Having fine wine taste but living on a beer budget may not be easy, but it is manageable. Ideally you won’t learn the importance of budgeting until you enroll in a two- or four-year university.
There is a plethora of ways students can save money on several purchases, such as extreme couponing and thrifting from Goodwill for clothing and price matching, for example.
Let’s take groceries, for example. Remember when you used to live at home with your parents and they would get you any and everything you wanted from the grocery store? Those times typically change for college students since other priories come into play.
“Being a mother and student, I need to pinch every penny possible,” said Tyeisha Steele, a mother of two and student at Tallahassee Community College.
With Wal-Mart being a stickler for having the cheapest prices in town, the company created a savings catcher app that customers can use to gain money back on purchases.
The app allows you to upload your receipt number no longer than seven days after the initial purchase. The system will then search every store in town and see if the price is cheaper. If found cheaper, you will get the difference in the form of reward dollars or an e-gift card.
“Since downloading the app, I have saved $5 from a single purchase by using coupons and the new app,” said LaChanze Willis, a Tallahassee resident.
Couponing has become more popular now than ever. We all hated standing in line behind someone who had to gather all their coupons together at the end of their checkout process, but now we all are looking to save a buck or two.
Clipping coupons on a Sunday afternoon isn’t so bad anymore when you know you will be saving abundantly. Strategizing your coupons with your local grocery store sales is the best way to keep a little more in your wallet than in the register.
According to Forbes, if students cook dinner in a crock-pot before leaving for class, they can save that $10 or more that they would spend at Chipotle.
Graduate student Bryan Williams said he is always looking for a good deal when shopping.
“Having Wal-Mart accept Publix sales was one of the best ideas ever,” Williams said. “I get great deals at a cheaper price.”