Friday, April 14, 2006

CHEAP ENTERTAINMENT FOR THE COLLEGE STUDENT

How to Have Fun Even if You are Broke.

You’ve gone to classes, studied, folded laundry and checked your e-mail. Now what do you do? You’ve only got $10 dollars cash in your pocket and you’re looking for some fun. Here are some ideas for entertainment on the cheap:

1) Go to the library. College libraries are generally open all night long, and many college town libraries have great selections of VHS and DVD movies. Enjoy a movie night, and the best part is it’s free!

2) Call your friends over and play some cards or board games. Learn to play chess. Nothing takes care of boredom like a good friend! A game that I have found interesting is trying to challenge your friends to see how much they know about you. You’ll learn interesting things about your friends and hopefully spend hours having a blast!

3) Check out local museums and attractions. Many are free on certain days of the month, and others offer cheap student discounts. Enjoy some art or a zoo for an afternoon!

4) Concerts and sporting events at your college again offer deeply discounted tickets to students. Spend an evening hearing some good music or attending a game. To make it even more memorable, go with a group of friends.

5) Take a walk around your town. Visit the tourist spots, the historical spots you usually just pass right by. You may discover a small shop or little-known attraction that will spark your interest!

6) Spend the night star-gazing. Pick up an astronomy book at the library; bring a friend and a snack. See if you can find new constellations!

7) Swap old magazines with friends. You both get something new out of the deal.

8) Go to the mall, but leave your cash at home. You can window shop, go with a friend and try things on, but don’t buy! Get ideas for Christmas instead!

9) Lift weights. Most universities offer free access to exercise equipment. You’ll keep busy while you improve yourself.

10) Go bowling. Bring friends, of course!

11) Invite some friends over, turn on the radio, and spend the evening dancing!

Having fun when you are broke in college isn’t too hard, as long as you’ve got friends who are broke too and looking for fun! Try these ideas and figure out some of your own.

Saturday, April 08, 2006

Lunch on a Budget: A College Student’s Must-Know!

Like many other college students, you’re famous for being short on cash almost all year long. Unfortunately, this state of perpetual poverty doesn’t relent just because you’re trying to eat. Sometimes you only have enough cash to hit the vending machines: a bad idea if you’re trying to give your brain fuel that it can use for studying.

Here are a few things that you can do to get a decent meal despite your tiny budget.

-Avoid your university’s food court. Snacks, meals and most beverages tend to cost more at these on-campus locations. Unless you’re forced to eat there – i.e. you’re in a dorm that comes with a meal plan – go off campus for lunch. Prices are often cheaper, and many restaurants and fast-food places near campuses offer student discounts to save you even more money.

-Check out your school’s campus organizations. Some offer free or very cheap lunches once a month or more often. In many cases, these are religious organizations. If you’re part of that faith, you can have the added bonus of finding a convenient place to socialize.

-Bring your lunch from home. If you live on campus, you can walk back to your place for lunch. This works best if your class schedule includes a break around lunchtime. Even if you didn’t think of this when the semester began, you can work things out. Put fruit, a sandwich or other small food items into your backpack or purse so that you can eat them on the run between classes. This will eliminate the temptation to hit the vending machines.

-Buy larger packages of food instead of single-serving packs. Example: if you know that you can return to your place for lunch, don’t stock up on single-serving bags of chips. Instead, buy a large bag and reseal it after you’re finished. You’re getting more chips for the same price as the smaller packages.

-If you have to grab lunch on the go, buy re-usable containers that fit in your bag and re-fill them from larger packages. Many snacks, from cheese crackers to bite-sized cookies, come in plastic containers that you can seal and re-use many times. Instead of throwing that handy little thing away, buy a big package of your favorite snack and re-fill the small container from that.

-Drink more water. If you have a filtration system – even a standalone pitcher that you can buy for ten dollars or less – you can re-use the plastic bottles of water that you’ve already bought. This is cheaper than buying twenty-ounce sodas a couple of times every day.

-Find a public microwave on your campus. Many schools provide microwaves in or near cafeterias so that students can nuke things they bring from home. This is handy not just for leftovers, but for Ramen noodles and other packaged meals too.