8 Ways College Students Can Have a Social Life on a Budget
This article was sponsored by Citizens Bank and Her Campus. Katherine Perez, Corallys Plasencia, and Kayla Gore are contributors for this post. All opinions are their own.
While enjoying my time around the University of Maine, I wondered how college students find time and money to have a social life? After all the tuition fees, books, room and board, and other vital essentials, the cost of living can be exorbitantly expensive.
I asked a few friends and followers of my blog that recently attended college how they got around these dilemmas. Lucky enough, I got a lot of great answers and would like to share their tips and tricks with you.
8 Ways College Students Can Have a Social Life on Budget!
Join School Clubs & Events:
1. Attend the events put together by the universities. It could be a free concert, comedy show, or a sporting event. Always take advantage of these live events. You always learn something new and also it is a very nice way to meet new people. As an added bonus, a lot of organizations plan trips to various hip spots.
Work, Save, and Avoid Fees:
2. Renting textbooks from places is a good way to save money. As an added bonus, you can find out the most important parts for the book to learn from via what was outlined before.
3. Keep track of all your expenses and bills to avoid various fees. A very convenient way to do so is by having a bank that offers free services like bill pay, online banking, and that have no monthly service fees. The new Citizens Bank Student Checking Account waives these monthly maintenance fees as long as you are under 25 years old. There is no minimum balance required. In addition, you can send and receive money safely and securely online with no charge through Zelle.
4. If you have time to get a part time job, why not have one at the college? Being able to work around your class schedule on the weekdays can really free up your weekends for some fun times.
5. If you do go out with a group of friends a lot, advantage of services like UBER pool and shared LYFT rides to save some extra cash.
Get More Bang for your Buck Deals & Coupon:
6. Buy transportation tickets ahead of time. The Megabus offers tickets as low as $1. Just remember to look for these tickets at least 3- 4 months in advance.
7. GROUPON… or any similar discount website. It can be the best way to look for deals for certain activities like the theatre, concert, restaurants, mini-golf, and many other activities.
8. Happy hour seems to be the best time to enjoy some good food deals. Because more people are on a budget these days, it would be one of the most optimal times to meet someone new.
Meet some of the contributors
Check out the Citizens Bank Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages to find out more awesome tips to help you have the time of your life this semester!
These are some really good ideas for students! I remember when I was at Uni money was so tight, I did a Saturday job to help out
Some great ideas! Always love the idea of a budget anyway ❤ This is a good post. Thank you for sharing ?
These are great suggestions! It was definitely hard to save enough money for all of the extras at college.
Its so hard to budget yourself in college. I applaud you taking the time to think out thoughtful ways and to try helping others do the same.
These are some fantastic ideas for how to still maintain a social life without splashing cash you don’t have. Attending the college events definitely makes sense!
Oh yeah! I love that you’ve mentioned Groupon in this. It really helps me get the most out of my shopping.