University can be expensive. Between tuition, textbooks, housing, food, and social activities, the cost of being a student can become overwhelming. However, here are five small things that you can do every week to help you save money.
1. Pack a Lunch
Rather than buying lunch on campus when you have a long day of classes, bring your lunch from home. Even though it is much more convenient, eating out can get really expensive.
2. Make Coffee at Home
Invest in a travel mug and start making your coffee at home. I am not saying to completely give up Starbucks or Tim Hortons. However, rather than buying coffee every day, try using it as a reward and only buy coffee after doing really well on an assignment or attending all your classes for the week.
3. Leave Things in Your Cart
Online shopping can get expensive. Since it is fast and convenient, you don’t get time to question whether or not you actually need what you are buying. Therefore, the next time you are online shopping, stop before you hit that order button and go back to it after a couple of hours or even the next day. If you still want everything in your cart, then hit the order button. However, if some of that original want is gone, remove it from your cart.
4. Track Your Spending
Small purchases can add up really quickly. Use a budgeting app, such as Mint, an Excel spreadsheet, or a notebook to track all your purchases. Having all the numbers clearly laid out in front of you will allow patterns in your spending to appear and show you where you should be cutting back.
5. Sign Up For Newsletters
Most stores have emails that you can sign up for that will give you exclusive deals and tell you when there is a sale.
What are your tricks for saving money?