University Graduates

What types of items do University students buy on a really tight budget? Please Be Specific.?

When you are a poor student, what do you do for entertainment, food, clothing, etc? Besides Alcohol, What are some things that university students spend their money on? Please be specific. Thanks guys!

Public Comments

1. When I was a full time student I had no real social life. My social life consisted of study groups. I worked 2 part-time jobs to pay for school so had very little time to socialize. As for food take advantage of your cafeteria. If you have a meal plan you can grab extra foods to eat later like cereals, fruit, anything packaged. Look for sales at local markets, maybe go in with friends and shop at warehouse type store. Clothes you need to buy only when needed. Look for sales, shop places like WalMart, Target, etc. Ask for clothes or money for Christmas and birthdays. Entertainment is the easiest. Go to the student activities office. They usually get tickets for local plays and events that are either free or greatly reduced. Universities often offer concerts, plays, and movies on campus free of charge to students. Many local attractions like museums and arts centers offer reduced admission with a student ID. In Baltimore I even found a hairdresser that gave full time students a 20% discount. Call around and ask friends because most of these discounts are not advertised. Good luck.
2. Books are very expensive--I usually spend at LEAST $200 a semester (I'm an English major)--but science majors can spend up to $500 (or more.) In terms of entertainment, students with less money can take advantage of the activities offered on campus. On-campus parties and events are usually free or very inexpensive. A lot of people spend money on food, too, but you can avoid that by sticking to your dining plan and not going out to dinner too much.