only worn a few times and I just don’t like them anymore. Bag these clothes up and get some cash for them. It may not be much but it’s definitely worth it.
- Clip coupons. Take a cue from mom and get out your scissors. Coupons can save you a considerable amount of money on everyday things. You can find them in newspapers, those nice little books they give out on campus, or online.
- Shop around for the best deals. Different grocery stores have different specials on things. Check out the newspaper ads for the best deals in town and know your prices on basic items like milk and bread.
- Walk more. Cut down on spending money on gas and walk whenever you can. It will start warming up soon and walking will be much more enjoyable. Make a playlist for your iPod that includes some energetic music to get you going. Walking can also cut down on time spent at the gym.
- Make your own coffee at home. Paying a buck for a cup of drip coffee may not seem like a big deal at the time but that adds up fast. Get a coffee maker and make it at home. You can experiment with different roasts and coffee creamers. Get an inexpensive coffee mug and bedazzle it to make it your own.
- Shop at Ross and TJ Maxx. These stores have great deals on brands you would find in department stores. You may have to spend a little extra time digging through the rows of merchandise to find something you want but the low prices are worth it.
- Buy generic brands when you can. A lot of times, there really isn’t much of a difference. Eye make-up remover, pain relievers, and hand soap are a few things that the brand really doesn’t matter too much.
- Post unwanted things on Craigslist. There is no point in keeping things around that you haven’t used. If you haven’t went snowboarding in the last years, it’s time to pull that board out of the closet and make some money off of it.
- Make a budget and stick to it. Use the allotted money for its purpose only. Do not use food money for spending money. This will keep your spending in check and will hopefully help build a rainy day fund.
Hopefully, these ideas will help you increase the number of $$$ in your bank account and inspire you to think of new ways to cut back on costs. This way, you won’t be stressing about cash but rather living it up in your college years.