Wednesday, November 7th, 2007...7:30 am
Looking For A Way To Save Some Dough In College? How About 136?
(Note) I wrote this entry on a now defunct personal blog of mine back in March 2007, and I feel that it fits in perfectly here. Consider this a “best-of” as I get into the full swing of things here at A Day Late, A Buck Short.
136 Ways for Saving Money In College - YourCreditAdvisor
Found this via Lifehack.org. Some of the tips may not apply to the situation at your particular institution of higher learning, but a majority of them are smart ways to stay frugal so you aren’t fighting with Rex for his daily ration of Alpo come midterms.
Here’s an amendment to one tip they give. While they say to cut off coffee completely, I enjoy coffee a lot - black coffee has very few calories (notice the word black, not KEKEKE OMG CARAMEL TEDDY BEAR JOYFULNESS EXTRA WHIP MOCHA KEKEKE, has anti-oxidants, is a ton cheaper than those energy drinks (note I’m referring to black coffee), and gives you a nice kick during your Monday 8 AM lecture. However, just because I haven’t cut it out doesn’t mean I don’t do my homework on how to save a few bucks. I use my refill mug religiously, where I will save .50 or more each time I fill up on premium joe and more when I fill up on crappier blends.
Case In Point:
Espresso Royale in East Lansing, MI: Medium black coffee costs around $1.50 per cup when purchased in dead tree packaging. Using my cheap refill mug (bought it for $4 at Beaner’s (now Biggby’s) Coffee, plus I got a free drink with it too), I can fill up for $1.00 flat. Mind you, this is premium fair trade/organic stuff (so it lacks the bitter taste of the economic oppression of subsistence farmers in developing countries) All kidding aside, it allows me to have really, really good-tasting coffee for less.
MSU Dairy Store (yes, I went to a school known for it’s agricultural programs): Large coffee is about $1.50 a cup regular. Refill price - 60 cents. Granted, the coffee is a bit sketchy (though better than the freeze dried stuff), but you can’t complain about the price.
I also save money by drinking my morning coffee at work. While it may be complete swill (Folger’s plastic bucket of grounds), the boss picks up the tab on it. As my father says - you can always fit free into the budget.
Does anyone else have any good ideas on how to cut the fat out of the already lean college budget? I definitely have some more that I will be writing about in the future.
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