CANADIAN UNIVERSITY/COLLEGE MONEY SAVING GUIDE
It has been almost 15 years since I graduated university (you can do the math to see how old I am), but some things never change – school is expensive.
I was fortunate to be living less than a 20 minute walk to my university and I was able to save so much going to school in my home town but I realize that many students don’t have that good fortune.
I have some money saving tips and some great links that hopefully will save you some cash this year!
1. Take advantage of generous student discounts.
Amazon Prime for Students offers college and university students free two-day shipping for six months, and then 50% off Amazon Prime. Amazon Student members receive two-day shipping on millions of items, unlimited cloud photo storage with Prime Photos, and exclusive Student deals.
Shop at the Apple Store for Education and save up to $250 on a new Mac, and up to $20 on a new iPad. Education pricing is available to post-secondary students, students accepted into a post-secondary institution, parents buying for post-secondary students, teachers and staff at all levels.
The International Student Identity Card (ISIC) is your passport to fantastic discounts and services at home and around the world. The ISIC card is the only internationally-recognised student ID, making ISIC card holders are members of a truly global club. Every year more than 4.5 million students from 120 countries use their student card to take advantage of offers on travel, shopping, museums and more, worldwide.
Compared to impulse buying in the store, shopping online gives you more of a chance to calculate costs, cross-compare between retailers and search for any relevant coupons. Plus, if you can snag all of your supplies from the same store, you may be able to reach the retailer’s minimum threshold for free shipping.
Always check before you pay to see if you can get a student discount (doesn’t hurt anyone to ask).
2. Be a savvy shopper.
When possible, try to price match your way to a great deal. If you see an identical product on sale for a cheaper price at a competitor, ask the store you’re shopping at to match the price. As always, you’ll want to check the fine print of a retailer’s price-matching policy to see which products qualify.
3. Read your university/college’s tips for getting ahead or any discounts available.
A great all-around guide I found is this student guide with valuable information on how to save money.
Check with your school’s finance department as they may have a specific information for your city/town or secrets that only apply to that local school.
4. Understand the big picture.
On top of planning to finance your tuition, you’ll also need to factor in additional expenses, including costs for books and supplies, insurance, travel, phone, food, personal items, etc.
Remember that college/university will go by quickly and try to remember the good times but don’t go into too much debt as when you start your career you don’t want to have to take a job just to pay off debt.