Strapped for Cash? Here’s How I Save Money on Campus…
Let’s be real here: times are hard. I’m trying to hold on to every dollar I don’t have. As someone who considers herself experienced at being broke, I will share my experiences and tips for happy broke living with you.
- Be sure to pick up a campus coupon book at the beginning of the semester. You can usually find these at the reception areas in res halls, or at local businesses like T.I.S. Bookstore.
- Hang out with other broke people. If your friends want to hit the bars every night, you may not be able to afford to keep up. Stick with a group of shameless friends who have no problem staying in to work on their vogue moves, who would spend their time playing with their food, or who simply enjoying relaxing evenings at home cooking or watching movies.
- …movies they haven’t paid for, anyway. Try not to pay to rent movies or video games. You can check them out from the Undergraduate Library. There are very nice, popular titles too, just click the link and search the database.
- Don’t buy bandaids, Advil, cough drops or condoms. You can pick up all of these things and more for no extra charge at McKinley health center. I’ve heard complaints about the Lifestyles condoms that McKinley gives out, but I’ve also heard that you could request a different brand. I’m not sure if this true, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. They give out female condoms and latex barriers/dental dams too.
- Pay attention to campus events, meetings and surveys. More often than not, free food is no further away than a trip to the quad. During the summer, pay attention to the grove because someone is always barbecuing. A few of my networking encounters have included: local DJs, engineers, LGBTQ people, Christian people, and minority grad students. In my short time here, I’ve learned that you usually don’t have to lie about belonging to the group as long as you are friendly, approachable, and possibly willing to listen to a pitch about the group. Which is cool, because you’ll walk away well fed and likely educated on something new. I’ve met some great people by crashing their eating events.
- Be aware of campus events. Some of the most fun you’ll ever have here is totally free. A couple weeks ago, L^3, a student org here, hosted a photo scavenger hunt. This is a picture of the prompt “kiss a statue”. It’s easy to search on Facebook and join groups or listservs to stay in the loop of what’s going on here.
And most importantly:
- Do not buy a Snuggie. Just don’t do it. It is not cute, and it is not economic! I don’t care how many times Fighting Illini is printed all over it. I’ll tell you what you can do though: put your bathrobe on backwards.
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Tracy
10.28.09
4:52 am
As an international student from China,I know that to study abroad costs money.So must I live on campus in UIUC or I can rent a house near the school?If the fees shown on the website(about living on campus) will not change next year,do it include the cost in the cafateria?Or it is an accommodation fee?