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22 Money Saving Tips for College Students

Nadya Corscadden

Being a student is expensive…which is PERFECTLY timed with your simultaneous inability to hold a full-time job to offset those expenses.

This means that creating a budget and actually sticking to it is imperative throughout this time.

Thankfully, there are ways to keep extra costs down where you can…so have a glance at these:

Money Saving Tips for College Students

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1) Live in your apartment before fully furnishing it and stocking your kitchen

It’s easy to go overboard and think you need EVERYTHING when you’re first starting out…which is KIND OF true because you’re starting with very little (unless your family is nearby and has things you can steal).


But while you don’t have EVERYTHING, you might also discover that you don’t need everything, either. You don’t exactly have extra money or time to enjoy those things anyways.


Try to start living with just the bare essentials for a while and only get things as you find yourself needing them multiple times. You can probably get by with fewer things than you think.

Unless you’re planning on living RIGHT here beyond graduation, you’ll be happy to have less stuff anyways. You’re eventually going to have to ditch, sell or pay to move everything that you accumulate.


2) Get to know your local second hand store.

For those things that ARE necessities, but they aren’t things that tend to get destroyed over time, check out your local second hand store.

If it’s good, you’ll never need to buy new clothing or kitchen stuff ever again!


3) Don’t buy the cheapest backpack possible

Also known as: buy quality where you need quality.


This might sound counter-intuitive, but cheap isn’t always best when it comes to things what will get a lot of wear. The thing that holds all of your heaviest possessions all day every day is definitely one of those things. It will literally fall apart at the seams, and you’ll have to quickly replace it multiple times.

It still doesn’t have to be the most expensive or brand-name backpack…but a solidly medium price-point pack with a durable/thick fabric and good stitching is an investment you won’t regret.


4) Track your Expenses

While “make a budget” always sounds like the most important thing, it’s totally possible that your budget will turn out to be unmanageable once you start trying to live within it.

Make an intended budget, yes…but then keep track of your expenses with a fine-tooth comb for the first few months to make sure you’re at least somewhat on track. That way, if things are going over, you’ll have an idea of where you might be able to adjust your spending habits.

If you don’t even know where to start with a budget, stick with “spend as little money as possible” at the beginning of the term and see how far it gets you.



5) Cook at home/pack meals

The more you can cook and eat home-made meals, the more money you will save. This is ESPECIALLY true for things like coffee…who wants to pay $5 PER coffee??

While you’re at it, find out how to make the packaged things you use all the time. Things like salad dressings and sandwich meat are actually really simply to make, and are cheaper AND better for you!


6) Use Your Freezer

It can be difficult to find the time to cook every day…but if you batch-make food on your days off, you can freeze the excess and have cheap, healthy meals in a flash every day.



Take advantage of buying near-expiry foods when they’re on sale as long as they can go in the freezer, too (I’m talking to you: fresh quiche!!)


7) Collect re-useable containers

While it’s certainly not recommended to microwave food in non-safe containers, it doesn’t mean you can’t FREEZE it in secondhand containers. Things like yogurt containers and to-go containers are very useful to have around to freeze extra food.

If you forgot to leave something out to thaw, and it’s stuck inside, just put it in some warm water and it should slide out soon!

You can also use old jars and containers to organize things like pencils and pens and hair things.


8) If you run out of food-money, dried beans are your friend!

Though canned beans are certainly a frugal pantry staple, they’re still technically over-priced. A lot of what you’re paying for is convenience. Dried beans are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper, lighter to carry home, and they taste better, too!

All you have to do is remember to soak them the day before you think you’ll be using them.

Beans are a fabulous food group to learn how to utilize in your cooking because they are nutritious, cheap, and a good choice for the environment as well…so don’t be afraid of befriending them! (unless, of course, they disagree with your digestive system…..)


9) Try out no-name groceries

Though you’re not going to like all of the no-name replacements, it’s worth trying them all to see which ones you don’t mind. You’ll probably find that most are fine, but then there are a couple things that are just not the same (my line is no-name ketchup…but I think I’m a minority in hating that one)



10) Coupons

Collect coupons. Seriously. They’re ASKING to give you a discount - why wouldn’t you take it!!!



11) Ask about student discounts

Not every store advertises that they have student discounts, so it never hurts to ask on your first day shopping anywhere. You may need to flash your student card, but sometimes all you have to do is say where you’re going to school.



That being said, don’t buy things just BECAUSE they’re on sale. Retail prays on innocent students who think 10% off is saving serious cash.



Remember: buying it is still more expensive than not buying it at all.



12) Hang-dry as many things as possible

Laundry always sounds cheap until you have to wash AND dry everything…so do yourself a favour and make a place to hang-dry stuff for free at home. If you do have some things to put in the dryer, put them all in at once instead of just keeping a thing or two from each load and paying for multiple machines.




13) Question whether your whites are worth an extra laundry load

You’ve all heard this before: always wash your whites separately!

BUT….this is only true if you really care about preserving the perfect whiteness. They won’t explode or degrade or anything - all that will change is the colour.

Hand-washing things is also an option if you really do have one or two items that you want to keep on the perfect white spectrum.


14) Opt for low-maintenance clothes…or else take care of them religiously

If you’re in frugal-student-mode, you cannot afford to replace expensive clothing…so, either bring a bunch of cheap stuff to just wash and dry without a fuss, or else take care of your clothing to the best of your ability.

Be careful of shrinking and stretching out of shape on cheap hangers (or while drying), and even colour-fading due to cheap laundry detergents.

Ironing is also a thing that’s not worth making time for unless you absolutely have to.



15) Walk whenever you can

Why pay to get from A to B unless you have to?



If you are able to time-wise, even walking the first direction of a route can make a difference. If you absolutely will have to take a cab, try and find a buddy who also needs/wants to go so you can split the fare.







16) Let your apartment have seasons

While you may not want to totally freeze or cook, keep your indoor clothing seasonal and try to keep your heating/ac to a minimum. Don’t just keep artificially making every day sweatpants day.




17) Hang out at people’s apartments instead of going out

Unless it is a safety concern (I AM NOT ENCOURAGING GOING TO A STRANGER’S APARTMENT ALONE!!!!), it is usually way cheaper to have a night “out” at someone’s apartment instead of at the campus bar.

Though you DO need to be respectful of neighbours, etc. if you are home….just saying….

Also, if you plan on throwing a crazy apartment party, remember that damage clean-up and getting evicted are costly, and don’t have to be a part of your college experience.




18) Take advantage of campus services.

Does campus have free wifi? Use it!

Do they have a gym? Use it!

Do they have a sweet deal for printing and photocopying? Use it!


You are already paying for these services with your tuition…so don’t pay for something twice unless you absolutely have to!



19) Invest in tutoring if you need it

While it might seem sad to dish out extra money, if you really ARE struggling with a course, it will be even more expensive to pay to take that course again. It’s SO much better to just pass on your first try if you can make it happen.

Even if you think you’ll switch majors and won’t need that particular course, passing means that you might be able to use that credit as an elective for your new major.

If you are struggling financially with the prospect of paying for tutoring, talk to your school. They may have other options to help.


20) Know your limits

Data limits, that is!

Going over your internet and cell data limits is EXPENSIVE. It’s much better to increase your plan before you actually go over…whether that’s permanently or just for this month.


Do a weekly check-in for the first few weeks to make sure you’re on track. Once you’re used to your new routine, you’ll have a better idea if you’re over-using things constantly or if you can afford to be more liberal.



21) Know when large item pick-up day is

You never know how much free furniture you can accumulate until you start actually looking for it!



22) Sell things you don’t need anymore

This is especially true at the end of the school year when you might be moving soon, but even if not, sell anything that you definitely don’t need anymore. This could be anything from clothing, to textbooks, to that random chair you thought was going to be useful, but apparently everyone hates.

Never be afraid of saying “I don’t remember how much I paid for this, just make me an offer” if it looks like its worth more than it is.

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So what's the secret to stress-free exams? Reading this awesome book, of course!

Who is Nadya Corscadden?

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Nadya holds an MA in Musical Theatre and is no stranger to the home learning scene. Having spent a good chunk of her younger years in distance education (and opting for some correspondence electives at university), she has accumulated many tricks to help maintain focus and inspiration. She has a passion for independent learning and wants to help anyone and everyone find their stride in this atmosphere whether it’s homeschooling or simply studying for that next big test!

She is also a triple threat singer, dancer and actress….and can’t wait until stages are alive again!

If you’d like to support her continued efforts to create resources for students, please consider contributing to her Ko-Fi fund!

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