New Year, New Financial Resolutions
One of the United States’ struggles is with money. There does not seem to be enough to go around anymore. This can lead to problems for students as they plan to go to college and hope to be able to afford it and for current students who want to finish their education. Here are a few ways you can help relieve the burden of tuition and other expenses.
With the new semester approaching, there are several ways a current college student can save money. With the new semester comes new classes, which means you have to buy new books. These books can add up to hundreds of dollars. One way to cut down these costs could be to buy all of your books used. Personally, I have found that I buy a book brand new and barely use it for class and when I sell it back, I get a fifth of what I paid for it. Trust me, buying used is the way to go. I have also found half.com to be my best friend when it comes to buying books. I usually get all my books for five classes for under $100 total. This will help you save a lot of money in the long run.
For those of you who like to go out to a dance club, know that that lifestyle can get expensive. I personally am in love with dancing and could go dancing any night of the week. Unfortunately, a lot of places charge you to just enter their club. My quick fix is to gather a bunch of my friends and have our own dance party in my dorm room. This helps me save money toward things I need and I still get the entertainment and exercise as if I went to a club.
On that note, you don’t have to go to restaurants for dinner every night or spend a big bucks on entertainment. Instead, get your friends together for a night of playing board games such as Apples to Apples and Seven Deadly Sins-anything can be fun when you spend time with your friends. Instead of going out to dinner, try your hand at cooking. I can make pancakes for everybody for cheap and it’s simple and delicious! There are tons of things you can do (or not do) to save your hard-earned cash, you just have to look for the alternative!
For bigger financial issues, there are some solutions, as well. For tuition, there are many scholarships available for students to apply for. Usually you need to write an essay, but that beats paying $2,000 out of pocket for your education! Also, many of you have probably heard of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You apply for it every year and it determines how much federal aid you receive toward your school’s tuition. It is best to fill this out as soon as possible.
If you currently have a job, you should also start putting money aside just in case of emergencies. It is valuable when you’re in a cash crunch.
Learn more about college living. Stop by Relate Magazine’s site where you can find out all about surviving college.