CL Co-Ed’s Back-to-School Money Management “Know How” Part 2: DORM/APARTMENT

When I first started college, I had some serious issues with money management.  A little money here, another tiny expense there…it all added up to a mass amount of money wasted on things I really didn’t need!  So when I was flat broke, with a very limited budget to work with as far as decorating my dorm or apartment went, I narrowed down a list of what I wanted and needed the most, and found ways to pay for it all without breaking the bank – especially since parking passes, textbooks, and other unforeseen expenses were just around the corner!  Here are some of my most thought-out tips for co-eds that will save you money and bring out creativity that you may not have known you had!

*  If you can’t buy it, make it! *

Sometimes the feeling that I have so little money or am not getting enough hours at work, etc. starts to build immense pressure on me, and creates this frustration that I take shopping with me.  Then when I’m looking at what I want to purchase the most, I feel depressed because I know it simply isn’t an option for me.  So I’ve learned to improvise!

~One time I really needed a headboard for my twin bed, so my friend and I went to a thrift store and purchased a plank of wood for $1, went to the fabric store and purchased fabrics in the textures and colors I wanted for $10, and then made the headboard ourselves, which ended up looking like I purchased it from a Target catalog.  I ended up feeling better than I would have if I had purchased it because I had the opportunity to be so creative – and cheap!~

* Thrift stores are your friend *

When people think of thrift stores, they often just consider shopping for clothes, but thrift stores carry some of the most **golden** treasures of decorations and creative possibilities that I have found – at prices that definitively cannot be beat!  I have saved hundreds of dollars by shopping for decorations and housewares at thrift stores, and will continue to simply because it’s fun to find unique items you can’t find anywhere else!  Lana has a great article on consignment store shopping that is well worth checking out for all co-eds as well!

* Craigslist is your friend! *

Disclaimer: Smart co-eds must always be careful to watch out for scams and make sure that who you are dealing with is safe.  With that said, Craigslist is one of the best places to make the most out of your money!  You can see, in your own neighborhood, where you can purchase very low-cost furniture, free furniture or other miscellaneous items (who doesn’t love free stuff?), and decor or furniture that is being passed down from students who no longer need it!  It’s nice to know that the community can interact with each other this way (as long as the deal is legit and safe), and that you can save yourself a lot of money along the way!

There will always be times where you have to make a big purchase or you want to go ahead and splurge, but from one shop-a-holic to the next, my advice is to make sure you’re aware of all your options when it comes to money management and dorm or apartment needs and decorations, and save that hard-earned extra money for bigger bills.  In the end, it’s all more than worth it!

Kelsey Book is a  writer and a dreamer who thinks faith, family, and musicals make her world go ’round!   She has learned from past money mistakes, and now lives on a smart, working budget so she won’t be paying off college loans until she’s fifty years old.