Living away from home in college can entail a long list of expenses. If the advance deposit on an apartment seems enough to turn your pockets inside out, then it’s important to look for ways to save money on other things wherein price can be negotiated to some extent.
Basic college room furnishings need not be expensive as long as they function to meet a student’s needs. Here are some items you need to reconsider splurging on:
1. Bedding – A dorm room or college apartment will not feel like home without a proper bed. Before going out to purchase bedding, take note of the bed or mattress size to avoid having an awkward fitting sheet. Try shopping online or at outlet stores to get sheet sets at a discount. Time your shopping on a “back to school” sale, which happens a few weeks before school starts.
2. Furniture – The best way to save on room furniture is to bring your own since nobody’s going to use them in your room back home anyway. If that’s too impractical, don’t peruse your IKEA catalog just yet. It’s cheaper (sometimes free) to get furniture from yard sales and online sites like freecycle.org and craigslist.org. All you need is a means of transporting the goods back to your place.
3. Computer – A computer is now as essential part of studying in college. To save money on computers, first you have to know your system needs. Are you going to use it for heavy graphics (digital arts) or will an internet browser and a text editor suffice (journalism)? There’s no need to overspend on components you won’t be using much. Similarly, you can just download a freeware operating system and programs instead of buying licensed software.
4. Appliances – If your room doesn’t come with basic appliances, then you can simply bring your own. Again, if that is not feasible, purchase from bargain sources as with the furniture. Another thing to consider is sharing with roommates. Talk to them before making any big purchase because chances are, they might already have one. Otherwise you can split the cost and share the usage of an appliance such as a microwave or a printer.
5. School supplies and housewares – Though these things take up only a little space in a college room, they can be costly if one is not price conscious when buying them. For pens, notebooks plates and utensils, hit the dollar store for quick savings. For bags and other needs, you can turn to the internet or wait for the annual back-to-school sale to come around. Instead of buying new, you can buy used college textbooks online to get them at a fraction of the cost.
These low cost investments should last until you finish college and maybe even years after that. For now, the focus must be on learning and the good life will follow.