2008 Woodie Awards
Money Sense II
Part two in a three-part series with money-making and savings tips for students.
Lygeia Ferragallo
Issue date: 11/24/04 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
From thrift stores to bartering, web groups and recycling, there are many ways students can save money with a little time and resourcefulness.
A few money-saving tips include subscribing to magazines through ebay.com, usually less than $6 for one- to three years, free or low-cost haircuts from beauty schools and free internet access from the library.
Books and Supplies
Books and supplies are necessary expenses that quickly add up. Resourceful students can find out from instructors if they will allow students to work from previous editions of required course textbooks, or students can buy used editions; this alone can save hundreds of dollars a semester.
Most bargains are found after shopping around for the best price; the Internet is a good place to begin your search. Try amazon.com, ebay.com, or half.com.
You may be surprised to find that Valley College's bookstore has competitive prices and matches or beats online prices, especially for used books. However, the cheapest solution for students is to check books out from Valley's library, if copies are available.
For supplies, students can forego the expensive name brand notebooks and settle for one with a Valley logo or visit a discount store, such as the 99ยข Only stores, which offer a variety of supplies including pens, calculators and paper.
Thrift On
Thrift stores, whether for clothes, books or furniture, are a bargain hunter's paradise. The best times to shop are at the end of the year (tax write-offs) and at the very beginning of the year (Christmas surplus). No two stores are alike and often there are 'dollar day' sales.
Free is Good
In the spirit of recycling, alleyway castoffs may likely furnish your new digs. A fresh coat of paint on an old piece of furniture may do wonders (for free ideas, Home Depot has booklets by Behr that demonstrate refinishing).
Internet sites such as freecycle.org, a grassroots movement numbering 550,358, is an excellent example of a cyberspace community taking recycling to a new level. The site offers discarded items and urges visitors to make a request for anything from art supplies to printers.
Finally, another option for students is bartering. People with an item or skill can trade this in exchange for something needed. Two helpful sites include craigslst.com and Recycler.com.
These ideas can save students hundreds of dollars every semester. There's no reason why you can't live well, on very little.
A few money-saving tips include subscribing to magazines through ebay.com, usually less than $6 for one- to three years, free or low-cost haircuts from beauty schools and free internet access from the library.
Books and Supplies
Books and supplies are necessary expenses that quickly add up. Resourceful students can find out from instructors if they will allow students to work from previous editions of required course textbooks, or students can buy used editions; this alone can save hundreds of dollars a semester.
Most bargains are found after shopping around for the best price; the Internet is a good place to begin your search. Try amazon.com, ebay.com, or half.com.
You may be surprised to find that Valley College's bookstore has competitive prices and matches or beats online prices, especially for used books. However, the cheapest solution for students is to check books out from Valley's library, if copies are available.
For supplies, students can forego the expensive name brand notebooks and settle for one with a Valley logo or visit a discount store, such as the 99ยข Only stores, which offer a variety of supplies including pens, calculators and paper.
Thrift On
Thrift stores, whether for clothes, books or furniture, are a bargain hunter's paradise. The best times to shop are at the end of the year (tax write-offs) and at the very beginning of the year (Christmas surplus). No two stores are alike and often there are 'dollar day' sales.
Free is Good
In the spirit of recycling, alleyway castoffs may likely furnish your new digs. A fresh coat of paint on an old piece of furniture may do wonders (for free ideas, Home Depot has booklets by Behr that demonstrate refinishing).
Internet sites such as freecycle.org, a grassroots movement numbering 550,358, is an excellent example of a cyberspace community taking recycling to a new level. The site offers discarded items and urges visitors to make a request for anything from art supplies to printers.
Finally, another option for students is bartering. People with an item or skill can trade this in exchange for something needed. Two helpful sites include craigslst.com and Recycler.com.
These ideas can save students hundreds of dollars every semester. There's no reason why you can't live well, on very little.
