Being Frugal While In College

Frugal living can and should be done while you're still on campus. It's a wonderful opportunity to get ahead by saving money and learn to be independent and learn to manage your finances before heading out to the real world. While at college, you may have just enough allowance to cover the basic living cost while at school.

Liquid Money
When you put away whatever saving that you can, remember not to put the money in a place where you will find it hard to reach in for emergencies. Keep it liquid, like in a student ATM account. The downside of that it the money grows too little or for almost nothing. One option is a direct online savings account. There are a handful of companies that offer them for a very small opening amount and you can withdraw it when an emergency calls for it, and while it's in there, you get quite a higher yield.

Free Deals
Students are always on the lookout for sales and bargains, heavily discounted marketplaces and free stuff. Most college students are getting a "junk" e-mail account and using the name to sign up for free samples in the Internet. Companies are giving away free soaps, face wash, toothbrushes, deodorants, socks, lamps, notebooks and more. What you get in return is spam mail and other unwanted ads, that's why the junk e-mail works like a ward.

Lowering Everyday Costs
Bring your own lunch. Thousands of students are how switching to brown bags, tupperware and ziploc full of their nutritious lunch instead of eating out every day. An average meal costs about $5 and you can drop costs of about $100 in a month for your lunch.
Try to lessen the electronics in your room. Maybe you have a player, a pc or laptop, a mini fridge, a microwave, a toaster, a dryer, and a lot more things that needs charging and batteries. It's all going to cost you. Minimize what you can, and de-clutter your life in the process.
Good way to get cheap items is to contact with students who are about to graduate or transfer you could get lucky and find people who are looking for easy and fast ways to get rid of things. You can get first dibs on cheap furniture, small appliances, books, and more.

Smart Means of Transportation
Don't own a car while you're still at college. The rising price of gas these days is testament that this is not a smart move. Price of gas can set your budget far back, and you're better off with not paying for expensive maintenance and repairs too. If you need personal transportation, small scooters or bikes can get you around town and it doesn't cost as much. Another option is taking the bus, which is by far the cheapest you can get.

No matter how limited your budget may be, all you need is a little ingenuity and tapping of whatever resource that you have. Start saving with whatever you can muster, because as of now it's not about how much you save but how committed you are to develop that habit of saving.