20 Ways to Save Money During College

Your summer job is winding down, and you're starting to stress over how you're going to make ends meet once the fall semester starts. You can't work full-time and take a full-time course load, and the financial aid office refuses to offer you high enough loans to cover your living expenses. However, before you resign yourself to a semester of Ramen noodles and canned beer, check out these tips on how to save money during college. You might find that treating yourself to the occasional steak dinner isn't as far-fetched as it seems.

1.Live close to school. This will help you save money during college because you won't be forced to buy your own computer, printer, and software. If you live close to school, you can simply walk to the computer lab when you need to type that ten-page English paper.

2.Save money on software. Check with your bookstore to find out if your college offers discounted computer programs to students. Personally, my school sells programs like Windows Vista and Microsoft Office for $5-10 each. Saving hundreds of dollars of software is one of the easiest ways to save money during college.

3.Buy and sell your textbooks online. One semester I saved $500 by buying my textbooks online rather than from the bookstore. And, as easy as it might be to simply dump your old textbooks off at the bookstore when you don't need them anymore, don't do it. The bookstore might give you a third of what you paid, if they offer you anything at all. Instead, sell them online where you decide what price is reasonable. Places like Half.com, Amazon.com, and TextbookX.com are great sites to help you save money during college on textbooks.

4.Print at school. Chances are that you're going to have a hefty printing allotment that is included as part of your tuition. And those pages don't rollover. If you don't use them up, they'll be gone forever. Instead, save money during college by printing your papers and research sources at the computer lab instead of at home.