In this recession-ridden era, it is easy to ignore what is going on and treat your DBA like monopoly money. Most students don't think twice about getting a $13 Pavilion salmon for every meal or grabbing $20 worth of sushi at Collis Late Night.
But as the reality of budget cuts sets in and you start to realize that you probably shouldn't have gone to American Apparel over the break and paid $50 for flair, follow these ten easy money-saving tips to make life in less-than-ideal times just a little more bearable.
- Leave out unnecessary add-ons in your meals ask yourself, how much do I really need double the meat on my Panini? Do I really need that less-than-ripe $3 avocado in my burger? Do yourself a favor, and trim the extras from your meals you'll probably end up accidentally eating healthier anyway!
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Don't pay for PE classes stop ignoring those blitzes from the DOC and take them up on their free cross-country skiing lessons and day hikes. It's a great way to avoid getting Seasonal Affective Disorder, to embrace the winter and you weren't going to the classes enough to receive credit anyway. Plus, most of these events usually end with a slice of homemade apple pie or a visit to the Cabot cheese store when's the last time your spinning instructor treated you to fro-yo after your workout?
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Don't be a freak about laundry I don't mean becoming the stinky kid on campus, but you can go two days in a row without washing your leggings, and that sweatshirt you wore for a grand total of three hours can probably go a few more wears until it needs a wash.
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Use the duplex to print readings, and print two images per page if you can handle the smaller writing Don't ask me what happens if you go over your Greenprint money, but I have a feeling that number in parenthesis in the bottom left corner of the screen actually means something.
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Optimize if you decide to go into town for dinner split a pizza at Molly's, go to Boloco for reasonably priced and filling fare, or try the $9 Veg-head burger at Murphy's and most importantly, think before you go out...is an A on a French quiz really a justification to hit the town for dinner at the Canoe Club?
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Be wary about letting your friends borrow your Dartmouth ID when you're out a simple grilled cheese transaction using DA$H at Rocky overhang could turn into an accidental $50 donation to the Women's Club Lacrosse team. And while knowing you funded the team's brand-new jerseys may give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, not being able to buy your Student Assembly bus ticket back home probably won't.
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Use Topside more! Yes, I too am perplexed as to why out of all the things in the store, they label the homemade soaps and candles as the "best use of Topside money," but Topside is a great place for just about everything you could find at CVS without the price and the long trek.
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Get a job! All the drill instructors and ushers are laughing at us penny-pinchers right now because their jobs make serious bank. So what are you waiting for? Pop in your favorite Muzzy tape and get fluent in a language, stat! Or at least put yourself on the Student Employment bulletins.
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Save the clothes shopping for when you go home admittedly, I tend to fall pray to the SALE blitzes I get from Bella and JuliAna from time to time, but there is zero justification for dropping this month's allowance at the GAP. Absent an airport-lost-my-bags-with-my-winter-clothes excuse, just wait until you go home chances are, your mother is counting down the days til you get back so she can take you shopping.
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Skip the late-night runs to FoCo. You may think at 2 o'clock in the morning that mozz sticks are to Keystone Light as peanut butter is to jelly, but resist the temptation for a "quick" stop on your way to frat row. Instead, eat well before you go out so you don't feel the need for something extra later on in the night, and if you must go, get something cheap and light like a yogurt or granola bar.
One last piece of advice don't forget to follow the would-I-do-this-if-I-were-sober test. For example, while buying $5 worth of cheese from FoCo as a "midnight snack" might seem like a good idea at the time, I guarantee you will not feel the same way the morning after when you wake up with a queasy feeling in your stomach and the new nickname, "Philly Cheese Breath."
