I always say college is not all about books and grades but also about habits you cultivate. Especially financial management habits can go a long way in your life to make you or break you. As students, we are always managing limited resources and if you’re one of the students who know how to efficiently manage these resources on campus, you can imagine what you will achieve with your finances in the real world.
While these management skills can sound unachievable on campus especially due to a lack of enough resources, you can start by living a frugal lifestyle as a college student and all other managerial skills will automatically fall into place.
Frugal living for college students starts from you the person in question not necessarily the resources you would squander if you don’t live a frugal life. What I mean by that is that, let’s take an example of two different types of students.
One prefers to break his wallet and buy expensive gifts for his colleagues without them returning the favor while the other students avoid gatherings that will require or demand him to spend such a huge sum of money. Automatically, the second student will end up saving more money and living stable campus life than the first one. Because he is not a party and hype type. Frugal living prevents excessive spending
Creativity and smart choices are fundamental to frugal living for college students while those who prefer the extravagant and flamboyant lifestyle may end up breaking their banks and still get stuck in a financial crisis on campus.
In todays post, I’m going to show you the 7 best tips for frugal living on campus today. It is the best advice that will help every student to save money and live the best life on campus.
Tips For Effective Frugal Living for College Students
Carefully follow these tips and be disciplined enough to follow them if only you want to cut down on expenses on campus:
1. Buy Secondhand Clothes / Thrift Shopping
Thrift shopping or second-hand shopping is an effective way to live a frugal life as a college student. Thrift shops or charity shops are mostly run by charitable organizations to raise funds. Thus, they do not have fixed prices there, while someone would buy such clothes for 100 bucks another could pay 5 bucks for it.
It’s similar to offertory at churches but this one you will have to go home with a product worth your money. You can also find these products on eBay and Facebook Marketplace for a fraction of the real price.
Things you can buy on thrift shopping include furniture, textbooks, gadgets, and many more, so make use of this strategy but don’t compromise quality.
2. Few Things are Enough
College is not a funfair or who’s got it more or better competition or a reality show. Few clothes, furniture, and shoes that can sustain you through college is enough. You do not have to break the bank for something you will not need in the long term if you want to live frugally and save money on campus.
After all, those same things await you after college, so why spend your limited resources on them while in college?
3. Minimize Transportation Expenses
Walk to school, and ride a bicycle to school to avoid the expenses of transportation. The best way is to join colleagues from the same area and walk, bike, or carpool to school and from.
And if you want to use public transport, look for student discounts and student passes.
4. No Credit Card
Frugal living for college students doesn’t require credit cards. You are trying to live within your resources and still be able to save money. So credit is just out of the question, Taking credit can lure you into extravagant spending until it is time to pay.
5. Do Not Delay Payment
When you rent a book, and return it safely and on time, the same thing applies to admission fees, exam fees, bills, and loans. This can attract a ‘fine’ or ‘penalty’ of extra cost to your budget.
You can’t live a frugal life while paying these easily avoidable debts. To stay in check and make sure you don’t delay any payment, set dates and times for returning or paying these fees on the calendar or watches and make notes where you can easily see and remember.
6. Zero or Less Screen Time
Broadband and mobile plans can get over your head as a student when you get too addicted to the screens than your books. After all, you have all those gist and social media trends after school, so for now pay attention to the books and put TVs, cell phone, and laptops aside if they are not helping you with any research.
To do this, you can create distractions by playing memory games, playing with math and numbers, and also practice thinking in categories.
7. Be a Minimalist
Being a minimalist is tantamount to frugal living for college students. Minimalists do not want more material things but rather create budget-friendly memories. A minimalist can use two pairs of shoes through 4 years of college education.
The only difference between a minimalist and a frugal student is, a minimalist owns fewer pieces of stuff while a frugal person spends less money. But if you look at it critically, someone who spends less can’t own much.
That is basically what frugal living for college students implies. So get abreast with these tips and make college education less straining and less stressful for yourself.