How to save money in college

Forgo a car

Having a car while in college seems cool. However, the opposite is true, especially on your wallet. Paying for insurance, gas, parking, unexpected car repairs, etc will certainly put a dent on your finances. To avoid these unnecessary costs, use public transit, or borrow a friend's car. For those that desire to travel long distances, there are plenty of services available that are favorable to students. Zipcar is an excellent example.

Monitor your cell phone usage

Talk time can cost a dime, especially for campus students. A great way to keep your costs in check is by signing up for sites such as WhistleOut or My Data Manager that alert you if you happen to exceed your monthly limit. These sites also analyze cell phone bills to ensure you're using the most pocket-friendly plan.

Use Wi-Fi as much as you can to minimize your data usage.

Watch it with your credit cards

When you're a college student, getting a credit card is surprisingly easy. How about paying it off? Often, not so easy! If you must get one, ensure you opt for those with the lowest interest rates. Additionally, choose credit cards that only charge what you're able or comfortable to pay.

To avoid late fees, always pay off the entire balance on time every month. Doing so will help build up credit. What's more is that it'll prevent you from landing into more credit card debts, which is a common phenomenon among many students.

Limit eating out

Have you bought into your school's meal plan? If yes, you certainly need to use it. Granted, you might want to splurge occasionally. However, refrain from making eating out a habit. This is because costs tend to add up so quickly.

Another way to save even more is by stocking your fridge with soft drinks and snacks from the grocery store rather than the convenience store or vending machine.

Avoid buying new textbooks

The expensive nature of textbooks is shocking for lack of better words. Before you think of hitting the college bookstore, establish if you can purchase books from the library or fellow students. Amazon.com also has great offers on textbooks. The other alternative is to rent books from textbook services such as Barnes & Noble's or Chegg.

Check for discounts on laptops

Just like with textbooks, a new laptop can be quite costly. For this reason, when in the market for one, check for tax-free days and discounts. Adobe, Apple, and Dell are some of the companies that offer slashed prices to students. A good number of campus bookstores have discounts on laptops even to incoming students.

After making a purchase, you need to protect your investment by buying a laptop lock. Finally, yet importantly, don't forget to install the latest antivirus software.

Final Words

Budgeting and saving are simple concepts that each student in college needs to learn. If you're to save money in college, you must make sure that your spending habits are in check. The above are some of the hacks you can use to save money in college.