Frugal College Life

My oldest daughter is a fresh(wo)man in college and my youngest daughter was just notified of her acceptance to the college of her choice. I'm very pleased that both of my girls have received substantial scholarships for merit and financial need. They've also benefited from the wonderful gift of a 529 plan from their grandmother. This combination of funding has reduced my burden tremendously. But, there are still expenses involved that I must cover (books, supplies, the remainder of the room & board not covered by the above listed aid) and this leaves my budget tight. I have told the girls that their tuition, room, board and books are covered, but anything else, they must provide. This has led to some creative strategies by my oldest daughter.

She does not have a car at college. She doesn't really need one, except to make the trip home. She uses the bus system to get around town but most of what she needs is within walking distance of her dorm. She also rides with other students as they make trips to the mall or other shops for groceries and supplies. This saves the gas money, insurance, parking permit fee, and hassle of maintaining a vehicle.

She obtained a really great job, working in the nursery of a church just a few blocks from her dorm. The church has taken her in and treats her very well. She works for a few hours on Sunday morning and Wednesday night, no conflict with her school schedule at all. The pay is good enough that she is able to get the spending money she needs from this. The church members have asked her to do some private babysitting and even work as a server for a catering job. These extra jobs are great because they give her the flexibility of looking at her schedule to decide if she can do them and, if so, provide her some extra income. The added bonus is that she's networking and creating her own friendships and sense of community beyond the college environment.

On weekends, the cafeteria at the school only serves brunch. Because of this, I send my daughter supplies to make her own meals and she buys fresh ingredients locally. I've taught her how to cook and she does very well. Following Christmas break, I sent her a cooler with some tilapia, salmon and other frozen items for her to enjoy on her weekends. This past weekend, she was cooking in the dorm kitchen (which is located across the hall from the head RA for the dorm) and visiting with the RA. When asked what she was cooking for dinner, my daughter rattled off her menu, "Pan-seared salmon with mango-chipotle chutney, wild rice and baked sweet potatoes." (Yes, the mom here is saying, "where's the green veggies?"... but hey, it's not pizza!) To which the RA responded in some sort of awe, according to my daughter. Then, my daughter expressed that she felt sorry for the kids she saw heating up Easy Mac in the microwave and those who obviously hadn't a clue how to cook. From this conversation was borne the idea (and permission) for her to cook meals on Saturday and Sunday and sell the plates first-come, first-served to any takers. She posts her menu in the lobby, with a sign-up sheet for planning purposes. She charges $5 or less (depending upon the menu) for a plate. I think this is fabulous, and as I told her, if she only gets enough to pay for the groceries/supplies, then she's still ahead because she's basically eating for free. If she makes a little money, great!

There are other opportunities to save or make money. You'd be surprised how many kids don't know how to do laundry. Some have become so frustrated that they take theirs to the local "Wash-n-Fold" place. For someone who doesn't mind doing laundry (not my daughters) there is the potential to take over some of the Wash-n-Fold business by taking in dorm mates laundry and doing it at the laundromat when doing their own.

If you want to save some money, make sure your young adult knows some very basic living skills before they jump out of the nest. Learning to cook, do one's laundry, maintain a vehicle and network are key skills that will save them (and you) money.

Additionally, teach them things about living frugally. For example, don't buy your supplies at the campus bookstore. A trip to Wal-Mart, Target, Michaels, Hobby Lobby, Best Buy or several other places provide notebooks, art supplies, calculators, etc at a price far less than available in the bookstore. Always check online to see if you can buy your textbooks cheaper (use ISBN number). There are several excellent online sites that sell college texts. And, likewise, check online before selling your book back to the bookstore. If the school offers you $3 for the book you paid $30 for a few months before, then do like my daughter did and offer to sell it to someone taking the class the next semester or next year. She got $15 out of it, which was win-win for her and the student who needed the book. Also, apply this technique to books you need for a class; ask around, someone may have them in their room. This is where networking with classmates pays off. Finally, don't rush to buy every book on the syllabus. They should be available in the library and some will not be needed until later in the semester and some are not needed at all.

While obtaining a college education is a costly endeavor, it can be made more affordable with a frugal mindset.