This post was created by Minna T., one of LearnLux’s 2018 Campus Ambassadors. All experiences & opinions are her own.
Do you love shopping? As a college student who tries hard to get a few more likes on Instagram, I know all too well of the woes of being a fashion girl while you are still a student. Everything costs money. After taking care of my textbooks, school supplies, and tuition, there is not a whole lot left over for you true passion: shopping. Luckily, there are a few hacks you can use as a poor college student.
- The most obvious one — Student Discount!
I use Unidays, a website dedicated to partnering with all your favorite retailers to verify your student status and offer your dozens of discount codes for online shopping. All you need to sign up is your university email address! With amazing brands like ASOS, Topshop, and Urban Outfitters as participants, you’re bound to find the amazing style you are craving and still get great deals.
Pro tip: Save all your codes in a note on your phone or computer, so you can easily access them while shopping.
2. Ebates
What’s Ebates? It’s a company that gives you cash back for shopping through their affiliated stores. Ebates has relationships with thousands of stores and offers discounts or cash back when you shop at these stores through Ebates. Com. If Ebates offers 8% cash back for shopping at Sephora and you buy something for $100, you will then get $8 in cash back.
When I first heard about Ebates on Youtube, I was confused and did not believe it. But let me tell you: IT WORKS! Who doesn’t want to get paid to shop?
3. Second-Hand Clothes
When you get the urge to buy yourself a new outfit, you should visit an online consignment shop like ThredUp.com or LikeTwice.com to do your shopping and stay out of the mall. Both of these shops only accept clothing in exceptional condition and only sell high quality, name brands.
I started shopping at ThredUp a while ago. The clothes are affordable and have such amazing quality. I promise you that you will not go back to the mall once you give them a try.
4. Coupon
Coupons! Coupons! Coupons!
Sign up for the reward program at your local grocery stores, drugstores, targets, and/or wherever you shop. The membership is usually free and it comes with some many coupons. Yes, most of the coupons are useless, but if you start to use coupons on one item, you can never go back. Honestly, buying bulk at a discounted price can help you save money and time.
5. Amazon Prime
Amazon prime is awesome. It’s not only money-saving but also life-saving. With Prime you get two-day shipping and access to exclusive student promotions. The best part is that you get a $10 credit every time you refer a friend. As a college student, you can get your first six months of Amazon Prime for free and then get a 50% discount after that. If you opt to sign up after you first 6 months, you will then get access to a library of free movies and TV shows and will have the ability to check out one free Kindle Prime book per month.
Hope these tips help you to shop smarter. Let us know your favorite shopping hacks in the comments below👇🏽 and be sure to start your journey to financial freedom by creating a free LearnLux account & learning all about student loans, saving, investing and more.
