Home | Forward | More Advice | Subscribe (Free) December 6, 2007
With Fran Northcutt, Honors Adviser, Hunter College of the City University of New York
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Show Me the Discount!
HEAD Start
This week's newsletter is for all of you who, whether through necessity or inclination, are living on a budget (which, frankly, is probably all of you). Because somehow, college always seems to end up costing more than you ever thought it would! Your bill is full of mysterious items with names like "Spec.Appl. Fee" and "SAF/GAF" and no one seems to know what they're for. And as many a penurious freshman has discovered, the financial cost of college socializing can take you by surprise.

HEAD Lines
Luckily, there are tons of ways to save money, especially as a student. First and foremost, the parents' favorite: transportation discounts. If you ride Amtrak to and from school several times each year, it'll pay off to sign up for Student Advantage to get you where you're going for less - and bus lines have bargains too.

HEADS Up
Check out these other opportunities to save a dollar or five:
  • Sign up for the discount card at your local supermarket. You'll end up spending much less on your weekly supply of Ramen noodles and chocolate-covered espresso beans.

  • Chain pharmacies also tend to offer discount cards - pick one up so that you can afford both food and soap! Your roommates will thank you.

  • Don’t be shy about asking movie theaters, museums, etc. whether they have a student discount. Why pay full price when you don't have to? Use the extra money for popcorn.

  • Have a favorite restaurant? Or one that might become your favorite if you could ever afford to eat there? Look online for downloadable discount coupons.

  • If anyone knows how broke you and your friends are, it's your college. That's why student centers often have freebies to give out. Cheap movie and theater tickets could be available just for the asking. And if your school is anywhere near snow, there's a good chance you can pick up some discount passes for the local ski slopes!
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From Other HEADS
EVERY TIME YOU GO OUT, when all your friends are having that last drink, cut yourself off; don't have that last drink. Then, go home and put the money you saved in a piggy bank. You'll be surprised how quickly it adds up. And you can go out and buy a new outfit.

-- S.G.
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, SENIOR


IF I WERE WRITING A BOOK about the things they don't tell you when you enter college, the first chapter would cover the hidden costs of living away from home - travel, cell phone bills, and school supplies, for example. However, the most shocking expense is food: the midnight pizzas, the birthday dinners, the celebration dinners, and the random exoduses from campus when you just can't take it anymore.

-- ADAM
ELON UNIVERSITY, SOPHOMORE




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HoH Tips
  • Check your campus newspaper for coupons and other deals. 20% off the local Indian buffet… 35% off all clothing at the bookstore, this week only... 2-for-1 night at the nearby bowling alley… All these bargains can be yours!

  • Beware of sticker shock. Don't forget to get the validation sticker for your college ID every semester (if they require it). Many businesses won't give you the student discount without it. Although the sticker for your first semester was probably handed to you at orientation, you may have to make a stop at Student Services to pick up the next one.
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