Saving Money in College: Tips + Tricks

Today I’m going to be chatting about how to be less broke in college, because as a former broke college kid I feel your pain. I was once in your shoes. Now, I am just a broke post-grad kid. So if you’re interested in saving money in college you have come to the right place!

Moving away to college can be hard to handle financially. You don’t have your parents watching over your every move anymore, and limiting what you can and cannot buy. You might have a spending limit, or you might not but either way saving money can help anyone out in the long run.

How To Save More & Spend Less in College

Stop buying Starbucks every morning – Coffee can be so pricey, especially from Starbucks. I totally understand the need and want for that Starbucks cup while walking through campus. Starbs definitely has their brand appeal down.

Instead, make your own! Pinterest has so many dupe recipes! You can easily make an iced caramel macchiato at home, and pour it into a fun tumblr before heading out for class.

Walk, or take the bus when you can – So this might not seem like a way to save money, but it totally is. The less you use your car, the less money you will be dishing out on gas. I always took the bus to class, and would walk to friend’s apartments when they were close enough! Try car pooling when you can, if walking isn’t an option!

Join a Facebook group – More than likely your college has a “buy, sell and trade” Facebook group where a bunch of college kids are looking to buy things from you! Need to sell an old textbook? Post it on the group! This is also a great place to buy used items for less expensive than retail price!

Poshmark – Poshmark is an app where people buy and sell their used clothing items, and accessories for a fraction of the cost you would find anywhere else. The app is really user-friendly, and you can start making money right away. Follow me here, and use my code: PKIJN when you sign up for $5 off your first purchase! 

This is a great tool to make some extra cash here and there, but also to buy clothes! They have a whole section for clothes that still have tags on them, so you can totally find new items too!

Cook with a friend – Instead of going out to dinner once a week with your friends, make it a tradition to cook together one day each week! It’s both a fun way to hang out with your friends and so much less expensive than a restaurant. A frozen pizza + bottle of wine could cost you less than $5 a person if you really know how to be a college kid.

If you have an HEB they usually have meal deals that are tailored to college kids!

Student discount – USE YOUR DISCOUNT KIDS! This is something I definitely did not take advantage of, and now I really regret it. You would be surprised at the number of websites, stores and restaurants that offer a discount to students. All you have to do is ask, or hey you can even google it. Easy peasy!

Take online surveys – There are a million websites out there just begging for people to take their money (okay, not literally) but there a lot of resources in which you can make a few bucks each month while doing nothing. I found this to be a pretty helpful resource to get me started on the right track!

Related post: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Money in 2017 / Top Websites for Students That You Don’t Already Use

Let me know your ways of saving money in college, or how you made a few extra bucks while going to school!