So you're living on your own for the first time, pushed out of the nest, and you can't understand why you're always broke? Or you've been in college for a while and use your checkbook register to fix that wobbly couch leg? Whether you're new to pinching pennies or an old hand, this guide can help stretch the dwindling contents of your bank account.
Food
The least appetizing aspect of being broke is being hungry. Avoid dumpster diving with the following five tips on frugal feeding.
-Go grocery shopping.
Safeway is not a shelter for battered women. It's this amazing place where you can buy food. You'll have to cook this food, but there are starter kits (called "oven-bake pizzas").
When the cashier asks if you want a Safeway, King Soopers, or Albertsons card, say yes. It's free, it'll save you money, and it's faster than clipping coupons.
-Learn to cook.
It doesn't have to be fancy, just edible. Plan to feed a small army and stretch one edible evening into maximum microwavable meals. Make friends with pasta and Hamburger Helper. You don't have to major in math to see that foresight plus Tupperware equals coin in your pocket.
- Stop eating out.
It's not easy, with a looming 8 a.m. class, to get up 10 minutes earlier to pack a lunch. My advice? Pack the night before and stick it in the fridge. An 89-cent burrito every day is a Lincoln a week - and a whole lot of sneaky farting in class.
-Raid your parents' fridge.
One more reason to be nice to them. Polish your halo and look underfed (shouldn't be too hard). Ask for extra leftovers (you can conveniently "lose" their Tupperware), or half-empty (half-full to you) condiments. Should they decide you really aren't looking too skinny, mow the lawn, clean out the garage, and vacuum the pets. You're in college; you can at least pretend to be a grownup.
-Get social.
Friends' parties are fun, free, and usually have food. Avoid being a complete mooch by offering to help prepare food, pre-party clean, or clean up afterwards in exchange for leftovers. They may just give them to you instead of throwing them away, but the offer will help you get invited back.
School
While college is inherently expensive, there are plenty of ways to cut costs without cutting corners.
-Finalize your classes early.
Register early and avoid that pesky, new drop fee. Keep the classes you want, drop the ones you don't before the deadline.
-Be resourceful with school supplies.
The first blank page in a new notebook is a luxury, not a necessity. Save your stuff from last semester, save big bucks this semester. Scavenge pens and pencils from campus info tables when the attendants aren't looking. Student Life gives out free academic planners, which conveniently include the most important academic dates-the breaks when school isn't in session.
-Don't buy new books.
Time is money, and shopping at places like half.com and Big Dog Textbooks (conveniently located at 15th and Market) will save you both.
-Share and share alike.
College is a great opportunity to make new friends. New friends are a great way to save money. Share those backbreaking textbooks you'll only use twice, save dough, save a trip to the chiropractor.
-Use campus resources.
Every semester, you get charged an obscene amount in student fees, but do you even know what they're actually used for? With a valid student ID, you can use the campus gym, ride RTD buses and light rail, and use campus computer labs. Spend a little extra time on campus, and keep the change you'd be using to feel the burn, kill the environment and find a date online.
Transportation
Go places without going bankrupt.
-Use public transportation.
The $32 Auraria-only bus pass fee is the only one students bitch about not getting charged. For less than a tank of gas, you get access to local, regional and express buses and light rail, and the Boulder buses (except the stupidly named ones. Who wants to ride something called "the Skip" anyway?). This is what grown-ups call "money well-spent."
-Bike.
Contrary to popular opinion, biking is not reserved strictly for elementary schoolers and hipsters. It's fun, eco-friendly, and immensely satisfying zipping through rush hour traffic under the petulant stare of auto-bound suckers.
-Walk.
Look down. See those things at the end of your legs? They're called feet. Use them.
-Carpool.
If you must drive, use your mad social skills to charm some of your newfound buddies into riding with you. Split gas, split parking, and you get to drive in the HOV lane.
-Park in the cheap lots.
Again, if you're this much of an eco-hater, you can at least make up for it by walking to class. You aren't getting enough exercise anyway, and the lots on Fifth Street are only $1.50.
Entertainment
-Free Classic Film Series with Howie Moshovitz
Presented by the Tattered Cover and Colorado Public Radio, these monthly free screenings are offered at the Starz FilmCenter here on campus. CPR film critic and UCD film professor Howie Moshovitz puts his cantankerous charm and encyclopedic film knowledge to use in a post-screening discussion. Free classic films, free discussion, free sounding smarter than all your friends on Monday morning.
-DAM.
Finally, there's something pretty and free for Colorado residents to look at. Free admission with your Colorado ID the first Saturday of each month at the Denver Art Museum, and you can annoy the other patrons by insistently referring to everything as "DAM art".
-First Fridays.
Denver's favorite drunken tradition includes free art at galleries across town, free booze and free intellectual stimulation.
-Window-shopping.
Denver is bursting with some of the freshest and most unique boutiques in the country. Just because you can't afford to shop there doesn't mean you can't pretend.
-Go outside.
Before the advent of cable television, people used to hang out in this place called "outside." With the largest public park system in the country, Denver has a lot of this to offer. It may sound retro, but outside adventures are not only fun, they're actually good for you, too. Put down the remote and pick up the Frisbee.
Around the House
-Waste not, want not.
Nearly everything you buy at the store can be reused. Keep leftovers in empty plastic butter containers, drink from discarded jelly jars, and transform empty shampoo bottles into nifty toothbrush holders. You'll be amazed at your own creativity. For more fabulous do-it-yourself ideas visit readymademag.com.
-Cool down.
Open windows at night and close 'em during the day. It's not rocket science and it'll keep you cool without central air.
-Warm up.
Bundle up. Adhere industrial cling-wrap to your windows to keep drafts out and heat in. Your mother gave you good advice when she told you to put on another sweater.
-Conserve.
To keep your water bill low, take quick showers (your roommates will thank you), abide by "if it's yellow let it mellow," and report any dripping faucets or leaky pipes immediately.
-Prevention is the best cure.
Play apartment detective by calling Xcel for an estimated energy bill before you move in, and reporting any damages to your landlord after you do. You're place might not be perfect, but there's no reason your deposit can't be.
Be the first to comment on this article!