By Toma Lynn Smith
The price of being a college student does not stop at tuition and books. The expenses seem to never end with gas, food, and clothing added to the mix. Here are a few tips that could be helpful.
Take advantage of the free food available on campus. See a calendar of events online at http://campuslife.louisville.edu/sac/sab/ and keep an eye out for flyers. Don’t sell your classmates short – word of mouth gets the information out there as well. Vending machines can be costly so purchasing bottled drinks and snacks at a discount store to bring to school could save money.
Ekstrom Library on the Belknap campus not only has books at no charge, but offers free DVDs and VHS movies. There are movies for every taste, from “Ben Hur” to “Die Hard.” Students can check out up to three movies at a time and can keep them for five days.
The Internet offers a variety of options for tips and opportunities to reduce expenses while acquiring higher learning. Some students find Fastweb.com helpful as the site has a section called “Resources” and a sub-section called “Money” with beneficial information on spending.
Jennifer LeClaire had suggestions in her article “Get Smart about Spending.” She suggests subscribing to a magazine instead of buying the same one over and over again. This can save up to 80%. Long distance charges can also be reduced by using a calling card or by obtaining a cell phone plan that offers it at no charge.
A computer may save money and time, although using them at school is optional and can also be limited. LeClaire advises, “save big on computers by taking advantage of student discounts direct from the manufacturer.” Having a computer at home is convenient, and printers can be purchased inexpensively either with your computer or separately, which can help eliminate the cost of 10 cents per page at the computer labs.
Research the costs involved when obtaining the Internet. Speed, quality, and access will vary with each provider. The Internet has endless resources for school, personal use, and free stuff.
Staff writer Randall J. Schultz from “Money Magazine” suggests the Web site, http://www.weeklyfreebie.com for discounts and giveaways from beauty items to travel.
Using the web is a great place to find out where the deals and steals are, but Schultz advises, “While the lure of getting anything free is enticing, ask yourself whether you really want it or whether it will simply go unused.”
Avoid applying for prizes as spam and unwanted mail will increase. And, as always, privacy and security are other issues to keep in mind. Many students at the university have recently been victims of identity theft. Don’t let it happen to you.
Keep all valuable personal information like credit card and social security numbers hidden. Most websites that prompt you for those numbers have some sort of way to tell you they are safe sites. Check every time you log onto that site for its seal of safety,
Going to college can be an extremely pricey procedure, but with the use of these few tips and a little common sense, you can hopefully keep your head above the surface and not drown in debt.
