Today’s post about saving money in college is by campus correspondent Natalya Muncuff, a student at the University of Tampa. Find out how you can become a campus correspondent, too!

Perhaps the biggest concern of college students besides maintaining good grades is money. We’re all broke!

Well, not all of us, but most of us are. We have phones to pay for, food to buy and shopping to do, and there doesn’t ever seem to be enough money for it. Even when we do have enough money, it seems to disappear as soon as we get it. Saving is the last thing on our minds for many of us as college students.

Money is good to have to buy something that you like, but it’s even better to have when there’s a rainy day. Here are four easy tips to start adding some dollars to that account balance:

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1. Get a Job

Being in college is a job on its own. There are numerous assignments, and the deadlines all seem to run together. Add that to your Greek organizations, academic societies and the clubs you are a part of and that makes for a very busy schedule!

However, we all need some extra cash in our pockets, even if our parents are helping us out. Get a part-time job. While doing this may overload your schedule, it will provide great stability. Those 10 to 15 hours a week will reap great benefits when there is an emergency — and you don’t have to call home for help.

If you don’t have transportation, that’s okay. There are tons of on-campus jobs that students may apply for.

2. Live on Campus

We all enjoy the freedom that college provides. Sometimes after living in a dorm for a year, we want to take that a step further.

While off-campus living is certainly tempting, there are a lot of expenses that comes with that. Thinking about all of the bills that need to be paid is quite daunting: rent, cable, electricity, phone — and that’s not even including food and your car.

College can be stressful enough. Why not avoid this burden until after college, when your career is about to take off? It’s understandable that on-campus living might not appeal to everyone, but try to avoid the off-campus expenses if you can. The money that you would spend on an apartment could be tucked away for when your life after college begins.

3. Get a Budget … and Stick to It!

Sounds easy, right? Unfortunately it isn’t always. College students always find something that we must have. I have a shoe problem. Most college guys I know are infatuated with video games. These impulsive purchases blow our budget right out of the water.

Saving money is hard enough on its own, so when you do make a budget, stick to it! That bag can probably wait until there’s room in next month’s budget.

4. Start a Piggy Bank

This might sound a little childish, but how often do we find loose change in our seat cushions or in our car ash trays? Most of the time we just leave it there until our friend comes and moves it or we go to a drive thru. Instead, get a piggy bank and start putting all of your loose change in there. You’ll be surprised at how much can accumulate after four years of college!

For most college students, saving money isn’t a top priority. Once we get the money, spending it is our next step. Start small, but start somewhere. It’s never too early to start saving for a rainy day.

Natalya Muncuff is a communications major at the University of Tampa, graduating in August. When she isn’t studying, she is perfecting her baking skills and adding to her overwhelming book collection.

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