Students all over Harding University are striving to find ways to save money on life’s necessities to live within their limited, college-sized budgets.
“College students, we’re always broke … and [we’re] going to have to use ways to save when we get out of college too,” junior Mandie Raley said. “You have to prioritize what’s a necessity and what’s a want.”
Put these few money-saving tips into practice, and it will be easy to start saving.
1.Become a Store Member
Becoming a store club member at the local grocery store is one of the easiest ways to get instant savings. One of the best stores to become a club member of in Searcy is Kroger. According to Kroger.com, all you have to do is sign a short information form, get your card and register it online to get your savings. Kroger is full of yellow tags showing Plus Members’ discounted prices. These discounts work only if you have your card with you at checkout but can save you dollars on every shopping trip. Almost everything you purchase at Kroger also gives you reward points that add up and in turn give you savings. Having a Kroger Plus Card can even save you money on gas at nearby Shell stations.
2. Stick to the list
A lot of people go to the store with a list of what they need and then find themselves standing in the checkout line with many more items than they had planned. According to Thesimpledollar.com, stores are usually organized with the most necessary items on the far edges of the store so that you have to walk by all the unnecessary stuff first. Thesimpledollar.com said, “The best tool for this is to make a shopping list before you go and stick to that list.
uponing” on TLC. Maybe you should not go that far, but with a few coupons and a little effort you could have a little extra cash in your pockets yourself. According to smartmoney.com, the top five coupon clipping websites are Coupons.com, Couponcabin.com, Couponmom.com, Retailmenot.com and Smartsource.com. These websites offer free printable coupons. All it takes is a few clicks and you are on your way to saving money. Another great place to find not only coupons but also local store specials and sales is the Sunday paper. According to Kroger.com, Kroger grocery store even doubles some coupons, which means the store matches the savings of the coupon you have, giving you double the savings value of your coupon.
One of the easiest ways to save money instantly at the grocery store is by buying the store brand instead of the name brand. It may seem like the 20 cents you save by buying Great Value canned vegetables is insignificant, but it will add up. Green beans are green beans, after all. According to an article on BankofAmerica.com, there are seven items you should always buy the store brand of. These items include: fresh produce, organic foods, pantry staples, over-the-counter medication, prescription medication, vitamins and personal care products. Many people think that the store brand quality has to be less because of the price difference, but according to BankofAmerica.com all products must meet the same standards, especially when it comes to food.
When you cook, do not cook just for one meal — make enough for two. By not overeating and saving your leftovers, you are making two meals for about the price of one. This does not apply just to full meals, though. According to Wendy Ponte, the Brooklyn Frugal Family Examiner on Examiner.com, even the other half of that red pepper you did not put in your salad the day before could be saved and put to good use. Instead of throwing out things you think you will never use, save them. Ponte said that at Allrecipes.com all you have to do is type in the ingredients you have and it gives you full dishes you can make with them.
Although not the healthiest option, the cheap cost of ramen noodles makes it a great staple for a college student on a budget. Budget101.com shows a list of 137 ramen recipes to bring variety and deliciousness to this 22-cent staple. These recipes range from breakfast to even dessert and provide options for every picky eater. If you are not the biggest ramen fan, Sushi Taste on a Ramen Budget is a blog written by college student Kelsey Avers that gives great tips and examples for cooking things other than ramen on a ramen noodle budget.