Tips for Saving Money in College that *actually* work
Let’s face it: Tulane isn’t cheap, and neither is the cost of participating in social events. While of course, we should splurge only in moderation and budget our money as best as we can, it is inevitable that we will want to explore the city, try new foods, or go out with friends. In addition to setting a budget for yourself and tracking your spending, there are many easy ways to save extra money so that you CAN treat yourself every now and then, just by putting in a small extra effort to save where you can!! Here are my best tips, they are incredibly easy to follow and *actually* effective!
1. ALWAYS be on the lookout for student discounts
So many more places offer student discounts than you might think – even services you may already be paying for!! Spotify, for example, offers Premium to college students for the lowered price of only $5 per month, and you might be paying the full price without even knowing it! Here is RetailMeNot’s master list of stores and restaurants that offer college discounts! You can thank me later :)
2. Install Honey on Your Browser
Honey is an amazing service you can add for completely FREE as an extension to your web browser. When you check out at any of the 40,000+ included online stores, Honey automatically tries every promo code, and applies the one that saves you the most money. Honey has saved me money on almost every single transaction I’ve made since installing it, and even if you already have the best deal, you earn points for every purchase and get rewards! What’s not to love?
3. Split Uber Rides With Your Friends
Uber has a great feature on the app where you can split the fare of a ride with your friends just by typing in their phone number and having them accept it. This is a super easy way to save a ton of money, especially when you can split with up to 5 people!
4. Shop Smart With Online Tools
When online shopping, ALWAYS use the tool “display items with prices low to high” to find the best deals quicker and more easily. Also, make sure you flip through all the pages of a sale section when searching for a particular kind of item. It is worth the extra effort, and can help you find some amazing deals even at pricier stores like Urban Outfitters and Free People!
5. Use A Reusable Water Bottle
You should be doing this anyway because it is one of the best ways to help the environment, but it can save you some serious $. Buying plastic water bottles is so much more costly, not to mention incredibly wasteful. Invest in a water bottle you like, and fill it up for free in the Commons if you don’t pay for Kentwood Water Delivery to your dorm!
6. Buy food or medicine in bulk
If there are food items or over-the-counter medicine you know you will need to buy again, shop smart and order in bulk from Amazon or shop at Walmart. Amazon has free shipping and great deals for Prime members, and Walmart sells almost all food items at extremely low prices, often in packs that help you save even more!
7. Buy Textbooks Online
Chegg is an awesome service that offers thousands of online textbooks that can save you TONS of money just by accessing them online instead of having them shipped and in print copy. If you don’t mind reading on a computer, this is a great way to save money (and lighten the load of your backpack!!)