10 Ways to Save Money as a Broke College Student
- COLLEGE WITH KAITLYN
- May 19, 2019
- 8 min read
As a college student, you have a lot on your plate. Maybe your classes are tough, or you are in 4 different clubs, or you schedule consists of sorority events and meetings. Who knows! The life of a college student can be hectic. Because it is so busy, many of us have to cut back the time that we spend working and making an income, and in turn, we have to cut back on our spending. But, there are so many ways to help you save money. Being broke is not the end of the world. We can get through this, and I am going to help you. Here are 10 different ways that you can save your money when you are broke and in college. These are all super easy and I am confident that with these tips you will hardly feel broke at all.
1 | GET MONEY BACK FOR ONLINE SHOPPING
This awesome website gives you money back when you spend money at certain stores, both online and in person.
Ebates has had pretty much any store you can think of, from online clothing stores, such as Pretty Little Thing and Boohoo, to grocery stores like Fred Meyers.
The amount of money you get back depends on the store.
Most college students are always watching what they are spending their money on and don’t have a lot of money to eat out or travel.
Using Ebates to buy necessities such as groceries, school supplies, and household items can add up extra money for you to use to live a little.
Ebates also has an app so you can use it on the go and carry in-store coupons with you.
2 | GROUPON
Sometimes dining hall food can get very unappealing, especially after eating it for weeks on end.
A great way to be able to go out to eat for cheap is to use groupon.
Groupon has a section that gives you discounts and coupons to different restaurants that are in your area.
Most of these deals are for awesome restaurants that are just trying to get more people in their doors.
Feelin’ like you’re hungry for Italian food? Thai? Sushi?
Download Groupon and you can get all of those deals within the click of a button.
3 | BUY USED OR RENT IT
When I was in high school, before I got a job, I made most of my money by selling my used clothes.
I would scavenge through my closet for items that I hardly used or couldn’t fit anymore.
At this time in my life, most of my clothes were either gifted to me or I bought them with the money I got during birthdays and holidays.
I would sell my used clothes online through Poshmark for pretty cheap.
In return, I would also buy used clothes through these websites.
Since I wasn’t making a lot of money selling my clothes, it was not like I could afford to go to places like Nordstrom to buy clothes.
So, I would buy my clothes and shoes off of websites like Poshmark for a cheaper and discounted price.
This is a great way to save money when your a college student, especially when you are in need of new clothes.
Lets be completely honest, you are going to need new clothes at some point throughout college.
Whether that be for a business professional event, a sorority dinner, or just for a change in the season.
You can find great things at second hand stores or discount stores as well.
Some of the websites I recommend are:
I know that some people like to go in store and try things on to make sure they fit.
I am like that too!
Some great discount stores I personally like are:
Ross
TJ Maxx
Goodwill
Whether you’re looking for a cute summer dress or a pair of cute sunglasses, creating an account with one of these websites and shopping at these stores could save you hundreds of dollars on cute items.
4 | SPLIT THE COST OF TEXTBOOKS
This is specific to renting textbooks.
I mean, you could use this method to buy textbooks but I found that it works better if the textbook is rented.
If you know someone that is taking a certain class during the same semester as you are, an easy way for you to save money on textbooks is if you split the cost to rent the textbook with that person.
This works really well if you are friends with that person or you live in the same dorm as they do.
Lets just say that the price to rent the textbook is $60.
If you split the cost of that with another person in the same class, you would only be paying $30.
That is so much cheaper than paying the full price to rent the textbook, or even to buy the textbook itself, which can range up to hundreds of dollars.
And this way, at the end of the term, you and your friend don’t have to fight over who sells the book because it just goes back to the school.
5 | BUY TEXTBOOKS FROM PREVIOUS STUDENTS
If you are a person who likes to highlight throughout your book, or write inside it, then renting a textbook is probably not for you.
However, you can buy textbooks from previous students for a cheaper price than retail.
Renting textbooks isn’t for everyone.
It certainly wasn’t like that for me.
But, I know a lot of people that just can’t get themselves to pay hundreds of dollars on a textbook they will only use for a term.
I don’t blame them!
Textbooks have become way too expensive, especially if you are buying them new.
However, most of the time, if you buy textbooks from previous students they will sell it to you at a discount, often more discounted than the used books they sell through your university!
Doing this could save you a good chunk of change, and might even include helpful notes throughout the book.
6 | USE AFFILIATE CODES
There are thousands of affiliate links throughout social media.
You might watch a YouTube video that include some codes and never expect to use them, but one day you might find yourself looking to buy a product from that company.
These affiliate link are very helpful for college students because they are just out there, they are out there for anyone to use at any time.
Every time I watch a YouTube video with an affiliate link, I will add the affiliate code to the notes app on my phone.
That way, if I ever am looking to buy something, I might be able to use a discount code and get it for cheaper.
There are affiliate codes for so many different products because companies are finding out that social media is one of the best ways to market their products, thus leading them to be affiliated with all of these celebrities and influencers.
Another way to find affiliate codes for different brands is just to search them up on YouTube.
If you are looking for a UberEats discount code, type in the search bar “UberEats Review”.
Most often than not, one of those reviews will have a discount code.
7 | BUY IN BULK
COSTCO!!! Who loves Costco?
I’m pretty sure everyone loves Costco.
The awesome thing about Costco is that almost all of their food products that they carry come in bulk.
You might think that $23 for 18 bottles of gatorade is expensive, but if you were to pay $2 for one gatorade every day for 18 days, you would be paying $36.
When you buy things in bulk, you may not need that specific product every single day, right at this very moment, but when you do need/want it, it is there.
And you paid less money overall!
Some great places to get different products in bulk are:
Obviously Costco
Winco
Fred Meyer
Use this method and, TRUST ME, it will save you hundreds.
8 | USE STUDENT DISCOUNTS RELIGIOUSLY
The great perk of being a college student is that you are able to get discounts just for being a student!
There are many great places that have student discounts that you would never have thought about.
Here are some companies that offer student discounts and what they provide students with ID cards:
FOOD:
Buffalo Wild Wings | 10% off
Chick-fil-A | Free Drink
Chipotle | Free Drink
Dairy Queen | 10% off
McDonalds | 10% off
Shari’s | 10% off
ELECTRONICS:
Apple | Discounted prices and gift cards with purchases
Microsoft | 10% off
Adobe | Up to 60% off
Dell | A free Dell Tablet with a purchase of select PCs $699 or more
Spring | 10% off the monthly bill
MOVIES AND ENTERTAINMENT
AMC Theatres | Discount depends on location
Cinemark | Discount depends on location
Many Art Museums
TRANSPORTATION
Chevrolet
CoachUSA/Shortline | 15% off tickets going to or traveling from the location on your ID
Greyhound | Between 20% and 40% off depending on the ticket and location
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Amazon | 6 months of free 2-day shipping and 50% off for four years
Spotify Premium | 50% off
APPAREL/RETAIL
ASOS | 10% off for students registered with UNIDAYS
Kate Spade | 15% off
Topshop | 10% off
Levi’s | 15% off for students registered with UNIDAYS
Goodwill | 20% off on tuesdays
These companies that I have listed are only a few of very many.
I suggest that you ask for student discounts if you are ever out at local restaurants, bars, retail stores, coffee shops, or boutiques.
Chances are they might have something for you.
9 | USE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION OR A BIKE
The price to have a car in college can be much more expensive than people expect.
You have to pay for gas, maintenance, and parking.
You may not realize it before you move away from home, but these things can get very spendy, especially if on-campus parking passes were around $150 like mine were.
If you are trying to save money, the best way to do so is to either take public transportation or ride a bike.
When I first started college, I was thinking that there was no way that I would be seen riding a bike around town.
Why would I if I had a car, or could book an Uber?
Within a month, I had realized that the price for round trip to go somewhere that was about a mile and a half off campus cost $12.
It might not seem a lot to some people, but trust me, it adds up.
Biking and taking advantage of the buses gets the job done and is ultimately much cheaper than driving a car or booking an Uber.
You might even be able to get a student discount on a bus pass, which would save you even more money.
It might take more planning, but I feel like that is worth saving the cash and using it to spend on much more fun things.
Like clothes! Or a music festival!
10 | VOLUNTEER TO PAY FOR A TRIP
This one might sound a bit weird because volunteering does not exactly give off the impression of a fun vacation.
But, there are so many great sites that will give you free housing (and sometimes food) in exchange for just a bit of work.
If you are looking to travel abroad, but are finding it very expensive, this might be the solution for you.
Not only does this give you free housing and meals, but it can also allow you to experience an entirely different culture than yours.
Since many of these companies place you with locals, you will be able to experience what their culture like you are living there.
Some of the work they might be looking for could be…
Farming
House work
Rebuilding homes
Babysitting
Customer service help
It really just depends on the company.
Some of the most reputable companies for this are:
Overall, it is a great way to experience a new location, has great benefits, allows you to stay in a room for free, and gives you great connections with people you will remember for a lifetime.
Kommentare