This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Montclair chapter.
- Buying textbooks is a waste. There are a million and one ways to find free or discounted PDF or cheap textbooks online. Paying full price for a book you’re probably only going to open twice isn’t worth it. Between online websites with readily downloadable PDFs and used booksellers, there are alternatives that will still give you access to the materials you need to pass your class.
- Broken makeup palettes are easily fixed. Ever drop your favorite palette and break one of the pots? You can break up all the powder (this works for blush, highlight, eyeshadow – basically anything that comes in a little pot), and press it back into place with a quick spritz of rubbing alcohol and a paper towel.
- There’s so many ways to get freebies. So there’s two ways to go about this. One is to compliment companies through online forums or emails about how much you adore the products they sell. The other is to complain. Chipotle and Amazon do this A LOT. If you order something that didn’t show up on time or was wrong in some way, they’re pretty likely to give you a freebie.
- Cutting off strawberry tops is unnecessary. I learned this a long time ago, and it has saved my fingers in the summer. When eating strawberries, you can take a straw and stick it through the bottom of the berry, right through the center, and it will pop the little green leaves right off, no knife needed.
- Leggings and tights can be layered. So this is awesome during the winter for those fashionistas who don’t look at the weather. You can buy nude-colored leggings (bonus if they’re fleece lined and footed) and pull sheer tights over them. They look just the same as without the leggings and they keep your legs super warm.
- You can take in jeans. Found the perfect jeans at Goodwill but they’re a little too big? You can actually take in jeans with your sewing machine. It’s super easy. Just put them on inside-out, pin the excess evenly on both sides and stitch them at an angle.
- Student IDs can save a life. There are literally hundreds of companies that offer student discounts. Often, they don’t advertise them, but if you ask, they’ll give them. Whether it’s discounted food or clothing, there’s plenty to benefit from. Some places that offer student discounts include Charlotte Russe, Goodwill, Chipotle and AMC. Just make sure to carry your student ID with you because places won’t always just take your word for it.
- Forks work well to stitch pleats. If you sew, there’s some awesome hacks on TikTok to save you stress. One of my favorites is using a fork to twist pleats. This makes them uniform and helps to tuck them into place.
- Sounds ghetto, but tossing pasta against the wall really says if it’s done. If you’re making spaghetti and you want to test if it’s done, you can throw it at a wall. When I moved out of my junior year dorm, we had to scrape pasta off the wall because we loved this hack so much. It shows whether the pasta is done and adds some fun to such a mundane task and making dinner.
- Sleeping with socks on your hands is helpful. When winter sets in, it can really dry out your hands. One way to help is to thickly apply lotion and cover your hands in socks while you sleep. Fuzzy socks are especially helpful.
Hopefully, these hacks save you some time and make life a little easier!