School’s back in session - 9 ways to save money after paying for tuition

Aug 21st, 2007 by David Murphy-Colonna | Scroll down for comments

Well school is about start back up again. It is one of the most expensive times of the year too. As if tuition wasn’t enough though, now you have to buy books, supplies, dorm room amenities, food, etc.

Although CashBulge is not able to offer scholarships to our readers to lessen the burden of college tuition, we do have some smart tips that will help you save money as you head back to campus this semester.

1. Buy your books online, new or used

Doing this can save you a ton of money. You may have to start a little early, and do some research about what books you are going to need this semester, but the hour you spend doing research could be worth hundreds of dollars. You will not only save money and time when the semester starts you will also save yourself from many headaches.

Try buying used books as well, they are usually much cheaper and will do the trick. If you are afraid the book will be damaged, take a look at the description and if that doesn’t satisfy you,contact the seller and ask any questions you have about the book and its condition. Ive save $70 on a used book before just because the cover was loose and scratched up.

*Sometimes you can also purchase the answer guide when buying off Amazon :-)*

Starting in August try selling your old textbooks as well, you can get more money for them online then when you sell them back to the book store.

Try Amazon.com and Abebooks.com for discount textbooks this semester.

2.Coordinate expenses with roommate

Moving into a dorm or an apartment can be very expensive. Get in touch with your roommate(s) and divvy up the costs for shared items, such as a couch, refrigerator, television etc. Also see what your roommates are buying for your living space, you don’t want to show up and have two huge refrigerators in your dorm/apartment. Coordinate.

Make sure you also plan out monthly bills for the year with your roommate before the year starts. Saves headaches!

3.Look through your previous year’s items

Look through the boxes of stuff you brought home from college last year, you may have many unused supplies such as pens pencils, some toiletries, and other miscellaneous stuff. If you do have some unused items and they are not expired you can cross them off the to-get-list for this year.

With that said, take care of your items during the year, you don’t want to have to buy new stuff each year that could easily be reused if you can take good care of it. For example, use garbage bags to line your garbage can to preserve the life and cleanliness of the trash can that way at the end of the year you can put it aside until next year without having a dirty trash can in your house.

4.Look for back to school specials at retail chains

Self-explanatory. Don’t think that because your in college you can’t buy school supplies in the elementary-school back to school sale sections of large retail stores. Yesterday I saw a deal for 10 note books for a dollar in Target. Although they may not be the highest quality note books I am sure I will be able to use a few for some of my classes.

5.Coordinate with other students

This goes back to rules 1&2. Look for students who have had your classes previous semesters to get books and other valuable class materials. You can trade other students some of your books for their books, in order to cut costs for both of you.

6.Buy in bulk

When buying food and toiletries for your room, try to buy in bulk. You can save a lot of money and time in the future, if you buy in bulk now.

If you have the space to store that mega package of toilet paper in your dorm, buy it because you know you will need it sooner or later.

7. Be realistic about your meal plan and eating habits

Many schools offer unlimited meal plans that allow you to eat at all hours of the day, at an unlimited amount of times for a flat rate. Take a look at your eating habits and see if you can purchase a smaller plan, with some time restrictions. This can save you up to $300 dollars a year just for knowing what times you eat. Also look into a declining balance meal plan, because then you are only paying for exactly what you get, as if you were paying with cash.

8. Watch out for credit cards

This probably needs its own topic, and I plan on writing about credit cards in the future, but for now just watch yourself. Try to limit yourself to one, and use it wisely. Make sure you have enough money in the bank to be able to pay your bill off in full at the end of the month, if you can. That’s what I do.

Try not to get into the habit of charging every little thing unless you know you have money in the bank to back it up. Charging potato chips and snacks over and over is a bad habit to get into, it can add up quickly without you even knowing it.

Credit cards are great tool and it is very important to establish good credit, but just be responsible, that’s all.

9. Don’t go out every night

Yes I know these are your glory years, but you do not have to go out every night to a party, a bar, a restaurant, or the movies. This will drain your pockets really really fast.

Take nights off and catch up on school work, get together at a friend’s place and watch a movie or talk about whatever pops into your head, it can be just as fun.

Or better yet, get together with some friends listen to music and brainstorm a new business venture. That’s how CashBulge came to life

So follow these tips and you will be sure to save money! Have fun at school!

David Murphy-Colonna posted this article under Saving Money on Tuesday, August 21st, 2007 at 10:23 am You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment or trackback from your own site. View Technorati Linkbacks.