8 Saving Techniques

Now I am a college student on a limited income, so I have to try and make my dollar stretch.

1. Try and make a budget- Write down what you spend everyday in a notebook or in an excel spreadsheet. You will see over time where your money is going and where to cut down.

2. Pay attention into what pits you are throwing your money into- I realized that I was going out to eat way to often and buying a lot of coffee. Slowly I began to make my own coffee and making my own food at home. 

3. Use only cash!- Credit cards for emergencies but use cash, because once it's gone it is gone. 

4. Save your change- Have a jar that you put your small change in everyday. If you follow number 3 then you will always have change left over, just put that in that jar and count it when you decide too.

5. Pay-as-you-go phones- Last year my contract was up and I was  in the market for a new phone. After shopping around and doing my budget. I realized I could afford an iPhone, but I didn't want to pay for it. So I decided to get a go-phone and I pay 35 bucks a month for unlimited text, data and (I think) 150 mins. Now it isn't ideal and I sometimes wish I had a new smartphone, but I realized that it is a want and not a necessity. 

6. Necessity vs Want- I remember a conversation I had with my father when I was a freshman, I told him that I 'needed' this purse. He corrected me and told me that I 'wanted' that purse, I can survive without it and I did. With that being said you must evaluate the necessities and wants in your life.

7. Put a portion of your weekly income away into savings.

8. Set goals for yourself.

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10 Tips for College Freshman

I will be making a video about this but I wanted to write it down first. Now this semester I have a class where the majority are freshman and I see them making some mistakes that I have learned not to make over the years. So these are my tips that I have learned from my undergraduate years.

1: Ratemyprofessors.com- It's a great resource when you're a freshman or sophomore and still have multiple sections and professors to choose from for a single class. Also helps you figure out what the class will be like.

2. Slugbooks.com - This site compares prices of textbooks. Personally I like half.ebay.com and I always buy my textbooks from them. Now because of ratemyprofessor I can look up if the professor uses the book so I can buy the book ahead of time for the cheapest price possible. Now you can watch the savings come rolling in!

Now when your dorm AC isn't working you can use your money to fan yourself!

3. Go to office hours- professors don't care about you if they don't know you, it is the simple truth. Also if your plan is to go to some sort of postgraduate school you will need some recommendation letters. Those professors who know you as a person and not just a grade are most likely to write you some awesome recommendation letters.

4. Use a planner- learn to use it for time management, you will need to use those skills when you're a Junior or Senior.

Even comes with stickers!

5. Stop wearing your high school sweaters, shirts. Everyone will know you're a freshman and you're in a new chapter of your life; you won't need to live in the past.

6. Join a club, organization or go greek- Universities are huge and it's easier to make friends in organizations because most people wear headphones and sunglasses when walking around campus or on the bus. Also this helps find future roommates, I have heard too many horror stories of kids having to resort to Craigslist or a roommate match up.

Nobody messes with my clique.

7. Learn to cook and eat somewhat healthy- Freshman 15/30/50 exists.

An example of not what to eat on the daily.

8. Do not be that one kid who gets overly drunk at parties- Learn your limits and don't go past them.

9. Break out of your shell- Try new things, even I did Army ROTC for sometime.


Last but not least

10. GO TO CLASS- All this money  is being shelled out for your education. Don't be that one kid who had no idea there was an exam. You'll need all those A's to keep your GPA up when you're in 3000 or 4000 courses. Also don't take all of your elective classes your freshman and sophomore years, you'll need those to make the course load easier when you're in your core classes.

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