9 Habits for students to save money

College is a time to grow as a person, to find out who you are. But, it’s also a time to submit to your new identity: the age-old cliché of the broke college student. As a full-time student living away from home, having money for things beyond the essentials is rare. In high school, it was easy to justify an impulse purchase when you didn’t have to worry about paying money for groceries or laundry.

Here are some habits to help you save up, and also help you get more comfortable managing the little money you do have.

1. Plan out your budget per week or month and commit to it.
2. Don’t buy new textbooks. Check out Facebook groups for resold books, rent textbooks from the bookstore, go to the library to use course reserves,find used copies on Amazon, or rent from online sites like Chegg instead.
3. Make a grocery list before you get to the store, and do NOT shop when you’re hungry.
4. Check out different events on campus. Some organizations set up free movie showings, food fairs, or student art shows- take advantage of the freebies!
5. Meal prep! Cooking for one person is difficult and can be wasteful. If you plan and make your meals in advance, you’ll throw out less food.
6. Take cash with you when you go out for drinks to create a hard limit for the amount of money you can spend. There’s nothing worse than waking up the next morning with charges on your card that you don’t remember.
7. Do some research on your college’s local area and plan some free weekend activities like hiking or going to the beach!
8. Start an emergency fund, either in the bank or in a mason jar under your bed. You’ll want some extra cash saved in case of unforeseen costs like a parking ticket or broken computer.
9. Workout at the rec center on campus or take some of the free classes they offer. Gym memberships elsewhere can cost anywhere between $50 and a couple hundred a month.