Getting admission into the USA’s best university is one of the greatest opportunities. But it can be quite expensive for your living. As you know, education is the most expensive aspect of studying in the USA. Not only the university expenses to consider but their living is way too costly. The food, housing, and other very necessities. For you, here we have got the most friendly tips on how to save money as a student in the USA.
Live Off-Campus
Living off-campus is one of the brilliant ideas to save you a lot of money not only on room but also you will get a lot more benefits as well. Rent an apartment with 4 to 5 people (based on requirement) and share the expenses for the room, grocery, bills and you will also get to share your college notes. Living in the same place with different people is an opportunity to learn about different cultures and helps with language proficiency. It could even help you to learn cooking and other household works that will be helpful in the future.
Limit The Dine-Outs
Limit the outings as well as going to restaurants. That’s not only costing you money but your health as well. Students who travel to the USA become addicted to fast food that is tasty as well as quick to get. At the end of the month, most realized getting food from outside wasn’t a good idea until then they already had gone out of their budget. You can cook tastier and healthier food at home instead that is not quick but definitely pocket friendly.
Party-Less, And When You Do, Party At Home
Having fun is a necessary part of life and that should not be cut out from life. But one thing you could do is, party occasionally or party less. Parties are expensive whether you are throwing one or invited. Attending too many parties would be distracting you from your studies and could be the reason for getting low grades. Parties are fun but to be avoided to make good savings.
Also Check out: Personal Finance Tips That Will Change the Way You Think About Money
Take Public Transport
Renting a car would possibly be difficult and buying one is too much for an individual. The USA provides the best public transport with the fastest routes. They have a clean, good environment with good prices. There are fixed routes for different buses. You can look for your route from home to college and then back to home for very friendly charges. You can even compare the prices for public transport and renting a vehicle for your friendly travels.
Cook At Home
Cooking is fun. Even if you don’t know how to cook then learning this skill surely is. You have to go to the grocery store, buy your favorite stuff and make your dishes. You will also love to try different recipes from youtube. Besides, when it was me, I used to skype call my mom and she told me to add this and then add that. If you will be living with your friends, learning how to cook from them will make a good bond between you people. Cooking at home saves you a lot of money. For two good meals, you can do the grocery for your whole month.
Meal Plans
Many universities in the USA offer meal plans to students that can sometimes be customized as well. The offered meals are healthy and nutritious which saves you the meal cost. If you have a room and kitchen as well you can cook the food that will save you even more.
Manage Your Expenses
When you come to a new place, you can hardly manage your budget and get your bills in line. You need to keep a good record of how much you have been receiving each month and how it should be availed in the best ways. Make a list of your monthly expenses and cut down any unnecessary billing. Make the least use of electricity and water. Buy things when needed, do not spend too much on outings, parties, and gifts because you are here to study so it should be your priority.
Pay Your Bills In Time
Paying bills in time frees you from the late fines and also disconnections won’t bother you. As if you forget to pay the electricity bill, you will experience a power cut. You surely need money to be spent on the rest of the other stuff so delaying bills and then making up with the late fines could be stressful.
Buy Second-Hand Textbooks
Textbooks are so expensive. They sometimes cost you a leg and an arm. But you need to know that you can get second-hand textbooks from different shops at low prices. But I have an even greater opportunity for you. Talk to your seniors if any of them is willing to give away their books you can borrow from them. As a bonus, you might get their notes as well which will be a help to your later studies. As sometimes books are unavailable everywhere you can always visit the college library and create notes for your desired topics.
Find A Part-Time Job
You are a senior student now. Once you get settled into a new place and college things aren’t that difficult for you to cope with, you must find a part-time job to hold your expenses and manage to pay the semester fee. Other than just earning money, this job will do a lot more benefits to you. First, you will earn money on your own, you won’t be wasting time going out to parties, you will become responsible and learn to manage things within time. This isn’t just a part-time job, it’s a life turner.
Scholarships Are A Great Opportunity
Study hard to get a scholarship for your semester. Most universities give this opportunity to the students who meet their criteria of grading. This will help them with the fee discount. To get this discount each time, you need to study hard every semester.
Traveling Costs
Flying to your family or going on vacation on a semester holiday is fun. But if you book your flight at the last minute that will charge you a hefty sum. However, pre-booking your tickets would help you to avoid the increased charges. Pre-booking helps you get cheaper rates and save you some money. You can even stay back and find a part-time job to earn some money for your next semester.
Invest In Travel Cards
Travel cards are easy and convenient and will save you a lot of money in means of traveling in the USA. The traveling cards are in a prepaid format that has to be preloaded with US currency. Get the travel cards for the subway system, buses, trains and sometimes win the available flights with the extra discounts for students.
Take Advantage of Your Status
You are lucky if you hold a student card. As a Student, it sometimes becomes a little bit difficult to manage expenses, especially when studying in a private university. So whether you are shopping online or planning for a dinner or a lunch at a restaurant don’t forget to take advantage of your student discount and save a ton of money while shopping.
Mobile Plans
Using sim cards on international usage will bring in a lengthy bill. While the local usage sim cards cost cheaper. But buying a family mobile plan is budget-friendly and offers you loads of mobile facilities. Companies like Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T offer discounts on family mobile plans and friends groups.
Live Near Your College
Find a residence near your school. Most student houses are located pretty close to their college/universities. But if possible try to find a place within walking distance to your university. It will be a good activity for your health, energy will boost up and above all, you will save a lot of transport charges.
Exchange Rate
You should be coming to the USA with your country’s currency. Make sure to set eyes upon the exchange rates when they go low. The low exchange rate allows you to fill your pockets with some extra cash. You can always save money with this without any effort.
Be Smart with Your Grocery Shopping
Living in the USA can be more expensive than most students could imagine. Especially when it comes to groceries, students be spending money without knowing there could also be ways to save money. First, you need to know that on the same rack there are many products on the same shelf with different brand packaging and prices. There, you need to be careful with the brand you chose and see the price differences. Here are a few tips for that;
- Don’t go to the market empty stomach
- Be careful with the prices
- Purchase local products
Online Communication
Online communication has now made the relations among friends and family more strong and beautiful. They are free of cost and there is also no time limit for that. On the other hand, mobile charges are time-limited and expensive. Therefore WhatsApp, Skype, Google Voice, and other applications are available worldwide to make connections better which saves you a handful too.
Conclusion
As a student, you all have to save money for a better future. You can use your student Id for availing exclusive student discounts. Students can invest their money in traveling cards this will help them save extra few bucks while traveling. Doing a part-time job would be a great step, as it will help you bear your extra expenses. If your school is at walking distance try to avoid transportation as it will help you save traveling expenses, as well as walking will be good for your health.