Don’t Eat Out

This may sound like the simplest to do but it’s hard in practice. College gets stressful. Sometimes, you don’t have time to cook. Eating out becomes a habit, and it’s an unnecessary drain on your funds. Instead of eating out, start buying food in bulk and prep your meals for the whole week.

For example, a grilled chicken sandwich is much cheaper and healthier to make at home. Set aside one day to cook all your meals. At the very least, make your meals easy to prepare so that even laziness can’t stop you. Eating at home is better for your physical and financial health. Plus, it’s another life skill to add to your arsenal. Financially responsible students are often self-sufficient.

Don’t Buy Textbooks (Unless Absolutely Necessary)

Textbooks are some of the most expensive things you’ll buy during a semester. Even worse, it becomes completely useless after a year or two. Instead, look for any alternatives to getting them. Many textbooks can be bought secondhand. Once their use is exhausted, you can also sell or give them away to your juniors. Alternatively, look around online.

Some textbooks are fully available for free as e-books online. These are archived online for use by students like you. Failing that, share a book with your schoolmates. You could even offer to chip in if they have trouble getting it too. Textbooks are an unfortunate pain on your personal finance, but they can be worked around.

Find a Convenient Part-Time Job

Emphasis on convenience. College should always be your top priority, so it’s important to pick a job that doesn’t override it. Unless you’re working your dream job and getting paid well above your experience level, it’s not worth the stress or the costs. For example, a job far away from home or college means your salary is already reduced by transportation costs.

Instead, look for jobs that are near you. You can’t eat out or get tempted by sales if you’re at work, after all. Still, it would be best if you could find a remote job. A remote job means transport costs are now zero for that job. Not to mention, it’s far easier to fit into your schedule. You could consider a career in digital marketing, as those are done remotely nowadays.

Rewards Cards

You’ll obviously need groceries to survive. You’ll also likely fall to temptation and give yourself a luxury or two. That’s perfectly normal, but there are ways to optimize your spending habits. If you’re a regular at a big grocery store (such as Costco), apply for their rewards cards. 

These cards offer benefits and points that could mean big savings in the future.  Additionally, there are some rewards apps such as Fetch that give you free stuff depending on where you buy from.  Browser extensions like Honey also ensure that you’re buying things at the lowest possible price.

Credit Cards

Credit cards get a bad reputation. If you don’t trust yourself financially, then yes, you should avoid credit cards like the plague. Start with a debit card and build up good spending habits first. It’s important to be responsible before getting one. Once you are financially stable, a credit card is a huge net positive.

Credit cards have protections folded into them such as extended warranties on purchases, better price guarantees, and theft protection. Credit companies also offer points and rewards for regular use. These more than make up for any membership fees. Lastly, using credit cards greatly improves your credit score. A strong credit score will look great when you apply for loans in the future.

Always pay your credit card in full before the deadline. If you treat your credit card like a debit card, you’ll never use cash or debit ever again. It’s simply a far more beneficial way to pay for things. The only barrier is your self-control, and truthfully, that is a rather hard obstacle.