Cash is like water. College is when I began to realize how quickly it slipped through my hands. Not having my mother’s home-cooked meals or a free personal laundry unit has forced me to spend more money than I’d like. Every quarter and dollar is precious and ‘half off’ is more exciting than it ever was in high school. Well, after searching for shortcuts, coupons and ways to save, Her Campus is here to show you how you can spend less and more wisely through these handy websites and smart little tricks
Mint.com – I’ve tried everything from carrying a little notebook to a word document on my computer. However, Mint.com [http://www.mint.com] is this super-handy site that helps you set a budget and inputs your spending into categories like loans, rent, food, shopping, restaurants and transportation. It then helps you monitor your spending and works with you to save money! Think of it as your own personal online financial assistant.
When you sign up, it’ll ask to access your bank information. Don’t worry though, Mint uses bank-level security to protect all your financial and personal information. Plus they have an affiliation with all major bank and credit cards — Chase, Bank of America, etc.
After you sign up, Mint.com will organize your expenses into graphics to see where you’re spending what. You can also set it up to email or text you when you’re running low on funds, having upcoming bills, or have unusual activity – like unexpected overspending. The best part of Mint.com: it’s free!!
Restaurant.com-This is a guilt-free way to eat at great restaurants for a lot less. On the site, it costs about $10 to buy a $25 off certificate. However, if you know the discount/promotion codes you can get 60-70% off the $10. So instead of $10, you’ll get it for $3. Then when you use the certificate, you’ll get $25 off a $50 meal! Buy one certificate, go out to a fancy restaurant with 4 friends and you’ll get a huge value for your money! Right now, if you type in “INDULGE” you’ll get 60% off. Keep checking slickdeals.net – they usually post the codes up as well, and once you buy one gift certificate, Restaurant.com will email you the codes!
Groupon.com– Want a good deal on about just anything? From restaurants to salons to even vacation getaways, check your city’s groupon.com
There is everything from mani/pedis to golfing trips to bowling alley certificates and sailing lessons!
Retailmenot.com-Shopping online? Wish you had that promotion code you see at the end of billing? Check this site so you can save 10-20% on stores like American Apparel, Sephora, Victoria’s Secret, Amazon, etc. Type in the site you’re shopping at to see what comes up. It even tells you the likelihood of it working!
High End Fashion Sites- Love the high-end labels but not the high price tags? Check out gilt.com and ruelala.com . They’ll email you every week with what designers they are selling at heavily discounted prices. Another site to check out is oohilove.com [http://www.oohilove.com]. The way it works is you sign up and buy a “bid package.” Each bid is 99 cents, so you can start off with the smallest one for $29.99. Use each bid on your favorite items or all on one if you’d like. Prada purses, Christian Loubitons and Tiffany’s necklaces have gone for under $10! After you win the auction, you just pay your bid (plus shipping).
Your Student ID- Carry this around everywhere! Stores like City Sports, J. Crew and Madwell all have student discounts. Even some local restaurants near your university or college may give you a discount if you flash them your ID. Some places don’t advertise, so definitely ask if they have a student discount, or look for “student specials” on menus. You can save 10-15% on food and clothes!
Rewards Cards-These are everywhere! Sephora, CVS, JP Licks, Arden B, American Eagle, Godiva Chocolates, Regal Cinemas and many more all have reward cards that allow you to accumulate points. You either get discounts or free stuff depending on the store. Sephora gives you free makeup on your birthday and after you reach 100 points. CVS will give you dollars back while at Godiva you can get a free truffle every month! Regal Cinemas will give you free popcorn and soda on certain days (depending on city and cinema) and after you accumulate a certain amount of points. It’s an easy way to save some money when you’re shopping or going to the movies! You can easily get these cards by signing up at the stores.
Avoid Swiping-Swiping your credit card is less painful than handing over cash. At bars, if you leave an open tab you can forget how much you’re actually spending only to wake up after a long intoxicated night realizing you ran up a bill of $200. If you spend with cash, the action of having the cash actually taken out of your hand may make you think twice about what you’re spending!