Saving money in college

The "poor college student" is such a cliche these days that I think most parents are forgetting to give their kids tips on saving money prior to jumping the nest.  But college is the time when parents and organizations are most willing to throw money at you!  And part-time jobs are easier to get!  So stop living with your head in the clouds and start pocketing all you can.

Step 1: Transportation

Most colleges and universities these days have their own buses or trains, if the campus is large enough.  Become acquainted with these routes! They'll save you from deciding to skip classes when it's raining and your umbrella just broke and your shoes will soak through, blah blah blah...  Also, buses are yet another place to meet more people at your college, which is half the purpose of college!

If buses or trains are unavailable, get a sturdy, stylish, waterproof pair o' boots and/or a bike.
Whereas bicycles were dorky in high school, they are a total status symbol in college.  A person is made automatically cooler when seen on a bike on campus.  Just make sure you've got a helmet (get a kitschy one with lightning bolts or ninja turtles on it for added hip-ness), and try to get a friend who's a bike-nerd (or become one yourself!) so you always have someone to consult if you need repairs or a bike rack or advice on bike locks, etc...

Comments

[klioliver]

I go to a big school, and lots of times there are random econ/psych/food science experiments going on that pay you for volunteering. I've made about $70 doing this, and the econ ones are more like a game than anything. I'm in one currently, a longer term one, that pays $75! It's a pretty sweet way to spend a bit of time getting a bit of cash.

[weaponscollector94]

or you could just fill a big jar 1/8th full of strained honey, then almost full of purified water, add 20 raisins, 3 cloves, and two teaspoons of bread yeast, stir it up, let it sit for a week or so and you have a good likker it'll make you drunk. probably 40 proof. and free if you get a few handfuls of honey packets from a fast food place like kfc.

[AlternateLives]

I wouldn't trust kfc honey though. it isn't really honey! it even says so on the package!

[Whales]

instructables needs a way to like comments, because this would sooo get one from me.

[weaponscollector94]

haha! yeah that would be cool if you could like comments.

[tincanz]

What about actually replying, saying that you appreciate it, in the way that you two just did...?

[Yotta_Byte]

I just liked this comment.

[JohnJY]

Buy Liters instead of cans of soda, and pop popcorn in brown bags, using raw kernels, saves a lot of money, that people often through away.

[MissJessica184]

I love this post. It's very nice and full of great ideas! ♥ Jessica ♥

[mtb527]

alex grey sure is an amazing artist!!!!

[napoleaum]

i think i can help with some more things:

hair cuts: those can usually be free, if you have a friend who is kind enough to (and capable of) cut(ting) your hair, or if you go to a college that has a Beauty course, they charge a lot less than a regular hair dresser.
dental treatment: i live in brazil and the university that i go to college (btw, i'm an electrical engineering student..) has an Odontology college (sorry if it's wrong, my english vocabulary is not so good as i thought, lol), that usually offers treatment for free to the students or the people that can't afford a standard dentist. that's a way of getting the future dentists acquainted with their jobs and helping the city population.
medical care: same as the dental treatment.
medicines: almost the same as dental treatment, but is not for free.. the pharmacy college has a "popular drugstore" that sells medicine to the people way cheaper than a regular drugstore.
little jobs: you can do little things to other people that are willing to pay someone else to do, like fixing things at homes, tutoring, computer maintenance (this one i do a lot.. it's really a gold mine...)

that's all i can remember fo  now..(there's a lot more.. i'll posting as i remember :-])
i hope it was useful (and sorry about any english mistakes.. it's not my native language... lol)

btw, you got my five stars!! this is the kind of stuff that people at college REALLY MUST know

[abadfart]

ya i have the car that i bought in high school for $50 and a free bike.  i live with my parents and do as much of my shopping as i can at the dollar store 

[kachup]

useful tips, alot of people at this stage dont take money seriously, often ending up with huge credit card debt at the end of college!