Take note of some of these tips, as some of them will serve you well later in life too. Money tips are needed in college because students have severely limited funds, but many of the tips can also be used as you get older.
Share car journeys, especially to the store
This is a tip that will save you money in the long run. When your student friends are going to the grocery store, share a car ride, with each person chipping in for gas. The more people that go, then the more economical the journey becomes—meaning that all of the students save money.
Keep your money in the bank
Money is safer in a bank than in your shared housing or dorm. Theft is a problem everywhere, and not just in colleges and in dorms. Criminal sorts are attracted to colleges and college dorms, where trusting or drunk students are ripe for the robbing. They will take anything from your car keys and laptop, to the loose change you threw on your desk. If you live with other students or share a dorm, then your housemates/roommate’s next lover may be a criminal on the job.
Having money means not spending
How rich a person becomes has less to do with how much they earn and more to do with how much they save. The reasoning behind this could fill a best UK essay. Suffice it to say that the money rich people have is through the money they have not spent, and yet your mind has been conditioned to spend, spend, spend. Test yourself and your friends to see how conditioned they are. Ask them, if you won $20,000 tomorrow, what would you do with it? If they do not say, “save it” or “put it in the bank”, then they are conditioned to spend.
As soon as most people get any money, they instantly start deciding how to get rid of it (spend it). And, the chances are that most of your friends would start listing off the ways they would get rid of their money as quickly as they got it.
Snack if you must, but snack cheaply
Convenience food is the enemy of the student. If you want to save money, then get into the habit of having three meals per day and no more. Make sure that they are substantial meals that fill you up so you won’t be tempted to snack during the day, which is going to cost you money.
Don’t sell anything
This tip is short because it needs to be remembered. Students will often sell their items to fellow students on eBay and Amazon, and they think that they are being shrewd, in fact they do not realize they are losing money.
If you were to write an essay on economics, you may first take note of assets. Each item you own is an asset and has its place in saving you money. You may think that selling twenty of your DVDs may bring in some quick cash, however over the next year you are going to become bored. And, one of those DVDs may have helped stop you running out and buying other DVDs, or console games, or may have provided you and your partner with a cheap night in, instead of an expensive night out.
Only sell items if you are sure you can make a lot more than they are worth, and then repurchase them cheaply so that you may keep the profit.
Keep your car well maintained
A lack of oil is the difference between yearly maintenance and having to buy a new car. The air in your tire will dictate how much fuel your car uses. Having your boot or car filled with items you do not need will cost you money in fuel. In Britain, a study proved that simply having a moustache will cost you $15 per year (based on the extra weight, and adjusted for current fuel prices).
Learn how to swap and borrow
Do it with people that you trust. The worst thing you can do is lend to a person who purposefully, or accidentally, forgets you have leant them something. Swapping console games and DVDs is a great way of saving money. As is lending and borrowing things such as video camera, professional cameras, cars and even space in a freezer.
Energy creation devices are too expensive
A solar-powered mobile phone battery charger may seem like a wise investment, but it is not. The cheap Chinese-made ones are only trickle chargers to keep the battery topped up (read the small print on the instructions). Any device that will charge your phone battery from dead, and then stop charging when it is full, is going to cost you a lot of money. Similar devices are equally as ineffective, such as phone and laptop chargers that use kinetic energy.
Gather in groups
You will find that you do not need the pubs, cinemas, or other entertainment facilities if you gather in groups of friends. Many happy hours may be spent on the grass watching your team or just having a chat with friends. Many groups of happy teens have spent hours having a Jackass movie marathon and maybe having a drink every time the little fella comes on screen (he is the only reason those movies are watchable).
I hope these tips will be useful for you and you’ll be able to save some cash and learn how to spend your money and time wisely.
