By Yesy Chavez
College life is an experience everyone should have. However, it is probably the most expensive experience you will ever have. Between classes, textbooks, living conditions, transportation, and social life, maintaining or keeping a budget can be quite difficult.
What to expect if you want to go to college?
In an ideal world, parents would cover all the expenses. Students would just keep on being students and just worry about grades. However, that is probably not the case in 90% of households. A student must find a way to pay for school. Yes, there are student loans that a student and parent can take out but that, I would recommend is the last resort. There are also scholarships available, you just have to look and apply for them.
Now for those of us who do not qualify for scholarships and have tapped out student loans or do not want loans (I highly recommend not to take them out) we are left with working a part-time job and stretching every dollar.
Here are some tips to make every dollar count:
1. Go to a community college.
Universities are great but very expensive. General classes can be completed at a community college for a fraction of the price. Then once you are ready and know what you want to study you can transfer to a University.
2. Rent your books or buy used ones
Let’s face it once your class is over you are never going to look at that textbook. So why waste hundreds of dollars on them? Rent them out for the semester, make copies if necessary, now with the internet, you can scan the book at the library and keep it in your cloud. Places like Amazon and ValoreBooks.com are good places to start if your library does not offer the textbook you need.
3. Transportation
Ideally, you want to stay close to home for college, at least for your general classes. That way you can save on gas, insurance, maintenance, and car payments. Take the bus, ride a bike, take the metro, or walk. Make friends and carpool together. Work on your networking skills.
4. Get a job
Now I know better than anyone that working while going to school is very hard. However, if possible work a part-time job. Work on the weekends or just a couple of hours during the week. Work remotely as a Virtual Assistant or deliver food on DoorDash or Uber Eats. Don’t have a car? You can actually deliver food on a bike, scooter, or any set of wheels. Just be careful.
5. Budget
Make a list of everything you need to survive. Everything else is just a want and can wait. It is daunting to think that you won’t be able to hang out with friends, but there are plenty of free or cheap ideas that still let you go out and have fun. Create a budget planner or purchase one online if you have some extra cash. There are even some cool Excel sheets that are interactive and help track your progress. You can find them on Etsy as Excel Digital Planners.
6. Living Expenses
Living expenses can be a bit tricky. Ideally, you would want to stay home and save on rent while you are in school. However, that often eats away at the fun of a college experience. So most students move out and find an apartment. Depending on where you go to school this can be very expensive by yourself. This is why if you are going to move out I would suggest moving into a cheap dorm or an apartment where multiple people share living expenses. Not always ideal but you can network and learn to live with others independently.
Conclusion
College is important but take it from someone who has spent thousands on school. If you don’t know what to study you will be wasting your time and money. I suggest researching, shadowing, and volunteering at places where you are interested in working. My highest recommendation though, is NETWORK, you never know who you might meet and how they may help you. It’s ok to be shy and introverted but when it comes to your life you have to step out and step up to make a change.
I will leave a link to some books you might find helpful as well as some planner ideas. I am an Amazon Affiliate so I do earn a commission if you make a purchase.
If you prefer the digital route there are some great digital planners on Etsy or on Zazzle as well.