Understanding College Expenses
Transportation, books, special classes for special needs, and most importantly, food; these are the basic things that a new college student, as well as a returning college student, would and should expect to spend some money on. For most of us, if not all of us, in high school and middle school we were offered all of these things depending on your family’s socioeconomic status.
Let’s start with food. In college, you definitely need food to function well in and out of class. So let me ask you this; if you’re a new college student, do you have a meal plan? If not, do you have any other means of nourishing yourself? During my first year of college, one of the first things I noticed was the food on campus was really expensive. So what I started doing was bringing my own food from home every day.
Other than food, there are other things that require the attention of money. Things in our daily lives such as car insurance, rent, laundry, clothes, and, since you’re in college now, books; not to mention miscellaneous things for your own pleasure and entertainment. With all these expenses, it’s easy for one to get fully drained without forewarning. My advice is if you feel like you want to buy something, but you can’t find the reason as to why; THEN DON’T BUY IT. Try and spend more time saving than spending. I know this is all familiar to you, but trust me, it is very common to spend next weeks’ transportation allowance on food for you and your friends.
All I can say is be on top of your work, and try to save money. It’s alright to spend as long as it’s for a good cause, because you are going to need to spend money. But overall, stay focused in school and on top of your course materials, and everything will be easier to put into place.
Thanks for reading,
Junior
Buying Cheap Books
One of the most common expenses that come up in college is the purchase of books for your classes. This is not to be taken lightly because books can usually be quite costly. This is especially true if you if you try to but your books directly from your schools bookstore. What I do, rather than going to the Northeastern bookstore, is buy my books online.
Usually if you try to get advice on campus about buying books you may be directed to the campus bookstore. DO NOT go to the campus bookstore unless it the book you need is only available at the bookstore. Depending on your major, a book at the bookstore can cost up to $300.
Other than renting your books, buying them online is probably the cheapest way to get them. You should only use legitimate and credible websites when you make any type of online purchase. My specific preference is Amazon.com. Amazon usually has the best prices for a variety of products, including textbooks. Amazon even has a promotion for college students called Amazon Prime. With Amazon Prime you are granted free 2 day shipping. This is great for students, like me, who procrastinate when it comes to buying books for class. Usually to find the book on Amazon, you will be asked to plug-in the ISBN number. You should also make sure that you are buying the correct edition of the book. You can usually get this information from your school’s website when you register for classes.
