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5 Tips for Saving Money When Going to University

March 24th, 2022 Posted in Parent Advice, student finances
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Attending college or university can be a very costly experience. Tuition, room and board, textbooks – the list goes on and on. However, there are ways to reduce the amount of money you spend while still getting your education. This blog post will discuss five tips for saving money when going to school!

5 Tips for Saving Money When Going to University - aerial photo of university style building
Photo by David McBee from Pexels

1) One way to save money while in university is to live at home. 

This may not be possible for everyone, but it can be a great way to save money on things like rent and utilities if you have the option. If living at home isn’t an option for you, there are still ways to save on your housing costs. One way is to live in a smaller apartment or in university accomodation with roommates. This can help split the cost of rent and other bills. Another way to save on housing costs is to look for apartments or houses that are further away from campus. While this may mean a longer commute, it can also mean lower rental rates.

2) Another way to save money while in university is to cook your own meals. 

Eating out can be expensive, and it’s not always the healthiest option. By cooking your own meals, you can save money and eat healthier. If cooking meals from scratch is not your thing, there are still ways to save money on food. One way is to look for deals at the grocery store or take advantage of sales. Another way to save on food costs is to plan your meals. This can help you avoid wasting food and spending too much money on eating out.

3) Another way to save money is to avoid buying new textbooks. 

Textbooks can be costly, and you may not need all of the material in them. One way to avoid buying new textbooks is to see if your school has a textbook rental program. Another way to save on textbook costs is to buy used books or find digital versions of the textbook online. You can also try to sell your textbooks back at the end of the semester for some of the cost.

4) You can also save money by using your student ID. 

Many colleges and universities offer discounts to students with valid IDs. This can include discounts on things like food, clothing, and entertainment. You can also get discounts on travel costs if you plan to take a trip during your break from school. Be sure to check with your school’s student services office for more information on available discounts.

5) Finally, you can save money by working part-time. 

Many students work while attending college or university. While this can be a great way to earn some extra money, it can also help you offset the cost of your education. You can use the money you earn from working to help pay for things like tuition, books, and housing. You can also use your earnings to help cover the cost of living expenses while in school.

In conclusion,  there are many ways to save money while attending university. By following the tips in this blog post, you can help reduce the cost of your education and still get the most out of your experience! 

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5 Ways to Make Huge Progress on Your Student Debt in 2020

October 5th, 2020 Posted in Credit and Debt, student debt, student finances
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2020 hasn’t been the year most of us had in mind – especially when it comes to finances. The economy has struggled while many have lost jobs. 

There is one big silver lining for those with student debt: interest rates have been waived through the end of the year. That’s right, in an effort to provide relief to student loan borrowers during COVID-19, interest is being set at 0% through December 31, 2020. 

This interest slash means that your student loan payments go directly to paying off your principal, which is enormous if you have high-interest rates or a large amount remaining. You can make a dent in your remaining debt now through the rest of the year. Here are five ways to make serious progress.

5 Ways to Make Huge Progress on Your Student Debt in 2020 - calculator and cash image
Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels

1. Make a Plan or Follow a System

You’ve got to have a plan. It’s not rocket science – but it can be challenging to sit down and devise a strategy for paying off your student debt. You need a debt to success system.

Pull out the pen, paper, and budget and chart your path to success. Make a plan and get some accountability to stick with it. Without one, you’re likely to slide, become passive, and delay. If this has been you, let the slashed interest rate be your motivation to get started.

2. Budget Like Your Life Depends on It

Your budget is the linchpin of your success. Budget well, and you’ll be paying the maximum possible each month. Budget poorly, and you may not be paying off a cent.

There are plenty of tools out there to help. Mint, YNAB, and EveryDollar are just a few that could help you budget well.

3. Make Sacrifices

Once you’ve got your budget locked in, it’s time to make some cuts. It’s not fun to think about what expenses you can eliminate – but it’s well worth it. Take a look at your lifestyle and make a list of everything not vital to your life.

Consider cutting out TV/streaming subscriptions, eating out, unnecessary clothes, alcohol, etc.… Make some sacrifices. 

4. Find an Extra Source of Income

Making sacrifices can help you cut expenses. But perhaps the most practical way you can make progress on your student debt is to make more money. Now may not be the best time to pick up a part-time job at a restaurant or coffee shop, but thankfully you have other options.

You could deliver food or groceries while many continue to keep their distance. You could become an Uber or Lyft driver as people begin getting out more. You could even look for online freelance or gig work on sites like Fiverr or Upwork. 

5. Consider Refinancing 

Student loan rates have dropped big time for new borrowers in 2020, but unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to existing borrowers. However, existing borrowers could refinance their student loans into a private loan to take advantage of the current market’s low-interest rates.

This route can be complicated, as refinancing into a private loan means deferring any federal benefits. So it may be a better option in December than it is right now. Talk to an expert to see if this tactic might make sense for you. 

Take advantage of this interest rate situation if you can. Your future self will thank you.

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Ways To Take The Stress Out Of Renting

December 3rd, 2018 Posted in Money Tips, student finances
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Renting can be an amazing option for a lot of people who want to get out into the world and live independently. It’s more accessible than trying to buy a house and you don’t have to worry about nearly as many fees. Not only that but it offers you plenty of flexibility if you’re looking to move around or find somewhere new. That being said, it’s certainly not all fun and games. The truth is that renting can be incredibly stressful sometimes. With that in mind, here are some things that you can do in order to take the stress out of renting, at least a little bit.

Ways To Take The Stress Out Of Renting- apartments image

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Find somewhere long-term

One of the most common issues that a lot of people have with renting a home is that they often end up feeling as though they’re living their lives in ten-minute chunks. They end up having to renew their lease over and over again and with that comes the fear that you’re not going to be able to renew it and you’ll have to find somewhere else to live. One of the best ways to deal with this is to find somewhere like Glamour Apartments that specializes in long-term rentals. That way you get all of the benefits of renting with an added sense of stability and security.    

Get on good terms with your landlord

The kind of relationship that you have with your landlord can make a huge difference to how much you enjoy renting your home. If they’re helpful and look after you then it can be a dream, but if they’re useless, it can more like a nightmare. From broken appliances to leaking pipes, your landlord is the one who should be taking responsibility for those things, and the best way to ensure that they’re dealt with in a timely manner is to get on good terms with them so that they’re more likely to go out of their way to help you.

Take photos of everything

Here’s the thing, even if they’re lovely people, landlords and estate agents are trying to get as much money out of you as possible. This means that when the time comes to leave, they will find any excuse to drain money out of your deposit before giving it back to you. The best way to ensure that you’re not blamed for something in the house that wasn’t your fault or was already there when you moved in is to take photos of every corner of the property on the day you arrive. That way you have clear evidence that anything wrong with the place isn’t your fault.

Of course, if you’re really sick of renting then trying to buy your own home is always something to look into. Sure, that might not be something you can do right now, but planning for the future is one of the very best ways that you can start turning your goals into a reality. Sure, there’s a lot of stress that comes with buying and owning your own home, but a lot of people tend to find that the benefits significantly outweigh the drawbacks. http://credit-n.ru/zaymyi-next.html

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Discover Offers Employees Help With College Tuition

July 24th, 2018 Posted in student debt, student finances
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Discover employees have just received a new benefit: a free college degree. The financial services company recently announced its new program, The Discover College Commitment, enabling full-time and part-time U.S. employees (minimum 30 hours per week) to obtain a college degree by helping them pay for college.

Discover Offers Employees Help With College Tuition - student graduation image

Discover will help with college tuition by covering full employee costs for books, fees, supplies, and tuition for the program. Workers are eligible for it beginning on the first day of employment and can complete their degrees on their own timeline.

Around 99 percent of Discover’s 16,500 employees will qualify with some potential appeal coming from its 7,000-plus U.S. call center workers: 70 percent don’t have a college degree, CBS News reported.

Workers can pick one of seven business or computer science degrees from three selected online universities. The degrees will include four business majors or a computer science, cybersecurity and organizational management emphasis through Brandman University, the University of Florida (via UF Online), or Wilmington University.

But there’s more to the benefit as it is also about Discover’s employee retention. The company said it has a two-fold motivation behind this perk: helping to recruit and retain good employees and “doing the right thing” by preparing workers for a broad spectrum of internal or external career opportunities.

To administer the program, Discover is partnering with Guild Education, an online education and tuition reimbursement platform that assists large employers with education benefits. Guild will offer coaching to Discover workers by assisting them through the application process and helping them determine a suitable degree.

If Guild sounds familiar, it might be from Walmart’s May employee education announcement. Guild is undertaking a similar role for the large retailer. This comes as offering education benefits to employees has been rising as the competition to obtain good workers is increasing.

More Companies Offering Education Benefits

In 2018, numerous companies have expanded tuition benefits. Besides Walmart, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and some hotel chains have joined the party, reported CNN. Also this year, Lowe’s announced a contribution of up to $2,500 for employees to receive skilled trade education while Lyft began offering education discounts to its drivers last December.

This trend comes as a recent Harvard Business School study found that tuition assistance benefits rank high on workers’ desired benefits, surpassing child-care assistance and parental leave. Many companies offer up to $5,250 annually; anything higher can be taxed as income.

Sourced from Debbie Baratz originally published at https://lendedu.com/news/discover-offers-employees-help-with-college-tuition/ http://credit-n.ru/potreb-kredit.html

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Four Reasons To Focus On Paying Off Student Debt

July 24th, 2018 Posted in learning about money, student debt, student finances
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It’s an unfortunate but inescapable fact of life that most who choose further education are now graduating and beginning life with debts. Often, they won’t be the only debts that are quickly amassed when you’re starting out in a career, trying to find an independent living situation and all the other expenses that come in this period of time. But should there be a focus on paying off tuition fee debts early, even during challenging Financial Times when you’re learning to budget? Well, the answer is yes, for these reasons…

Lower Your Debt Risk

If you already have significant amounts of student debt from tuition fees, you’ll find it harder to get lenders to give you additional money that you may desperately need for housing or setting yourself up in a job. Your debt to income ratio is an important factor in being able to access lower-cost borrowing and also frees up more of your disposable income every month, the less you have. This means that you’re more able to work towards other financial goals you may have, such as saving for a home deposit or a car.

Four Reasons To Focus On Paying Off Student Debt - graduating student image

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Minimise Inescapable Debt

If you encounter some truly unfortunate circumstances – serious illness or loss of a job – early on in life, your financial situation can quickly spiral out of control. But even declaring bankruptcy doesn’t spare your student loans – they still need to be paid back. This makes it a smart idea to pay back those loans, because you’ll still have to keep on top of them even under dire circumstances which is extremely difficult. Paying them down means you’ll be better able to deal with other money challenges in your life.

Escape Servicing Charges

It isn’t just the amount you owe on your student loans, it’s the money you lose out on over the long-term servicing that debt. Money that you spend on paying down a loan is essentially dead money – it’s not working for you. Whereas that same money invested into funds is generating a return for your future. And time compounds that situation, so as long as you’re making repayments, you’re missing out on that money working for you. Speak to a specialist service like RefinanceStudent.Loan to make sure your repayment schedule is optimised against your other financial needs and commitments. The sooner student debt is paid off the sooner you can concentrate on making your money work for you in other ways.

Live a Less Stressful Life

If there’s one thing for sure, it’s that living with debt is toxic for our stress levels. As life can be quite stressful enough when you’re just staring out trying to build a career, you want to try and minimise other sources of it. Getting focused on a debt repayment plan can help in itself – if you know there’s a way out, it can help to ease any anxieties and you know that you’re more in control of the situation and able to handle other curveballs. http://credit-n.ru/vklady.html

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