2003 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm headed to college (UCF) in the fall and I need as much help as I could possibly get for saving money. What are some of the things you guys did to save cash when in college? Any tips would be great! Also, I am leaning towards not purchasing a meal plan. The thing seems like a rip off, $1500 a semester which only covers 10 meals a week. The only way I'd spend that much is if Jessica Biel was sitting at the table with me for dinner! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm headed to college (UCF) in the fall and I need as much help as I could possibly get for saving money. What are some of the things you guys did to save cash when in college? Any tips would be great! Also, I am leaning towards not purchasing a meal plan. The thing seems like a rip off, $1500 a semester which only covers 10 meals a week. The only way I'd spend that much is if Jessica Biel was sitting at the table with me for dinner! If you are not going to get a meal plan and are staying on campus, find out if you are allowed a refrigerator and microwave in your room. If you are, you're set because you can handle most of your sustanence needs that way. Other ways to save cash: Parking is a big money maker for schools. If possible take mass transit provided by the school or walk if you have to pay to park on campus. When it comes to books, try half.com as soon as you know what books you'll need for each semester, much cheaper there vs. the bookstore. Also, when selling back books, check sites like half.com, bluephoenix.com, and barnesandnoble.com. They may give you more in return for your books than the campus will. Learn about as many of the schools facilities and services that you can. You'll find sometimes its cheaper to use their services than it is to go to a private business for things like computer repair, copies, printing, etc. Use the schools healthcare facilities. Many times these are much cheaper than a private doctor and your school should have some time of insurance coverage for you being a fulltime student. Word of warning though, because it is cheap and convienient, its also very full so schedule things as much in advance if you can. I sprained an ankle once at school and I was told unless it was an emergency, I couldn't be seen for a week. Best I can think of off the top of my head, if I think of more, i'll post them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDS Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm headed to college (UCF) in the fall and I need as much help as I could possibly get for saving money. What are some of the things you guys did to save cash when in college? Any tips would be great! Also, I am leaning towards not purchasing a meal plan. The thing seems like a rip off, $1500 a semester which only covers 10 meals a week. The only way I'd spend that much is if Jessica Biel was sitting at the table with me for dinner! Eat your roommates food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeFerguson Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Don't get a meal plan. Live off campus. Buy used books. Re-use condoms. Maintain your GPA so you don't lose any scholarships. Try to graduate early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBud Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Take your cell phone down to the absolute minimum. No texting, internet. If you don't have a car - don't get one. If you have one - get rid of it and get a bike / walk. Limit your partying to 1 to 2 nights / week. Don't go on spring break. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm headed to college (UCF) in the fall and I need as much help as I could possibly get for saving money. What are some of the things you guys did to save cash when in college? Any tips would be great! Also, I am leaning towards not purchasing a meal plan. The thing seems like a rip off, $1500 a semester which only covers 10 meals a week. The only way I'd spend that much is if Jessica Biel was sitting at the table with me for dinner! I've heard that Raman noodles are a collegiate diet staple... Seriously - read the grocery store circulars and buy the specials that appeal. Stock up on the good deals. Get the Sunday newspaper and clip the coupons. Make a grocery list, and stick to it. Keep away from the "with card" grocery stores. They market your personal info and track your purchases, and the items not on the "with card" sale list tend to be higher. Watch the little cardboard "on sale - new lower price" things stuck on the shelves. I don't know what they are called today, but in years past, they were called "shelf talkers". Lift them up, and see if the tag underneath is the same price, and that tag is just a sales come-on. You will knock 20% or so off your weekly grocery bill. For investing 30 minutes of your time... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Don't start using coke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bullpen Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I've heard that Raman noodles are a collegiate diet staple... Seriously - read the grocery store circulars and buy the specials that appeal. Stock up on the good deals. Get the Sunday newspaper and clip the coupons. Make a grocery list, and stick to it. Keep away from the "with card" grocery stores. They market your personal info and track your purchases, and the items not on the "with card" sale list tend to be higher. Watch the little cardboard "on sale - new lower price" things stuck on the shelves. I don't know what they are called today, but in years past, they were called "shelf talkers". Lift them up, and see if the tag underneath is the same price, and that tag is just a sales come-on. You will knock 20% or so off your weekly grocery bill. For investing 30 minutes of your time... Probably some of the best non-academic related advice you can get right there. Also: When possible, hit the "no-frills" type stores for non-perishible food items. Stay on top of your dishes... those will spiral out of control before you know it. Same with Laundry. Last thing you want to do on a Saturday afternoon is 5 hours of Laundry while your buddies are out doing fun stuff. WATCH your laundry! I sounds crazy, but I lost (read: had stolen) lots of unattended clothes in my day. Sucks. Dorm life is a necessary evil your freshman year. Make the most of it, but don't turn it into a 24 hour party zone either. Lysol... you can never have enough of it. You're going to be living in a giant petri dish. Don't go Howie Mandel or anything, but keep your stuff clean. In that same vein, stock up on medicines you might need. The last thing you want to do is stagger to the drug store at 9 pm with a fever to get tylenol and NyQuil. And like KD said... stay away from Coke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Probably some of the best non-academic related advice you can get right there. Also: When possible, hit the "no-frills" type stores for non-perishible food items. Stay on top of your dishes... those will spiral out of control before you know it. Same with Laundry. Last thing you want to do on a Saturday afternoon is 5 hours of Laundry while your buddies are out doing fun stuff. WATCH your laundry! I sounds crazy, but I lost (read: had stolen) lots of unattended clothes in my day. Sucks. Dorm life is a necessary evil your freshman year. Make the most of it, but don't turn it into a 24 hour party zone either. Lysol... you can never have enough of it. You're going to be living in a giant petri dish. Don't go Howie Mandel or anything, but keep your stuff clean. In that same vein, stock up on medicines you might need. The last thing you want to do is stagger to the drug store at 9 pm with a fever to get tylenol and NyQuil. And like KD said... stay away from Coke. Pepsi tastes better anyways and is usually on sale at CVS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Buy used textbooks. Sell them after you finish the course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 I'm headed to college (UCF) in the fall and I need as much help as I could possibly get for saving money. What are some of the things you guys did to save cash when in college? Any tips would be great! Also, I am leaning towards not purchasing a meal plan. The thing seems like a rip off, $1500 a semester which only covers 10 meals a week. The only way I'd spend that much is if Jessica Biel was sitting at the table with me for dinner! If you need to take a girl out to a nice dinner to get laid, find a less attractive and more desperate one. Try to find and snag a cush on-campus job. Most campuses have plenty of positions where they pay decent money for you to do very little. I had a 10 hour per week job at the library as an undergrad, which essentially gave me 10 paid hours to do homework and study. Find out what places and where (movie theaters, restaurants, coffee shops) offer student discounts with your ID, and abuse the hell out of them. For some courses, like math, buy an old edition of the text book. The field of calculus has not changed in the last 2 years since the old edition came out. Then find a friend with a new edition and make photocopies of the HW problems (the only things that change from edition to edition) If you want to do something, suggest it to your RA as a floor activity. Schools have an activity fund where your RA or RD can apply for money to take the floor/dorm on a trip/activity. You can get cool day trips and such for deeply discounted or free. Attend "interest" meeting for clubs you don't care about to get free food. The health center usually has free condoms. Run the numbers on your meal plan. It might be worth it to have the plan for a semester or year when you first get to school. Not having a plan saves a bunch if you cook all the time, but if you go out quite a bit, the meal plan might be cheaper. Also consider that lots of your friends might be on the plan and you'll want to go eat with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Probably some of the best non-academic related advice you can get right there. Also: When possible, hit the "no-frills" type stores for non-perishible food items. Stay on top of your dishes... those will spiral out of control before you know it. Same with Laundry. Last thing you want to do on a Saturday afternoon is 5 hours of Laundry while your buddies are out doing fun stuff. WATCH your laundry! I sounds crazy, but I lost (read: had stolen) lots of unattended clothes in my day. Sucks. Dorm life is a necessary evil your freshman year. Make the most of it, but don't turn it into a 24 hour party zone either. Lysol... you can never have enough of it. You're going to be living in a giant petri dish. Don't go Howie Mandel or anything, but keep your stuff clean. In that same vein, stock up on medicines you might need. The last thing you want to do is stagger to the drug store at 9 pm with a fever to get tylenol and NyQuil. And like KD said... stay away from Coke. Good advice. Caveat - don't take NyQuil with tylenol (acetaminophen), unless you pay attention to the overall dose. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090629/hl_nm/...inkillers_fda_2 It's a valid caution, and not a caution that is new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Good advice. Caveat - don't take NyQuil with tylenol (acetaminophen), unless you pay attention to the overall dose. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090629/hl_nm/...inkillers_fda_2 It's a valid caution, and not a caution that is new. People really need to read medications even OTC stuff before taking. would solve a lot of issues, but then again, maybe its Darwinism at work Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003 Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 Thanks for all the great advice so far guys! Here's some more questions: 1.) Season tickets for the football team are about $80, but I really want to be a ball boy so I can see every game for free on the sidelines and gain some valuable experience for the future. Anybody have any advice on how to do this? 2.) I need somewhere to watch the Bills' games! Do colleges have the NFL Sunday ticket? Is there an Orlando Bills Backers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Go to as many fraternity rush parties as possible - free beer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WVUFootball29 Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Thanks for all the great advice so far guys! Here's some more questions: 1.) Season tickets for the football team are about $80, but I really want to be a ball boy so I can see every game for free on the sidelines and gain some valuable experience for the future. Anybody have any advice on how to do this? 2.) I need somewhere to watch the Bills' games! Do colleges have the NFL Sunday ticket? Is there an Orlando Bills Backers? 1. While you might get the ball boy position, the teams are always looking for volunteers and equipment managers and that would be a great way to get on the sidelines. Can't believe they make you play for tickets. WVU, students don't pay to get into games. 2. Your dorm may or may not have satellite, but if they do, it'll be in the common area and you'll be fighting against all the other east coast fans to watch a game. Best bet, Damon's or any other sports bar where you don't have to be 21 to get. Grab a few friends, a couple appetizer platters and watch the games. Otherwise, find someone with a slingbox that'll put the game on for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Go to as many fraternity rush parties as possible - free beer... That's an excellent point Senator. Either join a frat or make sure you have good friends who are members (since as a dude you'll be waiting to get into the party if you don't know anyone). When I was in school the room and board to live in the frat house was roughly the same as the dorm. Only difference was about 40% of the frat money went to buy beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Sell your plasma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2003 Posted June 30, 2009 Author Share Posted June 30, 2009 1. While you might get the ball boy position, the teams are always looking for volunteers and equipment managers and that would be a great way to get on the sidelines. Can't believe they make you play for tickets. WVU, students don't pay to get into games. 2. Your dorm may or may not have satellite, but if they do, it'll be in the common area and you'll be fighting against all the other east coast fans to watch a game. Best bet, Damon's or any other sports bar where you don't have to be 21 to get. Grab a few friends, a couple appetizer platters and watch the games. Otherwise, find someone with a slingbox that'll put the game on for you. Thanks for the advice. Yea, we have to pay 79 dollars to see a mediocre team play other average C-USA teams (but they do play UB on September 19th). Do you know who I should contact to volunteer? Also, this question may be totally stupid, but, what is a slingbox? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 Sell your plasma Sell your virginity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts