Between classes, clubs, dates and jobs, saving money is not the first thing on a collegiette’s™ mind. But, swiping that card for the date at Kurry Kobab or the $60 dress at Ugly Sisters will probably max out your credit card in no time. When debt and college already go hand in hand, why not try to save on the petty expenses that will add up at the end of your 4 years?
Two days ago, I checked my P.O. preparing myself for the sheer disappointment of staring into a hollow box. I was in for a pleasant surprise: the annual Campus Coupons for Fall 2011. I can bet that last year, half of us threw this book in the trash, under our beds, or somewhere in the pile of junk where it was forgotten about for the remainder of the year. But why toss it when it provides opportunities for guaranteed savings?
Yesterday, a friend asked if I wanted to join him for a meal at Kurry Kabab and my response resembled that of many students when asked to spend money outside Flex and Ole dollars, “Nah, I think I’ll pass. It’s too much!” Later that day, I went back to my room and found the coupon booklet sitting aimlessly on my desk. Flipping through its pages, I spotted three coupons to save on meals at Kurry Kobab. I knew where I’d be having lunch the next day.
This book many of us throw away is filled with ways for the average college student to save the extra dollar or two that adds up at the end of the year. Monday nights are popular among Oles and Carls for bowling at Jesse James’ Days. We spend a good couple of hours playing games, why not pay the price of one game, but actually play two? The deal is rather appealing when there are two coupons for it in the book.
For those living off campus, meal plans aren’t very effective. A trip to the grocery store here and there is a weekly routine in order to cook lunch or dinner. The $25 dollars spent on groceries stocking up the kitchen can easily turn into $20 with the $5 off coupon for Econo Foods. That’s $5 that you could allocate towards savings or an extra drink at the Cow.
With restaurants like Chapati, the Tavern, or Kurry Kabab in town, weekly friday flowers to give to that special someone, international bazaars of jewelry and handbags at Olaf monthly, trinket shops around downtown, bowling alleys and bars in Northfield, saving any extra dollar is a wise decision. Given that we spend much of our time complaining about the scarcity of balance in our bank accounts, why not use the resources dropped in our hands…or in this case our P.O. box? Saving on a college budget may seem inopportune at times, or a seemingly harmless last priority. But, the $10, $20, $30 dollars you save through this coupon, that’s another few extra bucks you could spend somewhere else.