As a college student, cash is always hard to come by, not to mention all the expenses that you have to take care of. Not everyone has money like the spoiled Van Wilder!
Here are seven tips that will help you become financially secure in college:
Stay away from the cafeteria and fast food joints on and around campus
Cafeteria and restaurant bills can quickly pile up and while it can be a suitable place to hang out with your buddies and discuss upcoming college projects, it is better if you could pack your lunch instead of spending money on food in this manner. This will not only help you save a few bucks every week, which can turn into significant savings in the long run.
If you think packing your lunch is uncool then you should think about thinks from a different perspective. Either hang out with different people, think about how uncool it is to go further into debt, fight off that peer pressure, and so on. America is trillions in debt and its social security and health care institutions are terrible, that is uncool!
Discount coupons
Internet deal sites have made it so much easier to find and use discount coupons. So why not use them? As a student, you will also find a lot of special coupons that are specifically available to you. Make the most of it while you can. Every penny counts.
You can find coupons and deals in your local newspapers, online deal sites, and social media accounts and pages. You will be amazed at the amount of dollars you will save by spending just a few minutes before buying anything.
Have a budget
You don’t need an extremely difficult and complicated budget plan in order to succeed in your financial planning. But you do need a working budget that will help you keep your accounts in check. You will then understand where all your money is going, where you can save a few bucks, which categories are eating all your savings, and how you can plan for future expenditures. These are all critical decisions, and noting down your daily expenses at the end of the day will help you achieve this.
Managing your time
Most students are so focused on studying and saving money, that they tend to forget how to manage and save time. Time is perhaps the most valuable item that you can spend because it is limited and once spent, you can never get it back! If you watch that goofy science fiction movie In Time, you will know all about that!
You can begin by allotting time for each task and project, and getting your schedule under control. There are several apps available that you can use for this purpose. Or just write it out on a piece of paper, go old school!
Side projects
If you are following a schedule for your educational career, and have managed to manage your time, you should have some free time on your hands now. Instead of wasting these free hours hanging out with your friends, you should instead look out for some extra gigs. Look out for side projects that will help you make some extra cash, and also help you pick up some useful skills on the side.
Freelancing is a poignant way to begin. You can become a part time writer, photographer, designer, or social media manager. There are a lot of websites that offer genuine jobs. You just have to find your strength and passion.
Sell old stuff/Launch a startup
Old furniture that you no longer use and gaming consoles that you got tired of, there are a lot of stuff that is lying around in your dormitory, room, apartment, and so on picking up dust. You can make some extra cash by selling these via classified or auction sites.
Some of the biggest startups were launched in student dormitories. Facebook is a very popular and common example. If you have an idea, do not hesitate to try it out. Who knows? Maybe it will turn profitable. Keep working on it and ask some astute friends and professors for help. Don’t get crazy though like Leo Spitz did in Transformers 2 though!
Be positive
This last tip is not going to save you money, or even help you make some money directly, however it is one of the most sagacious and most useful tips you will receive. It is easy to lose motivation and confidence, but a positive attitude will help you overcome the hardest of challenges in your student life, and inspire you to keep moving forward.
When the going gets tough, it is time to get going. Hold on because hope is always there and success is waiting for you just round the corner. Do not abandon what you started just because some doubts are popping into your head. No one said it was going to be easy! You can and will overcome these challenges!
