Cutting Costs in College

Kristen Jakubowski
Delta Zeta

These are supposed to be the best four years of your life... or maybe five or six. However long you stay at South Carolina, we all know that each year's tuition and sorority or fraternity dues aren’t exactly getting cheaper. There are some things that you just cannot save money on. However, you can cut costs in many other ways.

The Internet is Your Friend! The Internet always has some kind of sale. Whether it’s Zappos or Groupon, something is always available in a cheaper price. Try to avoid buying things at retail price. Look on websites for deals and promo codes for your favorite brands. You never know when you will get free shipping or 20 percent off just by typing a few letters in at checkout. Also, become familiar with Amazon and eBay - they don’t just have cheaper textbooks. These sites have everything from computer chargers to sneakers. And for the ultimate sorority girl, you need to become obsessed with Etsy.com, the best craft website ever.

Plan Ahead If you know you absolutely have to have that Lilly Pulitzer dress for Crush Party and nothing in the world can stop you, then go ahead and buy it. But not right away. You have to do your homework. Make sure you know what size works for you - Belk has a great selection of Lilly dresses, as does Pink Sorbet. Then I would suggest you look around for Lilly sales. If you can plan ahead of time, you can look out for Lilly sales that are planned on the website. In the summer and winter there are also warehouse sales. Lucky for me, those sales are in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

Couponing is in Style It may seem like just another one of those things that your mom does, but it can help you, too! Look around campus for those dollar coupon books. There are always Yoghut, x Pizza, and Moe’s coupons. Even Kourtney Kardashian has tried to become an extreme couponer, so why shouldn’t you try to coupon as well?

Buy in Bulk Whether it’s BJ’s or Sam’s club, buying memberships to bulk stores are so worth it. If you know your dorm or apartment does not supply toilet paper, you may as well buy enough for the whole year. Sure, you don’t need 200 cans of soup, but you may need a lot of hand and dish soap. Bulk stores can help you cut costs in the long run.

Save on Gas There are several ways to do this. My first tip is to carpool. If you’re going to Charleston for the day, see if somebody else needs a ride. There are also iPhone apps to check out where the cheapest gas is in the area.

Sell your old Stuff Whether it’s your old Hollister clothes that you haven’t touched since middle school or your business textbooks that you never want to touch again, there is somebody out there who is willing to buy your stuff. Seriously, people sell everything on online auction websites. You may not make tons of money, but it can help pad your bank account. Do an Internet search for eBay stores around Columbia if you don’t want to do the selling yourself.

Buy Used Buying lightly used items can save you a lot. Sometimes, even never-been-used items can be a lot cheaper as well. There’s no harm in buying that outfit that’s been worn once that you’ve been dying for all year. And if you have to fix it up a little bit, it is probably still cost effective to buy it lightly used than brand new and off the shelf. Back to my Lilly Pulitzer example; you can find much better deals on Lilly items on the Facebook Page: Re-Lilly Group.

Check your Bank Account Regularly I make it a rule of thumb to try to check my account every week. You want to make sure that nothing weird is going on, and it’s good to get familiar with your costs each week, month and year, as well as what your balance is. It’s better to learn about your money now than later.