With the price of college skyrocketing in the last 10-20 years and continuing to grow every year, often times college students find themselves stressed over finances. With the colossal price of tuition along with room and board, meal plans and textbooks, it is easy to feel drowned in never-ending expenses. That being said, here are 5 budgeting tips for college kids in need.

Coupon and Reward Programs

When I moved into my own apartment I realized how important coupons really are. Take advantage of any coupon you can find. Also, try to join reward programs for stores that you visit frequently. A lot of the time, reward members get a lot of offers that others

probably would not get.

Check out different groceries

One of my favorite places to grocery shop is called Aldi. Typically they will have products that are the same as brand name, but they are not brand name and therefore they are cheaper. There is another store in my town called Rulers that also has discounted prices. There are stores like this everywhere that can save you money on groceries and other necessities.

Apply for a lot of smaller scholarships

There are many websites out there that offer all different kinds of scholarships. I like to use websites like Fastweb and Unigo. These sites have lists of smaller scholarships that you might qualify for. So much of this money goes unused every year and could totally save students a lot of debt. Not to mention, this is free money. Scholarships do not have to be paid back. Try to apply for a large group of smaller scholarships because while they may be smaller amounts, if you apply for multiple ones they can add up really fast.

Textbook Websites

Buying textbooks through your university bookstore can be pricey. Try to figure out what the book is ahead of time and look for it on websites like Amazon and Chegg. These sites allow you to rent books and then ship them back for way cheaper prices.

Student Discounts

Do research on who offers a student discount. For example, I have a premium subscription to Spotify monthly and I pay half the price of the usual subscription. Look into where you can get a student discount where it may be needed.

Hopefully these tips were helpful and will help you save some money and make your life a little easier.