Money Saving Tips for Students

Being a full-time student in my final semester of my program I can say that it has been quite a ride, a stressful one BUT a positive one none-the-less. Working for many years and having disposal income at my every convenience, I am finally learning the reality of what it is like to be on a very fixed budget. Thank god this is my final semester, I literally had a credit card that would not be accepted at the short-term parking lot on campus today. Not having a dollar in my wallet or my pocket, I literally had to scrounge up any bit of change possible in my car…who knew fifty cents could come in handy at such a good time? 

Here are my money saving tips to students: 

Apply for Bursaries/Scholarships – This one is a great way to save money from coming out of your pocket and is more of a way to get free money…literally. There are scholarships for just about any type of criteria now-a-days; being a certain height, gender, ethnicity…you name it. There are even cases where not enough applicable applicants apply. I wish I had known this sooner or I would have taken advantage of this, so do not make the same mistake I did. Check out your school’s website and look into external scholarships as well! 

Buy Groceries – If you are living on res or renting an apartment with room mates come up with a regular schedule to split the cost of groceries. You can easily spend $10 buying a single meal. Stopping by the grocery store to stack up on snacks and cooking at home is a great money saving tip that will go a long way.

Buy Things on Sale – Keep an eye out for sales and visit sites to get a hold of coupons. Making a habit of only buying sale items is also a great money saving tip that will save you from unnecessary spending. If you visit the grocery store later at night, often time items such as baked goods as marked down as stores need to replenish these items with fresh goods for the next day. As for shopping, there are times where I feel I have been so disciplined that I have not bought anything frivolous for myself and just want to spoil myself. Try the method of checking out sale or clearance sections of the store; the less you spend the more money you have left in your bank account at the end of the day. 



Piggy Bank Those Loose Loonies & Toonies – If you use cash as a primary method of purchasing items try saving loonies and toonies and throwing them into a piggy bank/jar at the end of each day. You will be surprised how fast this money saving method will add up.

Take Advantage of Student Discounts – As a student you are entitled to a multitude of student discounts. There are often student discount cards that can be bought as well, so that you receive additional discounts/perks which is a great way to take advantage of added benefits and even save you money at the same time. 

I hope these quick tips for money saving will be useful to students. As much as I enjoyed being a temporary full-time student, it will soon be time to get back into the working force and continue to earn money for a living! 

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