How College Students Can Save Money on Living Costs

College is one of the most expensive periods of a college student’s life. It is the first major experience that helps college students’ transition into adulthood.  Many college students mismanage their money and are unaware of basic money management savings tips. During the college year living costs for college students can range from $12,000 to $20,000. The majority of their spending is on housing, food, entertainment, and transportation. The best way for college students to manage their money is to create a budget. Here are 14 tips and tricks to save money on living costs during your college education.

DINING OUT/ENTERTAINMENT

1. Look for free events near your college to save money on entertainment. 
2. Prepare low cost meals that are easy to fix are: tuna sandwich, tuna fish and crackers, sardines and crackers, oodles & noodles, spam, instant soups or other instant meals, casseroles, stews, cold/hot sandwiches, etc. 
3. Use public transportation to save money, carpool or use shared ride services.

CLOTHES

1. Share or swap clothes, shoes and purses with friends who wear the same size.
2. Know
3. Shop online to find bargains.
4. Buy clothes from a thrift store, consignment shop or discount stores.

TEXTBOOKS

1. Rent textbooks from Barnes & Noble, Amazon.com, campusbookrentals.com or www.valorebooks.com/rent-textbooks.
2. Buy used textbooks.
3. Comparison shop at online sites such as textbook.com.  
4. Buy textbooks from friends or students who previously took the same classes.

SHOPPING

1. Sign up for email or text alerts or newsletters or follow retailers on social media.
2. Ask about weekly store specials, other store discounts and price matching.
3. Negotiate with companies to get a lower price.
4. Use coupons to save money on purchases. Find coupons on Living Social or Groupon.

Banking

1. Use free budgeting apps such as Mint.com app, Level Money or Learnvest. Free apps are also provided by your smartphone service provider.
2. Find a branch that is close to your school to avoid transportation costs and out-of-network costs.
3. Ask about checking or savings accounts for college students.