Reader’s Question: Saving in College

Dear Jenn,

Do you have any tips for being frugal in college? I don’t have to worry about cooking; I have a meal plan included, but with food aside, do you have any tips for saving money as a college student?

Thanks!

Delilah

Dear Delilah,

College! Oh those were the days.  . . I absolutely enjoyed my college years to the fullest.

There are many ways you can look at saving for college.  You said that food was not an issue because of your meal plan.  I am going to assume that if you are on a meal plan then you are also living in the dorms or some sort of student housing.  If you were living in an apartment and had to provide your own food then the same advice that’s out there for non-students who need to save on rent and groceries would apply.

So on to college specific situations.  Let’s face it-you probably only have a few things you NEED to buy: textbooks, supplies and transportation.  Then there are the list of things that any self respecting college student WANTS to buy: clothes, entertainment, and for those 21 or older there is also the cost of alcohol.

We will attack these one at a time.

Needs

Textbooks: NEVER buy textbooks full price.   Once you get your textbook list try Amazon, Ebay, ecampus.com, half.com or other discount provider. Check that against the prices on used books at the campus bookstore.  I found a tool on the “Back 2 Campus” site that proclaims to be a discount textbook comparison tool. I haven’t used it myself so I can’t personally recommend it.  There is always the bustling student to student textbook sales, and of course the library.  Also consider waiting on purchasing any workbooks, optional texts etc until you talk to the professor (or someone who took the class last semester) to see if you really need them.

School Supplies: You can probably buy your basic stuff-paper, pens, filler paper, binders and such for the cheapest price in the big discount stores (where they are still on sale for back to school).  I know they carry all that stuff at the campus store, but I’m willing to bet there is a pretty high markup.  If you need something very specific-a certain type of calculator, pens, drafting supplies etc-try online, but be sure to factor in shipping charges.  If it’s an item you aren’t going to use after the class is over you might try asking around-a fellow student might be willing to loan or sell to you.

Transportation: If you are on campus then going by foot will of course be the cheapest.  A decent bike can get you around for very little as well-and could be bought used.  If you need to use public transportation make sure you check and compare the various types of passes that exist and ask about student discounts.  Having a car will make you very popular with your auto-less friends (especially on Friday night when people you don’t even know will want you to drive them to the liquor store), but then you have to factor in gas, insurance, parking fees, repairs. . . it can add up pretty quick.  As far as transportation back home during breaks-try carpooling**.  Back in the dark ages when I was in school there was always a rideshare board where you could post a note if you were looking for folks to carpool with.  These days I am sure it’s all online, but there has to be something like that available.  If that isn’t an option then look into taking the bus or train (again student fare) and booking airline tickets early on a discount site such as Orbitz or Priceline.

Wants

Clothes: First off, how many clothes do you need? If money is tight you really need to avoid recreational shopping!  I know everyone likes to stay in style though, so use all of the typical frugal strategies.  Shop at thrift stores, refashion current items (the refashion board at Craftster has tons of ideas), do a clothing swap, buy on sale. . . you get the idea.

Entertainment: Dinner and a movie can cost a pretty penny, especially if you have no income!  Think about other ways to have fun.  College campuses usually have tons of free or inexpensive concerts, plays and events-become the “cruise director” for your group of friends and be the one to search out and suggest that stuff.  Volunteering at a performance venue (either on campus or in town) usually means you can see the show/concert for free.  Keep an eye on the local paper as well-most have some sort of weekly insert that tells all the entertainment options.  Find out when the discount days, buffets or happy hours with free food are at the local establishments, then take advantage of them.  Invite friends over for a movie night and popcorn or games instead of going out.

Alcohol: If you don’t drink at all you can save a ton at this one-in many places if you let them know you are the designated driver for a group they will mark your hand and then give you free soda all night!  If you choose to drink, then find out the happy hours of the local hang outs.  Head out early with your friends, have a few drinks then switch to water.  Also alternating each drink with a glass of water will keep you hydrated and your wallet happy.  Another idea is to learn how to mix a few drinks yourself , or pick up a six pack, and invite friends over instead of heading out (the mark up on drinks is insane).

And while we are on alcohol, here are a few general tips, because although I am not YOUR mom, I am a mom. . .

#1 At a frat party? NEVER drink the punch.  Trust me, this one comes from experience-everclear is like 90 proof and when mixed with fruit juice you can’t even taste that it’s in there.

#2 If you drink club soda with a twist of lime you can PRETEND its a Gin and Tonic and then folks will stop harassing you to have a drink.

#3 If  you are out with a bunch of folks who you know will keep ordering you a new drink if yours gets empty, and you don’t want to drink too much, order something you don’t actually like the taste of too much. That way you will sip it slowly instead of swigging it down. (I still use this one myself.  You will rarely see me order a margarita at a conference. You will see me order a dark stout beer. It isn’t cause I hate margaritas & love stout)

See! You got a bonus.

So I hope that answers your question Delilah and that you have a fabulous, and frugal, year!

All the Best

Jenn

Do you have a question for Frugal Upstate? Ask away!*

*Don’t worry, the questions will be sent to me, not posted in the comments!

**If you are a female carpooling alone with a male you do not know, please take extra precautions!  Make sure someone knows where you are going, who with, when you should arrive,and even make periodic check ins with family or friends. You just can’t be too safe these days .

Quick Dinner: 5 Easy Ideas to Use Meatballs

Ahh, day two in my 3 day quest to help us all avoid the take out trap by having premade dinner components in the freezer ready to go!  Yesterday I posted 12 Easy Ideas for Ground Beef.  Today I’ll be tackling meatballs!

There are lots of variations on the way folks make meatballs. Some use straight meat, but many use a budget stretching “filler” such as rice, oats or breadcrumb along with an egg binder to help them stick together.

Since you want these meatballs to be multipurpose, keep your seasonings pretty generic-those teriyaki flavored meatballs might be fabulous-but they could taste a little odd doused in stroganoff sauce   I use a basic mix of meat, breadcrumbs, egg, salt & pepper.

Scooping out and rolling all those little balls can be a pain, so here is a tip to help!  Once the meat is mixed I like to pat it out into a 1 inch thick “square”* then cut it with a sharp knife into equal sized squares (like cutting a large sheet cake-vertically and then horizontally).  You just pick up the squares and roll!

The meatballs can either be frozen raw or cooked.  I find the easiest way to cook a huge batch like that is to bake them in the oven.  I get all fancy and put my cookie cooking racks inside two roasting pans so that the meatballs aren’t stewing in their own fat (lovely mental image eh?).

Before packaging, flash freeze the meatballs on wax paper lined cookie sheets in your freezer.  This keeps them from freezing in a “lump ‘o meatballs”.  Then you can either toss them ALL into a single large freezer bag, or freeze them in meal sized portions.

Need a tutorial with pictures? Tammy at Tammy’s Recipes has a nice thorough bulk meatball tutorial.

Of course you with any of these meal ideas you could also go the not quite as frugal route of using store bought pre-made meatballs.

Meatballs

Spaghetti & Meatballs: Add to spaghetti sauce and serve over noodles

Meatball Subs: Add to spaghetti sauce, serve on a roll with cheese

Sweet & Sour Meatballs: 1C brown sugar, 1/4 C cider vinegar, 1TBS catsup, 2 TBS Flour, 2 TBS soy sauce. Mix, pour over meatballs and bake

Stroganoff Meatballs: Mix with 1 can of cream of soup, 1 pkg dry brown gravy mix. Serve over noodles (may add onions or mushrooms)

BBQ Meatballs: Cover with favorite BBQ Sauce (homemade or store bought)

Tomorrow I will be talking about chicken-but in the mean time I’m sure you guys have many more fantastic uses for meatballs that I haven’t thought of.  Please share!

*Note: cover the counter in waxed paper or some such that can be thrown away-otherwise you’ll have a major disinfecting job on your hands due to the raw meat.

Photo by Natalie J

Quick Dinner: 12 Easy Ideas for Ground Beef

Last night on Frugal Coast2Coast we had a fantastic show with special guest Erin from $5 Dollar Dinners!

Lynnae (she’s my co-host if you’ve somehow missed the show) and I are both embroiled in back to school madness.  Crazy schedules seem to always lead to dinner chaos-making “Frugal Quick and Easy Dinners for Families on the Run” seem like a particularly relevant topic!

As I said in the show, one way to really save yourself some time and give yourself a significantly probability of having a homemade dinner is to have PORTIONS of meals already on hand.

I find that by having precooked, pre-measured portions of meat on hand I drastically reduce my cooking time.  It also increases the guilt/avoidance when it comes to just grabbing take out instead of cooking dinner!

When I hit a sale, I will buy and cook chicken, ground meat or meatballs in a large batch and freeze in meal size portions~a cup to a cup and a half for my family size.  If you are feeding hungry teenagers you might need to double or triple that!

Today I’m going to specifically talk about ground beef.   Are you unsure how to start? Curious on how to cook a really large batch of ground beef without making your stove and kitchen into a grease splattered mess?  Kim at Kim’s Kitchen has a great bulk beef cooking tutorial with photos that can get you going in a flash.

But let’s assume that you already have your ground beef.  Really I should say ground MEAT-you could easily substitute ground pork, turkey, and venison-whatever fits your budget and dietary constraints. For that matter you could even use reconstituted TVP.   Here are some ideas for ground beef/meat.

Stirfry: Mix with a bag of frozen stirfry veggies and some soy sauce, serve with rice

“Stroganoff”: Mix with 1 can of cream of soup, 1 pkg dry brown gravy mix. Serve over noodles (may add onions or mushrooms)

Spaghetti: Toss into a can of sauce and warm. Serve over noodles

Curry: Mix with leftover veggies (or a bag of frozen) and instant curry cubes. Serve with rice

Gravy: Either make milk gravy, or cheat and use a mix (country or brown) and serve over rice, bread or biscuits.

Pot Pie/Shepards Pie: Mix with can of mixed veggies, white sauce or cream of soup. Cook in casserole dish with either boxed mashed potatoes or biscuits on top (I make homemade drop biscuits)

Tacos/Burritos: Add the spice mix and serve either on burrito wraps or in taco shells w/ regular accompaniments

Soup: Use either broth or tomato juice for base, add veggies and a starch if you like.

Hamburger casserole: Use a starch (we prefer noodles), cream of soup (or white sauce) corn and peas, salt and pepper.

Hamburger Mac ‘n Cheese: Add to your favorite Mac ‘n Cheese recipe

Chili Mac: Add to cooked elbow noodles, spaghetti sauce, chili powder, beans, onion and green pepper. Bake.

Sloppy Joes: Use your favorite recipe.

Tune in tomorrow for some great ideas on how to use another homemade frozen meal starter-meatballs!

Meanwhile-what are some of your favorite uses for browned ground beef?

Photos by

Tiny Banquet Committee,

http://www.flickr.com/photos/seandreilinger/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

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