The cliché image of a broke college student only surviving on ramen noodles isn’t so cliché once you actually go to college and become that person. Let’s be real, college is expensive, but why should that mean we have to sacrifice things we “need” as humans, like food and entertainment? With a little bit of digging, there are a lot of ways you can save money while still getting a good education and still enjoy life.
Scholarships
This is the most known and obvious way to save money when going off to college. The majority of colleges have scholarships they offer for academics or financial need. If you did not qualify for any of these, don’t worry because there are millions of private scholarships that you can apply to. There are scholarships for practically everything, being left-handed, being a girl, being a good writer, you are sure to find one that matches you. Simple searches online can lead you to tons of helpful sites that can help you with your scholarship search. One called www.scholarships.com is a free scholarship search that can find the right financial aid fit.
Subscriptions
Did you know that over 60 million people in the United States have a Netflix subscription? Subscriptions to multiple online services is a part of the modern culture, and it can be quite expensive once added up. Fortunately, for college students, they can still have the luxury of having these services for a discounted rate.
Spotify, a music streaming service, has a premium student plan that is only $4.99 a month and it includes a subscription to Hulu and Showtime. Three subscriptions wrapped in one for under $5! YouTube also has a premium student account for only $6.99 a month versus the usual $11.99 a month. For online shoppers, Amazon offers a prime student account that includes a 6-month free trial, then it will cost less than $7 a month. Another helpful thing is how some colleges will provide Microsoft Office free to enrolled students.
Savings
Saving money is incredibly important, and if you’re working while in college, it’s smart to put at least 10% of your paycheck into a savings account. What you will use your savings for us up to you, but you need to start somewhere, so why not now? With the iSave savings account through Eastex CU, you’ll get your own savings account along with a debit card, 1% off the loan rate on your first loan, have access to annual scholarships, and so much more. By creating a habit of saving some of your money when in college will only create that smart habit you can take with you when you graduate and enter into the world.
