PAYING FOR COLLEGE: 5 TIPS


My road to college has not been the straightest of paths.
In fact, if it were a physical path it would probably include a slough of safety risks. Years ago when I took some time off, after breaking my foot, I wrote a post about paying for college. Having since added some laugh lines to my face, moving across the country, and starting a new college I decided it was time to add to that post.


FastWeb is my current favorite scholarship hub.
Like a dating website for free tuition money, if you will.
You create a profile, fill in your stats (but get to skip the cheesy about me blurb) and they match you to scholarships. From there you can see all the details including the due date, how much the scholarship is for and any requirements or rules. Love!

I have used CampusBookRentals since my first semester of college in Washington.
And I love them!
Their site is super simple to use and all books come with a prepaid envelope for when it is time to send the books back. Most classes do not have books that you find yourself wanting to use again, so renting them works out budget-wise and for your own sanity.
If you use my referral link you will automatically get 10% off your order, double score!

When I wrote the original post, I had no idea what I was talking about. I had either lived in a dorm room, paid for by my parents, or with my family while I was going to classes. Today, I have a little more experience here. I live in a two-bedroom apartment with a friend from home and we split living costs down the middle. Originally, we shared a grocery bill as well but have since gone to our own groceries to better fit our ways of eating and individual schedules. 
Sharing a place to live is a huge saver in the long run.
Having a job in college is not the best thing ever. In fact, most of the time it is exhausting. However, if you can find a job to fit with your needs and schedule you will have one less thing to worry about. For me this has always been possible through nannying and sites like Care.com. Jobs on campus are also readily available, and attending college job fairs or poking around the internet for openings are also great places to start. If all else fails, or if you love caffeinating the student population, find the closest coffee shop and apply there. I would recommend going local as I know larger coffee chains often require students to stay at one location for a year or more, which may not be possible if you attend college in a different state.

Most college campuses have things going on almost every night of the week. Many times these include free movie screenings, concerts and interesting talks. Find out where these events are posted, for me it is on my student page, get a group of friends together and go. Haven't made friends yet? Fly solo or ask someone from one of your classes - you never know how you will meet your best friends!

Leave them in the comments below! Share and help us save even more money!