Money Saving Tips for Students with Low Income
A student’s life is a fun one, but it is also a life of a broke person. It is nothing to be ashamed of, we’ve all been there. The trick is to balance the partying and the studying, and most importantly to stretch out your meager funds as far as you can.
The following tips will help you last a long time on a minimal budget.
Turn hippy and go green
There are some benefits to the hippy, tree-hugging way of life – the most important one being that it is a very cheap lifestyle. Be very careful about your carbon footprint, recycle, use less water, walk and use public transport whenever possible, cook your own food, throw outdoor parties and have a simple yet unique clothing style – all these things will save you a ton of money, and you won’t come off as cheap because “it’s like your life philosophy, man – save the planet and all that”.
A bodybuilding diet that is cheap and healthy
Bodybuilders are notorious for ingesting huge amounts of food with quality micro and macro nutrients while they are bulking, and this means that even the rich and successful ones are looking for the best deals. Check bodybuilding websites, forums and YouTube fitness channels for advice on a cheap bodybuilding diet – if you have a few extra pounds you can afford to lose a “cutting” or “lean phase” diet is your best bet. Remember you don’t have to ingest 3000-5000 calories a day like some of the hardcore bodybuilders, you’ll do just fine with about 2300-2800 calories a day, so you will save quite a bit and get all the necessary nutrients your body needs. Beans, eggs and milk are good sources of protein, rice will cover your carbohydrate needs and some fruit, nuts, and vegetables will cover micronutrients and fats – all of these can be had for low prices when bought in bulk.
Cutting costs on textbooks
Textbooks can be very expensive, but there are plenty of opportunities to cut costs here. Just go online and look for websites that sell used textbooks or let you rent a textbook for a couple of months – which is more than enough to prepare for the exam. People seldom ever notice a book after they have passed an exam, so you will be able to get used books from older students as well. Another option is getting an e-book version of a textbook which will cost less as there are no production costs involved.
Quid pro quo, agent Starling!
Help out your friends with their chores, assignments, projects and studying or even be their wingman, but be sure to ask them to do something for you in return. You don’t have to charge for your services, but you can ask them for a free meal, a round of drinks, to drive you somewhere or borrow you their car and all sorts of other favors. You scratch their back, they scratch you back and everyone is happy.
Thinking outside the box will get you far, particularly if you don’t have many options and are tight on funds. Try out these tips and try to improvise and use cunning as much as you can to stay on top of the game.
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2 Comments
As a student I can honestly say, balancing partying and frugality is difficult…you want to pack as much fun as you can within those years and do whatever it takes to do that. I guess you do raise some pertinent points…most of the partying is peer pressure…with a bit of fortitude and prudence, one can actually save and even pay off some student debt! Thoughtful tips
Agree with Simon’s point as a fellow student but you can certainly take advantage of cutting back on textbooks by going to the library more often for instance. Another way is use your referral schemes to cut back on takeaway and taxi costs. Referral Codes has served me well here, check it out!