Poor, hungry college student. Many of us have been there. It’s kind of funny how normal that seems to us, the fact that young adults are going to school and living on minimal income or savings.
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student finance
Being a student is, in many respects, a hard life. The stresses and strains of getting up at midday, living off beans on toast and a few hours of study per week can really bring some near breaking point. All jokes aside, finances can be very difficult when you first move away from home, so here are a few tips to help you avoid troubles in this area.
The enormous costs of university, made worse by the rising costs of living, puts many people off furthering their education. However, there are several ways you can avoid student debt if you think further education is for you. Here are some of the best.
Choose Your Courses Wisely
Do your research and think about what it is you really want to do with your life. Don’t commit to longer courses, and higher fees, unnecessarily. For example, many people dream of becoming a physician, however a recent study showed many physicians actually recommend becoming a nurse practitioner instead. The careers of a nurse practitioner and doctor can be similar, and while being a physician pays more, it takes a lot longer to complete your training, and the working hours can be a lot more flexible for an NP. Do your research into the difference between nurse practitioner and doctor before you decide. This applies to many other career paths also.
Living on student loans usually means a less than luxurious lifestyle that can be hard to stick to. With that said if you’re in the midst of your online bachelors in business and find it’s hard just to get by money-wise, then you’re going to love these money saving tips we’ve put together for you.
Borrow Textbooks
If your course requires text books, then it’s likely you will be spending a small fortune purchasing them. Whenever possible, look to borrow copies from your local library, or even look for gently used copies that you can buy for a fraction of the cost.
Fast Food is Your Enemy
We all know that students live busy lifestyles, and that usually means a healthy dose of fast food. Here’s an interesting experiment for you to try. Over the course of one or two weeks jot down each time you purchase food or drink and the cost of the item(s). This includes all those random coffees you grab here and there. At the end of the week add up what you’ve spent; you may find yourself a bit shocked how quickly that one dollar here and two dollars there adds up.
Although the main reason to go to college is so that you can get the education that you need in order to get the kind of job that you want, ask just about any former college student and they will tell you that it’s also the time when you can develop great money management skills. After all, if there’s ever a time when an individual has to figure out how to make their money stretch as far as possible, it would while they’re in college.
If you would like some tips on how you can make your money last longer while you’re in college, we have five failsafe ones for you below:
Live on campus (or with your parents). Although it can be cool to have an off-campus apartment, with it comes a lot of financial responsibility including paying for rent and utilities each month. Our recommendation would be that you live on campus or with your parents, at least for a couple of years instead. That way, your money can stay in the bank rather than going to a landlord.