Share budget tips

[rainswolf]

I'm practicing my "Graduate school budget" and I keep going about $100 a month over...and I have to start it for real next month! What are some budget tips you've discovered? Of course, I'm going over in the "food" and the "miscellaneous" categories!

Comments

[pansette]

This may draw ire, but as a broke-assed student, you may be eligible for Food Stamps, Section 8, and other forms of Government Assistance.

I know, a lot of people have moral issues, or at least comfort issues, with doing so, but you are poor, you are eligible, and if you're like a lot of grad students, you're already pretty much a ward of the state, with grants, loans, etc.

I personally see nothing wrong with being on the dole if it helps decrease your debt and increases your quality of life on your way to doing something meaningful that is socially beneficial...

[madcaptenor]

just how broke does one have to be to be eligible for those sorts of things?

[driftingfocus]

I believe you must make $1000 or less per month.

[staffofcaduceus]

A lot of public programs are begun at certain incomes. Say the poverty line which is $9000/year for one person.

[ak_blackcap]

Minimize your trips to Starbucks, et al. My uni has a student-run coffee shop that's almost $1 cheaper on average. Even cheaper, my department has a coffee maker and a water cooler that also spits out tea-temperature water

[rexlezard]

Good Food Box - or other co-op buying program, if you live in a decent-sized city. It's often a way to save money and get good veggies for less than supermarket prices.

Obviously, the best way to stop going over in the food category is to make your own food, so I won't belabour the point.

I'm hoping to get involved in a community-kitchen type thing if I find one in my neighbourhood.

Let me know of any really great tips you come up with! I'm gonna need help, too!

Likely your biggest expense is housing, so if you can find a way to bring down the rent you're paying....yeah, easier said than done, but I found that I'm saving at least $300/mo by living in a room in a house instead of in my own apartment. I'm saving about $200 - 250 in rent, plus I'm saving what I would pay in electricity in my own apartment, plus the house has laundry, so that's even more money.

[my_piece_of_sky]

adding to this, finding roommates and getting larger (2, 3 bedroom apts., sharing a house) both brings down the rent considerably *and* usually gives you more space for your money. many schools have graduate housing posting boards or something, if not, try craigslist.

[dithie]

my campus has a food bank every friday - you should check if yours does! often mine has to throw out stuff because no one takes it, so don't feel like you aren't as deserving. canned stuff always comes in handy at the end of the month.
oh and if you buy canned beans etc it's way cheaper to get them dried and then soak them.

[persian_polemic]

Ditto on what everyone else has written.

Spending $12 on a quality thermos has saved me tons of $$. I make coffee at home and have a large supply to make it through the day/evening at school.

For a while I was spending the afternoon on Sundays making a ton of food that would be cooked and ready for me during the week and that really helped with not eating out.

I save all my reciepts and track my spending in Quickin too. I've found that makes me much more conscious about my spending.

[apt_rhiannon]

I completely agree on the thermos thing. I found a couple years ago that I was spending about $10 a week on coffee. Now, I'm sure that after buying a wicked thermos for about $20 I can spend about $10/month on coffee and not drink it any less.

I had a friend who took out $60 every month (her calculated spending money) and if she went over, she couldn't do anything else fun all month. Not the most pleasureable idea, but it worked.

Also, something to consider, organize a potluck at your apartment. Lots of times people don't like to bring all that food back home with them, which means that instead of them eating it for a week afterward, you are. The freezer is a grad student's best friend.

[mummybeare]

I have a friend who keeps a coffee press in the department. Because our "postgrad room" (basically a computer lab with book shelves and a few extra desks) has a kettle, she makes fresh coffee whenever she wants it. Same price as making coffee at home and since her press is small (1 or maybe 2 cups at a time), the coffee is always fresh.

I'm a tea drinker, so it is even cheaper for me! Although I have had to get used to drinking my tea without milk.

The other thing I have been doing is bringing a large bottle of water with me every day. Got to love those nalgene bottles! I only buy beverages as a rare treat. Sucks, but that's part of life right now.