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Living Large on Little Cash

It’s no secret the economy is in the dumps and has seemed to take most people’s spending money along with it. Students struggle to make ends meet between books, tuition increases and living expenses. In a social media world where $20 won’t cover a movie date, we wanted to know what clever strategies students were utilizing to get by. Here’s what they said over Facebook:

Natalie Hamill
I ask myself if I really need something before I buy it. It helps cut down on frivolous spending on anything.

Crystal Luera
Do not buy your books until after you sit through the first day of that class. It may surprise you that you might not even need it. Also, always check with friends to see if they have taken that class before to buy or borrow books from them.

Becca Barnes
Rent your books from Chegg and carpool when you run errands!

Jason Michael Ferreira
I would encourage Fresno State students to save money by taking small steps to help cut costs from their daily budget. 1) Instead of buying and using bottled water, buy a reusable water container at the bookstore (most can be given away FREE as gifts from event sponsors and/or organizations). These containers can be filled with ice cold, free water all the time and can be carried easily by any student. 2) Pack your lunch from home. Save money by using the resources you already have available to you at home and cut down on the high costs of on- or off-campus food choices. 3) If you live close to campus, purchase a bike and ride to school. This will keep maintenance costs low on a vehicle and also SAVE YOU A TON on rising gas prices. My best advice to you, as a student, is make wise choices and remember, college is only going to get more expensive, so save up now if you can.

Jill Tebbe
One way to save money: buy off-brand foods instead of name brands!

Nancy Loza
Make your lunch and take it to school with you. Buying your lunch at school gets really expensive. It’s better to buy stuff to make sandwiches. :) The school also has microwaves that are for the use of students – one is in the USU; the other is on the bottom floor of the bookstore.

Jazzman Shreem Hester
Eat out only once a week. Have a money jar where you can drop extra change in it to help save money.

Elisa Ferrendelli
Every time you deposit a check, write it down as less than you deposited. When you spend the money, always write down more than you spent – this way you always have more in your account than what you think.

Keithen Andrews
Watching your pennies is key! Asking yourself what’s a necessity and what’s not will help you cut corners. You’re a college student; most of us are paying for school right now by student loans either from banks or parents...So it’s not your money really… Saving my receipts and making a budget every year has helped me stay... in a good boundary for all my expenses! Not buying water is also smart, and packing a lunch or leftovers, cooking things in bulk that you can freeze, making coffee instead of getting Starbucks every day and also living in walking distance to school!

Horacio Lopez-Segura
A good money-saving tip is to make a list of priorities and decide how much money should go into those different categories per month/week/etc. Then you should make set dates and whatnot for spending the money on those different priorities. If you really want to be fancy, you can make other sub-groups within those priorities and make your budgets there too.

Being a Fresno State student adds up! Check out these perks to being a student and by flashing that ID card:

- 5% discount at AT&T

- 10% discount at Bulldog Shop, excluding sale items

- Free drink with purchase of entrée at Qdoba

- Piccadilly Inn House standard room rental for $79 with credit card

- The Student Rush for 2nd Space Theater is $10 and $15 for Roger Rockas. Call (559) 266-0660 for more info!

- Free chips and a drink with purchase of 6-inch sandwich or larger at Deli Delicious

- $5 off Aqua Nails and Spa

- State Farm Insurance Good Student Driver discount. Call for more details!

- Free drink with purchase at Petra Shish Kebab

- Various discounts on services and products at any Apple Store

- 15% off merchandise at Banana Republic