By: Casey Frost
Everyone loves a good life hack, right? As college students, life can get stressful, and budgets can get tight. That is why it is essential to make your life easier when you can. Here are 5 of my favorite life hacks for college students.
Keep snacks in your backpack at all times. If you find yourself frequently wasting money at vending machines or buying little snacks on campus all the time, you might be wasting some money. Unless you have a meal plan, eating on campus (even just snacks) is way too expensive. I always have a Ziploc bag full of my favorite quick snacks in my backpack. I keep peanut butter crackers, protein bars, fruit strips, and Special K pastry crisps. These snacks are easy to eat when you are on the go and usually keep me full until I get home from classes.
Start thrifting and shopping at bargain stores. Saving money is essential when you are a college student. Thrifting and bargain shopping are some of the best ways to do that in college. Thrifting is a great way to save money on new clothes and donate your old clothes. My recent favorite place to shop and save money is at Ollie's. You can find anything you need for your dorm or apartment at Ollie's for much cheaper than Amazon, Target, or Walmart.
Start using rewards programs. If you buy groceries regularly, it is time to start using rewards programs! You can save money by getting exclusive discounts and coupons and earn savings for future purchases. Rewards programs also apply to restaurants. If you like to get a little treat every once in a while, you need to start downloading rewards apps. Tropical Smoothie, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Dunkin', Mcdonald's, and Domino's are just a few of the apps I have. There is no shame in the game of saving money, so start getting yourself some savings (and free food).
Start using a digital calendar. When I first came to college, I used a paper agenda to write down all of my weekly assignments, meetings, etc. I thought paper was the best option for staying organized. Nowadays, almost everything you do in college is on your laptop. Paper has become a thing of the past during college. Having an online calendar available at your fingertips every time you open your laptop makes it much easier to keep track of your day-to-day priorities. I use Google Calendar, where you can color-code based on different classes and clubs, link online meetings, delete and move things quickly, and so much more. Making the switch to an online calendar has genuinely improved my productivity significantly.
Stop falling victim to TikTok microtrends. Social media has increased the amount of microtrends we are exposed to on a daily basis. People always tell you, "You NEED this," "Don't walk, RUN to buy this new…" Before buying TikTok's newest hair accessory, shirt, pair of jeans, shoes, leggings, and whatever else they convince you to buy, stop and think, "Will I still find this cute in 2 years?" Taking a moment to think and evaluate the longevity of things you purchase will help you save money and build a timeless wardrobe. It is so easy to get caught up in social media trends; we do not always realize we are throwing our money away for a shirt that we will only wear for four months before it goes out of style.
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