Moneyadviceblog » Moneytitle_li=Budgettitle_li=Wealth » How to Save Money as a Broke College Student

Being broke in college is a rite of passage for all college students because we’ve all been down this road at least once at some point or the other. And some of us, me in particular, were broke 90% of the time, and after my first year, I became an expert in navigating life being broke. It’s not as hard as it seems if you have no issues living on coffee and ramen noodles.

But hey, it’s only three years, and I came from a low-income family, so I knew what it was like to go to bed with an empty stomach. You need to understand how to save money even when you are broke because this will come in handy later down the line.

Take advantage of student discounts.

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Take it from me, as someone who just graduated college, student discounts are a real lifesaver, and you’ll really miss them when you can no longer use them. You only know you’ve lost something when it’s no longer in your life.

With your student ID, you’ll get a discount on a plethora of things, from restaurants to movies theaters to Apple and other electronic devices. This can save you a ton of money in the long run because you get a great deal of discounts on a wide range of items and can even get student discounts on books that usually cost an arm and a leg, and for what? The massive books only gather dust on your bookshelf, and you probably won’t use them.

Amazon also provides Amazon Prime Student to all college students, which is a 50% discount compared to regular Amazon Prime. This offers you a wide range of benefits like amazon music and movies, free two-day shipping, and even textbook rentals. Microsoft and Apple also provide students with laptops and other electronics, and Groupon usually provides 25% off local deals.

Stop buying unnecessary stuff.

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Okay, this is something that I need to start doing, but this is a do what I say and not what I do kind of vibes. As a college student, you are on your own and are a full-fledged adult, and no one can tell you what you can or can’t do with your money, and this is the problem because you have no anchor to tell you not to spend money on unnecessary stuff.

We live in an age where we constantly see ads whenever we are online, which can lead us to spend money on whatever we see. And trust me, I have had many fair shares of drunk online shopping. However, this may seem nice to my future self, but it’s not suitable for your bank account.

Another tip to saving money is to avoid trips to shopping malls, and this will cut down on your current shopping habits and spending sprees. Also, you can make your coffee at home, and you don’t need to spend $8 on coffee at Starbucks, and you can get cheaper and better coffee at your local coffee shop.

Get a side job

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Whether you are broke or not, you should get a part-time job, especially if you are in college. This will not only look good on your resume but will also teach your work ethic. Getting a part-time job or having a side hustle is a way for you to get a bit of extra money, and this will ease up some of your financial stress and can help you pay back your college loan.

As a college student, you’ll have a plethora of part-time jobs that are readily available to you, and you can advertise your skills online. One job that you can do if you are a good writer is to be a freelance writer and editor, or you can even tutor other students on campus. If you are an English major like I was or have a good grasp of the language, you can be an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher and there are a lot of job openings online. Having a side hustle will help you with your daily expenses and help you save money in the long run.

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