College is awesome, but unfortunately it's not free. Along with large expenses like tuition and room and board, there are lots of smaller expenses, like textbooks, bus passes, parking permits and laundry. And it all adds up over the semester. And then don't forget basic day-to-day needs, like shampoo, deodorant, lip balm and aspirin. Then, of course, there are those other expenses: Lost your cell phone? Yeah, it will cost you. And what about the cost of transportation back home for Christmas? Anything left for buying Christmas presents for friends and family? How about for grabbing pizza and a movie? OK, sounds kind of depressing, doesn't it? But don't give up. It doesn't have to be. With some creativity, careful planning and flexibility, you can meet your financial goals and even save for those occasional surprise expenses. These students discovered ways to find extra cash, keep expenses down and still enjoy life on campus.

Garret Choby, the third of seven children, learned early on that if he wanted something he'd better save for it. At college, that meant resisting the urge to splurge on pizza and fast-food treats.

"I discovered that eating out can quickly drain your bank account," Garret says. "And there were other things I needed money for—like fraternity dues and the MCAT summer prep class I wanted to take." By saving what he might have spent on Big Macs and hot wings, Garret was able to pay for these things.

Garret's money management strategy is fairly straightforward. He sets aside his tithe for church, then he puts at least 50 percent of his earnings during summer and school breaks into a savings account. Since he's in school for a greater percentage of the year than he has the opportunity to work, Garret spends his savings carefully and frugally.

In addition, he practices "common sense spending." For him, this might mean passing on a lot of "great sales" that come his way.

"Even if an item is marked down," says Garret, "I'm wasting my money if I buy something I don't need."

During her first semester at school, Mary Shinaberry got a part-time job and was really conservative in her spending. However, between paying for books, gas and other expenses, her savings quickly dwindled. To help make ends meet, she landed an additional part-time job working as a campus tour guide.

"I started saving my entire paycheck from my first job and using the cash from my second job as my spending money," Mary says.

In addition, Mary takes advantage of the great free campus entertainment. The student organization plans at least one free on-campus event each weekend, including disco skate nights, all-night volleyball tournaments and Hawaiian luaus (complete with a hula hoop contest, a pig roast and non-alcoholic piña coladas).

"These events are fun," says Mary. "And I can leave my purse at home!"

Sheri Horsman has always been a saver. When she was little, she often saved up her quarters so she could buy something special. Since her parents are limited in the amount of financial help they can give, Shari's penchant for saving has come in handy as she puts herself through college. Footing the bill for tuition, food, clothes and other school-related costs means working year-round—but not so much that she sacrifices her grades and jeopardizes her academic scholarships.

In order to work less, Sheri has concentrated on saving more. For starters, she always searches for low prices when shopping for groceries, toiletries and school supplies. She has also scored really great outfits that cost next to nothing at thrift shops.

To help with her snack-food budget, Sheri drops all of her change into a jar. That change serves as her "snack fund" during the semester.

"Little purchases like vending machine goodies quickly add up," Sheri says. "Using the jar reduces spending."

Learning to trust God to provide is perhaps the biggest financial lesson Sheri has learned while at college. It's a lesson that was put to the test recently when one of her friends was having a hard time making ends meet. Sheri gave her friend some of her cash, even though she had her own bills to pay.

"God has shown me that money and material things really don't matter," Sheri says, "which is why I'm able to share what I have with those in need."

Sheri admits she has many more lessons to learn about money and careful stewardship, but she is thankful for the way God has been helping her as she's trusted him to provide for her needs.

Since money had been so tight during her freshman year, Lilia Chang decided to start her sophomore year with three part-time jobs. She felt certain three paychecks would give her enough income to cover books, food, holiday transportation and fun. It seemed like a great idea—at first. Living just 30 minutes from awesome downhill ski resorts, she figured the extra money would come in handy for lift tickets and snowboarding equipment. One problem: Lilia worked so much she rarely had the time to study or sleep—let alone hit the slopes. So when she started the second semester of her sophomore year, she dropped two of her jobs, cut way back on her spending habits and looked for less expensive ways to have fun.

Lilia was able to score a great deal on an annual ski pass by opening a checking account at an area bank (something she needed to do anyway). She also has found plenty of things to do that don't cost a dime. For instance, she goes to the area's museums and zoo on free-admission days. She also loves free outdoor activities like hiking, camping and rock climbing. And thanks to the kitchens in the university apartments, Lilia has taken up a new money-saving hobby—cooking.

"Eating good food on a tight budget—you can't beat that!" Lilia says.

The best part is that saving has allowed her to donate some of her money to the school's mission teams.

"I still occasionally treat myself to something nice," Lilia says. "But more than anything I want to use my gifts to serve the kingdom of God."

"I lived on a ranch in the middle of nowhere," says Alex Heinert."There wasn't much for me to do." Translation: He didn't spend much money in high school because there was nothing to spend it on. Then came college and a whole new—and expensive!—world opened up to Alex. Suddenly he was surrounded by restaurants, shopping centers, movie theatres and other attractions. Even the textbooks cost way more than he expected.

"I was so naïve," recalls Alex. "Books were free in my high school, so I figured the same was true in college."

Within a few weeks on campus, Alex's wallet took a major hit. He decided then and there to commit to doing two things: 1) cut back on unnecessary purchases (movies and music), and 2) find creative ways to spend less on the "essentials" (books). To soften the blow of textbook shopping, Alex buys them used whenever he can or borrows them from students who have already taken the course and still own the book. This strategy doesn't always work when a course requires a newer edition of the book, so sometimes he shares books with fellow students in classes that require lots of group projects.

Although college definitely costs more than Alex had anticipated, he has managed to find ways to pay for the things that really matter to him. For example, last year he logged in extra hours at his part-time job in the school's admissions office. This allowed him to go on an eye-opening missions trip to New Orleans to help Katrina survivors. Suddenly his monetary woes seemed trivial by comparison.

"That trip definitely helped me put money issues—and life—in perspective," Alex says.

When Josh Pilgrim graduated from high school, he opened his presents, tallied up his monetary gifts, and banked the sum total. He knew what he'd spend his graduation money on: room and board for freshman year at college.

He also knew he'd have a lot of fun—even if he didn't have much day-to-day spending money.

"I couldn't wait to get to campus and dive into all of the fun and free campus activities," says Josh. Enjoying fellowship through campus sports has been one of Josh's favorite activities. There's always a game of some sort going on—basketball, football, baseball, soccer and his favorite—ultimate Frisbee. Occasionally, just for kicks, Josh even tries something new.

"Yes, I've taken up swing dancing!" he says with a grin.

After a year of living on campus (and with no high school graduation money left), Josh had to find a way to continue paying for the dorm. So he began researching possible scholarship opportunities and applied for all he could. He was awarded a large competitive scholarship that covered room and board for sophomore year. He felt fortunate to get so much money from one scholarship, but he knows that even the small ones add up and make a difference. That's why he's kept applying for scholarships throughout his college career. In addition to receiving another scholarship junior year, Josh applied for a Resident Assistant position, which allowed him to live in his dorm for free.

"I love living on campus because it encourages me to be creative in how I spend my time," Josh says. "I don't need a movie or a fancy restaurant to have fun. Hanging out with friends is all I need."

"When I got to college I was determined to stick to a budget," says Valerian Curd. "But it didn't always work."

During his first semester, Valerian faced several unexpected expenses. He was charged a $50 registration fee by the college. That same week he was also hit with a late tuition fee because one of his loans hadn't yet gone through. These things, combined with other everyday costs, trashed his financial plan. He figured it would be wise to earn extra cash so he'd have some "wiggle room" in his budget.

When Valerian began his job search, he hoped it would come with a lot of "overtime potential." It did. He landed a job as a custodian for campus events.

"Mopping bathroom floors isn't glamorous," admits Valerian. "But it's perfect as far as hours go."

During his junior year, he applied for and was offered a Resident Assistant position. It seemed like a dream to score a rent-free, double-sized room plus an annual $700 stipend. The monetary breakdown of the stipend amounted to about $40 each pay period, which came in handy for buying small but necessary items like toothpaste and laundry detergent.

To help him stick to his budget, Valerian has also sought out cheap entertainment. He enjoys hitting the campus movie theatre that runs recent releases for a buck. He and his friends also borrow one another's DVDs and CDs rather than renting or buying them. And he hangs out at the school's gym to play racquetball or shoot baskets. Spending so little on entertainment helps him save up for something special like a concert or professional sporting event.

Copyright © 2006 by the author or Christianity Today International/Campus Life magazine.
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