There are a lot of things that a college student can live without (traditional or non-traditional) that society just makes them think they can't. I am a 24-yr old married mother of 2, going back to school after taking a few years "off". My family does not have cable tv. We don't have cell phones. We have one vehicle and bike when possible to save money on gas. Our television is one of the older "tube" tv's(and we only have one!) and we don't own I-pods, x-boxes or PS3's. We go out to eat only on special occasions. We live minimally, but we're no longer as broke as we were a year or two ago. Was it hard at first to give these things up? You better believe it. But you get used to doing without, and you'd be surprised at the money you save. Over $100 a month saved with no cell phones, and another $50+ a month living without cable. You get the idea. (Put this into perspective; that is roughly the cost of one college credit for in-state tuition rates every month that we have saved.) We do have internet, which is how we keep in touch with family (no long-distance phone bills) and stream our fave shows whenever we want. Everyone says credit cards are bad, and they can be if used incorrectly. But to start building credit now, which will help you out when you get out of school, get a major credit card (Visa, MC) with a low limit. Don't buy anything with it unless you have the cash to pay for it. It seems counterintuitive, paying with a credit card when you have cash for it, but it's not. If you buy it with the c.c., then pay the balance off in full before your statement comes out, you build your credit, don't have to pay interest and have the full amount still available on your credit card in case of emergencies. Never get store credit cards! The 21% interest is not worth the extra 10% you'll get off of yout purchase (again, do the math). Don't pay for bookclub memberships, etc. either. I love barnes and noble, but their membership is $25 to save 10% every time you shop for one year. You would have to spend $250 in books there just to cover the cost of the "discount"; over $250 just to be able to benefit from it. Think things through before purchases. If you're not sure if you "need" it, don't get it right away. Wait a few days. If after a while you still can't live without it, then go back and get it, but chances are you will have forgotten about it by then. What else? Generic is just as good as name brand in most cases, whether it be food, clothing or medicine from Wal-mart's $4 plan. Remember that most people are not going to care what you wore or how many cool electronic gadgets you had in college ten years from now. Make a list of priorities, financial responsibilities and goals, and post them somewhere you will see them daily. Also, I've found that it helps to make a list of your financial obligations (i.e. debt) and revisit that weekly (or at least monthly) to see what progress you're making, whether you're adding to it or paying things off. Keeping that list helps you to determine if you're making money mistakes, and helps catch them early on instead of letting them build. When you do make a major purchase, like a computer, make sure it comes with a warranty and see about extended service plans. Best buy offers black tie protection plans to cover things that manufacturer's warranties don't on most major purchases. Some people scoff at those plans, but if your computer crashes on you, can you really afford to wait the 4-5 weeks it takes to mail your comp to the manufacturer, have them repair it, then mail it back? ANd make sure you have everything on backup, so if your comp does crash and you have to get a new one, you don't lose all of your stuff. Take advantage of every scholarship available, and consider attending college in the state where you graduated high school from. A lot of states offer scholarships to those students. Nevada has the Millenium scholarship that pays $10,000 to any student who attended and graduated high school with a certain gpa, and it's good for any college in the state of NV. Plus you'll get in-state tuition rates, which saves thousands. You can still get the "college experience" if you stay in-state, and for those that don't care about that, you can stay home and save the money from room & board. There are a lot of ways to save money, you just have to think outside the box. Also, for those of you planning on having kids, start saving for their education as soon as possible and let the magic of compound interest do all the hard work. There's a great book by David Bach called "The Automatic Millionaire" that has some charts on this. They are geared toward retirement, but the same principles can be applied toward saving for college for future generations or your own retirement. Best of luck!

I would suggest opening a savings account in two different banks. Put the majority of your money in one and the rest in the other. That way you can make money off of your money. Do not touch the account with the majority of your money. Also go ahead and start investing your money. You want to have something to fall on when you get out of college and need an apartment and have no job or are at entry level positions. I want to open my own restaurant so my dad is helping me invest my money in agressive and non agressive stocks so that when I want to open my restaurant I will not need a huge loan and I will have the money I need to start it. At school, live below your means...I live off of 60 dollars a month, that includes groceries(I do not buy name brand except for meat and milk), laundry(I wash every other week,but I keep dryer sheets and air freshener in my closet so that my dirty clothes do not smell), and entertainment ( I only go to parties like once a month, I might go to a movie, but renting movies is a lot cheaper plus you get more bang for your buck). My best friend and I are not really concerned about name brand...so when we need or just want clothes we hit thrift stores (you find really great stuff there for cheap prices you just have to wash it first) and department stores like wal-mart, ross(my fav), and we only hit wet-seal, 579, bodyshop, and Rue21 when they have sales because their shirts and pants get down to 10 dollars and less. Also for entertainment, check out what is offered on campus, we have lots of free movies, and activities which saves me money and there are a lot of discount tickets, I happen to like plays so I go to those, they are like 6 bucks. Try to only buy what you need, sure it is ok to occasionally get something you want or splurge on that pair of jeans but not always.Do what is right for you as far as money goes. For example, if I have cash or money on my debit card, I spend it no matter how much I know I should not and I hate hearing how much I have spent so what I do is keep like two bucks with me(you cant buy much with that but in case of a phone emergency it helps) and no money on my debit card, if I need to buy something then I put the money on my card by phone that way I hear how much I have and how much I am going to use, before I go to the store I make a list of what I need and I keep the reciept so that I know the price on things I get on a normal basis and when I go next time for those things I make sure that I only spend that(unless a price went up) and I do not buy anything that is not necessary. I saved 200 dollars in three months by doing that. I know this was alot but it really helped me last year, good luck.

I'd like to add my own advice: You can easily cut costs on college. Buy the cheapest meal plan. Your parents and roommates will make enough food available to you. You don't need to be able to buy 12 Chick-fil-A meals a week. We all know that buying used books is better than new (especially when you get the smart kid's book with all the answers highlighted). And you can bring a lot of that "extra stuff" like your calculator and laptop anyway. Try to stay on your parent's insurance if you can, because it'll be much easier than switching and adding another bill. Also, try your HARDEST to find Subsidized loans. These don't build interest until AFTER graduation, leaving you all four years to work part-time and to SAVE YOUR MONEY, so you can pay off the bulk of it without interest clawing at your wallet.

These tips are really good and they actually work.
now i clip coupons for the stores that i shop at the most.
i save an average of 45 dollars a month.

It's funny, why are most of these advices relating to parents helping or paying for stuff?? It states that you shouldn't take the "easy road out", ummm, well isn't having a parent help you or pay for stuff on that road? It makes me sick to see all these students living the "easy life", with brand new cars, clothes from the mall, leather wrapped pencils. and an I-phone in every pocket: and guess what, all of it paid for by their parents!! I'll challenge ANYONE to live life like mine. Raised by a single parent, my mom, while being on welfare, living in a cockroach infested apartment for 15 years while attending elementary, middle, and high school. Doing ALL schoolwork on your own, because your mother only completed the 9th grade, back in 1975! Having to withdraw from high school in the Junior year to work at a factory making nine dollars an hour to help support the family and get ahead in life. Needless to say, EVERYTHING I own and have owned I PAID for MYSELF!

All of the above and the comments below .. really are great help !!!

This is so important, otherwise it is so bad when you are drowning in debts, please read it; I wish I could have read this in my times.

Love,
Mama

I would like so much if I can get in touch with Danille Flythe from Strone Ridge School of the
Sacred Heart who wrote a comment here.