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I don’t know why but it’s so much easier to spend money at university. All throughout high school, my finances were pretty stable and I never felt like I spent any money but as soon as I hit university, it was game over. I had to get a whole lot better managing my money and along the way, I found some great tips!
University Agendas– Always be sure to pick up a free agenda during the first week! Not only do you get a free agenda out of it, but they usually contain some great coupons! Mine had ones for free cookies at Cookies By George (these literally saved my life), discounts at Shoppers Drug Mart, and other handy coupons for places around campus!
Welcome Week– Welcome Week is a great week to stock up on freebies! People are always handing out coupons to get you excited about going back to school! There’s also tons of fun prizes to win! In the past I’ve won water bottles, notebooks, tote bags and a random well-being prize pack.
Faculty Discount Cards– I’m not entirely sure if every university does this, but I assume they do. Every faculty at my university has a discount card that you can pick up that you can use at bars and restaurants for free entry and usually 10% off food!
Ebooks– I have avoided physical textbooks since the first year of university. Sure, you can sell them after, but there’s so many more disadvantages. They’re heavy, they usually change editions before you get a chance to sell them, and they’re so darn expensive. So, I switched to buying exclusively ebooks where they’re so much cheaper and even trying to torrent them (shhhh) because who doesn’t love free textbooks!
Avoid Campus Food– During my first year of university, I found that the largest percentage of my money was going towards food. Burrito Libre was just so hard to resist. But, with a lot of perseverance and ignoring all the food places on campus, I was able to cut my spending by a huge amount! Now I just bring a lunch to school and although it might not taste as good, it’s saving me so much money! And it’s healthier too!
Clubs Fair– Club Fair is the place you want to go to pick up free pens. Honestly, there’s so many freebies at Club Fair and I love it. Free water bottles, lip balms, food, and you can also find a bunch of fun clubs to join which are also free! It’s great.
Scholarships– This is probably the biggest way to save money at university because after all, tuition is way too expensive. However, this is the one tip I don’t utilize nearly enough. I’ve applied for two scholarships in my three years of university. But I could have applied for twenty times that amount. And I probably would have gotten the majority of them and saved a huge chunk of money in the process.
For more school help, check out my University Advice post from first year, as well as my Second Year Tipsand Third Year Tips, and my What I Wish I Told My Freshman Self post. For those still in high school, take a look at my High School edition post and my Differences between High School and University. For even more advice, you can wander over to my Study Tips post and my How to Study like a Pro post.