Hi girls! Being a college student and entering my sophomore year, being on a budget and watching my spending is crucial. Finding new ways to cut corners and save a couple dollars is not only necessary for me but also fun! Today, I am going to share some tips and secrets that I have found on saving money and stretching your dollar to make living a little bit more comfortable!
1. Make a budget:
This one seems like a no-brainer but it is the most important step to saving money. Having a clear and set budget helps to start on the right foot in organizing how much money you have in total and in what areas you want to spend it on. For me I like to create monthly budgets, especially if I know that I have multiple or large expenses in the future. I normally separate my budget into categories of groceries, clothing, school (textbook, fees, tuition, or any other expenses), rent, misc. bills, and recreational expenses. I also find that writing it down with a pen and paper is more beneficial than typing it out or making a note on my phone. Although I don’t always stick to it down to the dollar, I try my best to stay around the allotted amount of money that I have set for each area.
2. Pick your stores wisely
Make sure you pick the places that you shop at wisely. I mainly stick to Target and sometimes Walmart for groceries, makeup, toiletries, and any other necessities or home products. Try to steer clear from drugstores like CVS or Riteaid where the prices are jacked up a lot higher, especially for makeup. My school is in the city where prices are naturally lower meaning that I try to always make purchases while I’m at school rather than at my hometown in the suburbs.
3. Coupons
I used to think that coupons were lame and didn’t really make a difference in the long run, but I have found that the couple of dollars you might save each week really add up! Now I don’t go all “Extreme Couponer”, but I do like to check the weekly ads for coupons on things that I need for that month. My favorite way of doing this is through Target’s coupon app “Cartwheel”. Each week Target puts up new coupons that last for about a month to use on your weekly trips. This makes couponing a lot easier and less of a hassle to do being that it is all electronic. Once you pick all your coupons that you want to use, the cashier will scan your barcode right on your phone and apply your discounts!
4. Student Discounts
You would be surprised at how many places offer student discounts for college or even high school kids (and how little they advertise them). One site that I like is studentrate.com, where it lists the student discounts that are offered at various stores.
5. Use change when you can
One thing that I make sure I do is use my spare change when I can. If your total is $3.20, it is a waste to give $4.00 and basically lose that dollar especially if you are prone to throwing the extra change in your endless pit of a bag. Make it a habit to keep your change in one place and use it when you can! I say that anything under .50 cents in change you should definitely give coins, and I even try to when I am over that amount as well. Using up change not only frees up space in your purse but ends up saving you money too!
6. Save and Spend
My last tip is something that I like to call, “Save and Spend”. Of course being a teenage girl in college there are things that I want to buy for fun or personal use (mostly makeup and fashion) that I might justify splurging. Since I know that makeup and fashion are a part of my budget, I have gotten into the habit of saving now and spending later. It sounds simple but is definitely easier said than done. I go through about three to four months of a “saving period” where I try not to spend money on things that I do not actually need and rather save my paychecks. After a substantial amount of time, I allow myself a week or so to spend (rationally) on some of the things I have been eyeing lately or been waiting to get. This way, I set a goal that I want to reach before I spoil myself with things that aren’t necessarily necessities.
◈Obsessed Living◈ 