College Preparation #5: Make Money, and save it!

There are a few good tips in this blog, so read it all carefully. I first need to expand on a few of my previous college prep blogs, but then I have a couple of extra tips.

First of all, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but it bares repeating. Now that I think about it, I'm almost sure I've talked about this. When you are drinking, or know you will be drinking, have a plan for food. Alcohol can be expensive, but when you add $10 for Chinese food or something each time you drink (you will almost always eat when you drink) it adds up fast. Think about that, if you drink 10 times (you will) then you will be spending around $100 on food alone. Yikes. If you have an all night dining service on campus, that's great, you're set. If not, have some backup food. The most important thing to remember is that no matter what you say, chips won't sound as good as a greasy pizza, or nice oily, spicy orange chicken.

I think frozen meals can be good, or rather chilled meals, since you are not likely to have a freezer that can keep your food cold. Consider frozen/chilled pizzas. If you can get away with just eating chips, that is fine, but like I said, have a plan, no matter what. I always liked stealing food from the cafeteria and keeping it for later, that way I can have a burger, or orange chicken maybe even, for free. If you must order food, split it with someone. If you both get a pizza, it's a lot cheaper (a lot of pizza places have good deals for late night eating too)

You'll be fine, as long as you think ahead; and remember, it's ok to get Chinese food or pizza or burgers when you drink, just not EVERY time.

Secondly, for those who have to travel to and from school, via airplane or some other method that uses luggage that you will be storing at school, try to find luggage that is not rigid. I have 2 suitcases that I use that are solid, and do not shrink at all, they have stiff sides. This is a ridiculous waste of space. You DON'T need to do that though, they make very large bags that are soft sided that you can simply fold down and store under a bed, or anywhere where you have what would have been useless space before.

MY MOST IMPORTANT TIP OF THIS BLOG!

Get a freaking job. I know, that sounds like it sucks, and you're already SO busy with school, and partying, and you would rather stay with your friends and not go out. Also, I believe you would rather not be a beggar before you get out of school. Now is the time to start applying for jobs. You don't have to even leave the building to get a job usually. There are some companies that will pay to do services on your computer without you having to leave your room even. I was doing research for a professor from my room that paid well, and I didn't have to leave, so I could do my work at 2 in the morning.

You can get jobs working in the building, the cafeteria, or at a store nearby. Schools have lots of jobs open for students, that is part of the deal, so you can get a job with the school, and you are only competing with other students. I would suggest just getting out, asking questions, and finding a job. Even if it doesn't pay well, get one, and look for one with better pay, the important thing is to get some cash flow.

If you can do it, get a job working for yourself, that would be nice, sell stuff on e-bay, or buy cheap books on e-bay and other places and sell them to students at your school for less than the stores. I tried starting up an online store, and now that I have time to devote to it, I can actually work on making it profitable (technically, it already is profitable) I know you would rather be partying, but it's a paradox. No work=more partying, more partying=higher cost. Work=less partying, less partying=less $ spent. So there ya go, you will very positively affect your cash flow if you work, and you will do it in more ways than one, by increasing money you receive, and decreasing your cash outflows.