Don't you hate how that $100 your mom sent to your account four days ago is already gone? Whether it's because of food, a new tattoo or just because those shoes looked too cute, you can't seem to stretch that $100 until the following allowance deposit to your account.
According to State News, one of their college student reporters spent about $156 for a month on food. With coupons, I’ve never spent more than $50 a month on groceries at school.
There are many tricks to getting the max amount of savings for food in college.
Students spend way too much money on textbooks. Stop buying textbooks, websites like Amazon and Chegg have made it so easy and cheap to rent textbooks for a whole semester. After two years of college I have yet to spend over $40 on a text book. You can even share textbooks with a friend. A friend of mine and I split the price of a $60 textbook we needed, leaving us paying $30 each.
Go to as many campus events as you can, they usually feed students for free. These events are usually heavily advertised around campus to get people to attend.
Stop going out to eat all the time. Have you looked at these entrée prices at these restaurants? Anything more than $10 is just too much. According to Forbes, college students can save about $200 on food cost by simply cooking at home.
Start thinking of wine and beer as a luxury, meaning that they aren’t needed every week. Besides, you’re too busy to drink anyways; go work on that essay.
Many people think that coupons are for old women and mothers but that’s totally wrong. The TLC show "Extreme Couponers" is a great example of the amazing benefits of couponing. People on the show can be seen leaving grocery stores with about $1,000 worth of groceries and only paying $26.
If you aren’t a commuting student, stop going home, like, 15 times a month. That’s so much money spent on gas or public transportation. If you left something, have them mail it to you. If you miss them, call or video chat. If you need money have them send it to your account or mail a check.
Take full advantage of your birthday. I have enjoyed so much free food and discounts just by saying it’s my birthday or signing up for reward programs. This food can last you for days if you do it right.
And of course, ladies, if you really want to go out, most clubs are free for ladies before a certain time.
According to US News, 2013 graduates left college with about $28,400 in debt. There is no need to dig this hole any deeper than it already is. If there is a way to save, it’s always a good idea to jump at it.
