Going into college means the way you manage your finances will change.  Moving away from your parents brings about a new responsibility with you and your family’s money.  Everybody’s story is different, but overall every college student is always interested in saving money.  Here are a few tips and tricks we have learned to help you from wasting your pennies.

Free Meals

You are in college now and there are hundreds of people wanting to tell you about their business, organization, church, etc.  That can only mean one thing for you:  FREE FOOD!!  A general rule to live by for the first month of college is to make sure you are enjoying at least one free meal a day.  Finding a free meal every day is super easy the first month, everyone is providing.  Check your emails, Techannounce (university announcements from various organizations sent to your email), and keep your ears open!

During the school year it is easy to find regular places that provide free meals on a weekly basis!  It shouldn’t be a stretch to find at least three or four free meals a week!  Typically these meals will be your only homemade meals your freshman year.

Campus Cash – Coupons

Every time you see a coupon book grab as many as you can!  Coupon books offer some of the best deals out there.  Campus Cash is a well-known coupon book handed out at Barnes & Noble on campus.  Varsity Book store also hands out a great coupon book that has some amazing deals.  The top three coupons that I use all the time are: Subway, buy one get one free 6 inch, Great Clips, a $5 haircut, Scholzsky’s, buy a sandwich get free chips and drink.

These books have hundreds of super deals that will help you discover new places and save some serious cash!

Free Fun

Lubbock has a lot of fun attractions to try out.  Lubbock also has a ton of great free activities to try out and save you money!  First Friday Art Trail is a great art trail the first Friday of each month.  Hide and seek, disc golf, ultimate Frisbee, sand volleyball, bike rides, the rec center are all great ideas for a cheap fun time.

When and How to Buy Books

NEVER EVER buy a book before the first day of class.  More than 50% of the time teacher just put nonsense "required" books on their syllabus because they have to.  Its always a good idea to wait a couple of weeks into the class to decide if you actually are going to NEED the book for your class.  If it ends up that you do need to buy a book for a class try to find a used version.  Shopping the second or third week of classes and buying used books will help you save hundreds of dollars every semester.

Mint.com

Mint is a website designed to help you stay on budget.  It is operated by the Owners of Quickbooks and TurboTax, so it is safe, secure, and reliable.  The online site connects with your bank account and automatically tags all your transactions into budgets you define.  This site along with their mobile app will help you manage and visualize your finances!  This is a must have for any college student and is a great way to keep within your monthly budgets. Click Here to go to there website.

You are going to love Texas Tech.  There is so much to do and there is so many great ways to keep all your fun times in college on the cheap.  College life brings about new responsibilities and adventures.  All of which you should be excited about don’t let finances stress you out.