Tag Archives: budget
5 Ways Students Can Save Money
With in-state tuition for public universities approaching $10,000 these days, and other costs like housing and books escalating in lockstep, it has never been more important for students to save money while at school.
While it is easy to just use credit to charge all these expenses, the bill will come due someday soon, so you owe it to your future self to not cripple yourself with an unmanageable debt load. As such, here are five ways students can save money so that they can give themselves a brighter financial future, as well as more disposable income for the important things in life.
Like beer.
And video games.
1) Take on roommates
While you might crave privacy after 18 years of living at home with your parents, the unfortunate reality is that college is more expensive than it ever has been. The good news is that you get to choose who you are sharing a living space with, making for a living atmosphere that will be much more lively than if you were to go it alone. This will divide your house or apartment rent to a level that will allow you to enjoy a diet that consists of more than ramen and water.
2) Cook meals with friends
When you share a house with friends, another opportunity to save your precious cash presents itself. Instead of cooking meals individually, you can take turns making meals for each other. This will require coordination when it comes to shopping at your local supermarket, but once you settle into a groove, you will be spending less per person, eating better than you would individually, and the kitchen will be less crowded. So much win!
3) Order as much as you can online
The internet age has made our lives so much easier, with no better example than online shopping. Why burn gas and time running all over town to buy the things you need for school and life when you could just click a few buttons and wait for it all to come to you?
If you want to save money on school supplies, this is the perfect way to do things in 2015, as many coupon sites allow you to spend even less than the already reasonable prices listed, and with many deals waiving shipping charges, you can spend the time you just saved playing Call Of Dut- … er, I mean, studying for that stats term paper coming up. Yeah, that’s right.
4) Have house parties instead of going out to the bars
With prices for booze escalating with every passing year, going out to the bars is a fun pastime that composes an ever-larger chunk of student budgets. While heading out to a venue out on the town is always a great time, the whole point of drinking is to have a killer time with your buds.
Why can’t you do that at home at least some of the time? Buy a 30 pack of PBR or Natty Ice, organize a playlist of awesome tunes from your totally legal song collection, and enjoy the fact that you can socialize without having to pay a $10 cover charge for the privilege.
5) Buy used textbooks
These days, it’s estimated that students in some faculties will have to shell out more than $1,000 for books per semester. This is truly insane, and while books have new editions every six months or so, they often change so little that students can buy them off each other for much less than what it cost new.
How to do Paris on a Student’s Budget
These kids know how to do Paris on a student’s budget … how can you do the same?
As destinations go, Paris ranks among the top to experience before passing on into the great beyond. The problem is that it gets harder to see places like The City of Lights as you take on ever more responsibilities in life, so it is imperative that you get out and see these sights while you are young, single and fabulous.
The only chestnut that you can’t seem to crack in your mind is this: all this stuff costs money. Especially Paris, which consistently ranks among the priciest urban destinations on Earth. However, with some tenacious travel hacking, even the more expensive places in the world become accessible to those of modest means.
Since you likely count yourself among this group at this stage in your life, it is important that you find ways to stretch your dollars until President Washington cries. To help you do this, we have scraped together our best tips on how to do Paris on a student’s budget.
Let’s review them in detail below, so you can begin packing your rucksack for an amazing adventure in one of the most fabulous cities on Earth.
The best things in life are free
While you might be excited enough to book your ticket at this point, take the time to read this first before charging your credit card. While just about any time of year is a great time to visit Paris, be sure to time your trip to coincide with the first Sunday of the month. A large number of museums, monuments, and tourist attractions offer free admission at this time, including the Louvre (during the winter months).
In addition to this, strolling through the Jardin de Luxembourg, along the Seine, or though hip neighborhoods such as The Marais doesn’t cost anything, allowing to save your money for a night or two of fine French dining.
French food doesn’t have to break the bank
One of the pleasures of being in France is partaking of some of the finest cuisine in the world, and as such, you shouldn’t deny yourself of it totally in the name of keeping to a draconian budget. Dining out every night does add up though, so you’ll have to pick your battles when it comes to eating out at fancy restaurants.
This doesn’t mean you have to slum it on your cheap days though, as Paris offers plenty of affordable treats that won’t break you financially. Crepes are a popular sweet or savory treat that you simply have to try, as it will only set you back a few Euros for the more basic varieties.
Boulangeries offer racks full of macaroons, croissants and freshly-baked baguettes, while Paris ethnic diversity will expose you to a myriad of international street fare such as falafel, a frequent find due to the strong presence of Arabic cultures within city limits.
Chip in on an apartment together
Of course, none of the above matters if you have no place to lay your head at the end of the day. While hostels can be fun, if you are traveling with a large group of friends, it can be difficult to keep everybody together in the same rooms in the perpetually busy budget accommodations of this highly popular city.
An alternative option that it is just as affordable (but far more cozy) is to rent an apartment for the duration of your stay here. By making use of booking sites like this one (http://www.housetrip.com/en/paris), you can get a place that is close to nightlife, tourist attraction and shopping, all while having a quiet place to return to at night.
Or a place where you can party it up without imposing on strangers.
Either way, the freedom you enjoy with this option makes it worth your serious consideration.
