This past summer I had a job working as a camp counselor and made a decent amount of money doing so. For the first time ever I had a significant amount of money to spend and I quickly realized that money disappears quickly if you don’t keep track of it. I ended up spending $700 dollars in two months and that was a wake up call for me. I immediately knew I needed to change something and I learned that it wasn't much that I had to change. Just a handful of really simple things helped me cut down on my spending.
Note: These tips are generally based on not having any current income although these tips can be modified to suit that.
1. Plan Out What You Have
I put this tip first because it's the most important. If you're set in your ways and don't want to cut spending, you should at least know how much you have available to you. Make sure you are aware of your limits so that you don't find yourself with no money three months into the school year. I find the best way to plan out what you have is to take the amount you have and divide it by however long you're going to need it. It's important to remember though that if the money you have is from a job, that you have enough to file taxes if the taxes weren't automatically taken out.
2. Set Goals
Going along with the first tip of planning out what you have, it's important to set goals. Set a reasonable goal of what you can afford spend in a week. Depending on how much you have saved, this differs per person. I like to set my goal of maximum spending very low, $10 low to be exact. This goal will probably have to be raised though if you're not a freshman but try to set your goal as low as you think you can get it. A goal should not be treated as an amount of money you can spend in a week, rather a maximum that you will be able to spend.
3. Put it on a list
When Christmas rolls around and your family asks you what you want most people freeze and forget every single thing they've wanted all year. When you're scrolling through an article of useless things you want, write it on a Christmas or birthday list. This Christmas you will be the most prepared if you just write stuff you like down when you stumble across it.
4.Avoid name brands
Most grocery stores have name brands and their own store brand. Trust me, the store brand is the same thing as the name brand and you'll save a lot of money in the long run if you just chose the store brand.
5. The Dollar Store
The Dollar Store is going to be your best friend whether you like it or not and for a good reason. The Dollar Store has some pretty great stuff and it really cuts down on spending. I wouldn't suggest make-up, bacon or perfume from the Dollar Store but there are school supplies, chips and decorations. If you're looking to go all out for a holiday, the best place is the Dollar Store. Surprisingly the Dollar Store has really awesome Halloween and Christmas decor for the low price of a dollar. You can get a tiny skeleton for a dollar, how can you beat that?
6. Use your meal plan
This tip goes mostly for underclassmen and their over the top meal plans. Use it, don't feel like you have to buy anything because the college grocery store is going to have what you need. At the beginning of the year I was convincing myself that I shouldn't buy stuff with my points from the college grocery store because they up charge it. After spending about $200 collectively after three grocery trips, I swallowed my pride and realized that I just needed to use the college grocery store. We're all paying for a meal plan so why use anything else?
7. Don't eat at restaurants
People will invite you to restaurants and even though it's important to socialize it's also important to avoid spending an excessive amount of money. Even spending a few dollars at IHOP every once in a while will add up. Instead of going to a restaurant, try to convince your friends to hang out at the cafeteria with you or if you need a swanky place to chill, try an on campus cafe. It may not be as cool as IHOP at 2 a.m. but you know what's cooler? Money. Money is much cooler.
8. Leave that wallet behind
Okay, so this one has some conditions. If you plan to go somewhere where you might need money in an emergency than bring your wallet. If you're going to the mall with your friends though, try and leave that wallet at the dorm so you have no possible way to buy too much. I've used this trick a lot and it has really helped me avoid purchasing really needless things.
9.Credit Cards are dangerous
If you don't already have a credit card, avoid it at all costs. Debit cards are much safer. With credit cards, it's easy to overdraw and then end up in dept while a debit card is just taking directly from your bank account so when you use it all, you're done. Also avoid those tempting store credit cards because one misstep could destroy your credit score. In your early years of college, a credit card isn't really necessary. A good tip to build credit if you do have a credit card is to make a small purchase each month that you can easily pay off because building credit is extremely important.
10. Avoid the niche stuff
It is so tempting when walking through Target to buy a mason jar shaped like a pumpkin or a spatula that doubles as a knife but avoid it. Just because something is a new revolutionary technology does not mean you need it. When you see that diver shaped tea infuser, you have to ask yourself if it is really going to make your experience any better. Let me be the first to tell you that a diver shaped tea infuser works just as well as a cheap and plain tea infuser. The niche stuff might seem interesting when you buy it but it will lose it's charm quickly.
Hopefully, these tips help you reduce your spending on things which means more money and more money is always better than no money.
