College tuition is expensive with room and board, lab fees and other miscellaneous costs that creep into the final bill. But what can be done to help the average college student save a little bit of money for movies, shopping and dates?
Maybe splitting costs would help. This works best for those who have great trust in their their roommates or friends.
But what costs can be split among roommates? Small things like groceries can be split up – either one person buys groceries for the week and shares within the room or everyone pitches in to buy them in bulk. Before deciding to do this, you must establish that one person alone will not be indulging in what is purchased since everyone will pay for it at one time or another. Sophomore Olivia Bellard said that it has worked well for her and her two roommates.
“We each bring in food and share,” Bellard said. “We’ve never had any problems.”
Since meal plans are required for those living on campus, snacks may be all you need for in your room.
When it comes to entertainment, no one wants to do anything that costs a ton of money. So why not do cost-efficient things in groups? Activities such as bowling or skating are great ways to have fun and they are usually less than $10 a person.
Carpooling is another option. You can take turns driving or everyone in the car can pitch in for gas. But if you would rather stay in, you can always get a pizza to share and watch movies in someone’s room, which is always a good activity for the frugal, yet social, student.