Saving money is easier when
you don’t buy anything… Of course this is almost impossible because you’ll need
at least a pencil and paper, some food, shelter, etc. But what is the strict minimum?
A place on which to
sleep. It does NOT need to be a bed,
unless you already own one that you can easily (cheaply) move to your
university home. Think outside the
box! If you sleep well when you go
camping, perhaps a camping mat with some linens on top would work well for you;
I sleep extremely well on my couch and if it were easier to move that, I’d take
it as my ‘bed’; how about a mattress on the floor? an inflatable mattress? a
futon? a hide-a-bed? a twin or double bed may be the conventional place to
sleep, but it’s not the only one there is.
A sleeping bag as bedding works IF you can wash it once a while, especially
after an illness. If you can’t easily
wash and dry it, a sleeping bag liner may work, or buy two sheets (one for
under your body and one on top) and use the sleeping bag as a comforter.
A place to hold your clothes. This does not mean you need a dresser or a
closet (not all houses have closets – older ones often do not. I know a foreign student on a budget who used
free cardboard boxes in her room to store her clothing. It didn’t look very attractive, but it worked
and she did not need to try selling furniture when she moved back home. Try boxes; plastic bins (transparent ones are
practical); putting ALL your clothes in your closet, if you have one (my nephew
does this – he has some cubbies for socks and underwear); hooks on the wall for
some clothes (coats, jackets, towels, jeans, etc.).
A place to hold your other
‘stuff’. What other stuff? school stuff
and toiletries. Of course, the same
arrangement as your clothes can be used: cardboard boxes, bins, etc. As well, books can be placed neatly in a pile
on the floor, pens and pencils can be stored in smaller empty boxes (think of
cracker or tissue boxes) or empty cans (or frozen juice concentrate) or mugs.
A place to study. My daughter and niece both like to study in
their bed; the spread out their books, their laptop and their notes around
themselves. Neither of them needs a
desk! I work better with a flat surface
in front of me and I don’t like having my computer on my lap unless I’m writing
from memory only – and not with a book next to me. However, the kitchen table works for me, as
well as my coffee table – a desk is NOT a requirement. If you want a flat surface, look for a table,
a shelf you can mount on a wall, or one you can anchor in a corner.
The Internet. Nowadays, it’s
difficult to pursue a degree without the use of the Internet. However, having access to the internet does
NOT mean that you need it where you live.
The school where you study most likely has wifi available to all
students registered with them. This
means that as long as you are on campus, you have free internet. If you are on a budget, plan on working in
the library instead of at home. As well,
many small restaurants have free wifi: McDonald’s, Tim Horton’s, etc. For the price of a coffee, you can use the
internet after the library has closed.
Assuming that you only need to work very late once or twice a month
(with internet access – you can do lots of studying without it!), that’s about
$3/month, much cheaper than paying for home internet.
Textbooks. Yes, you need access to textbooks – but
access does not mean you need to own the textbooks! Many schools have most textbooks on reserve
at the library or older editions (perfectly good for studying) on their
shelves. Textbooks are often $100+ each,
so the inconvenience of going to the library to study may well be worth $500
per semester (5 courses). Other options
for textbooks: buy a used one – even a previous edition if the professor okays
it; buy it with a friend and alternate who takes it home at night (or alternate
with a housemate taking the same course – if you are in residence, this is even
easier!). You can now rent textbooks (google it online) or find some textbooks
online. If you have a similar textbook
(same topic), as the professor if it’s ok to study from it instead of the
recommended textbook. I have once used a
free copy of the previous edition of the required textbook and simply made
photocopies of the assigned problem set (that was the main difference between
the different editions).
Food. Of course you need food – many of my other
articles are about finding cheap food so I won’t dwell on this now.
Shelter. Obviously you cannot live in the streets
while going to school (or at any moment in your life!); it’s not safe and is
very unhealthy. However, if you cannot
live at home or with a relative, having your own bedroom in a student house or
living in residence are not your only options.
Look for a shared room – if students can manage in a shared room in residence,
surely that can be done in a house or an apartment. Look for a room at someone’s house (not a
student house); since you are not sharing equally the entire cost of the house,
the rent is often cheaper (you may not have access to much more than the kitchen,
the bathroom and your room, not the entire house). Think of unusual spaces in houses: can you
partition the living room and use part of it for a discounted rate? Can you use
a winterized porch in someone’s house (if there is another outside door) or
part of an unused basement? If you have access to an RV, would the rent in an
RV park be cheaper than renting a room somewhere (assuming you live in a
somewhat sunny area – Vancouver?)? You can also housesit for a family who is
going out of town for a while, but unless you have a stream of housesitting
jobs, this won’t work even for a semester.
However, it may for a summer semester, or it can help you offset your
travelling costs for a few weeks. If you
are doing a co-op program and need to move to another city to work, look for
the alternate shelter as well, AND try to sublet your room while you are gone
from campus.
Clothes. You obviously cannot attend classes naked,
but you did not start the school year naked either. Use your old clothes and only purchase items
that are needed because without them you 1. are too cold (such as winter boots)
or 2. you cannot get part-time employment.
I will write about getting dressed for a job interview at the end of
your degree in another article. If you
need clothes to keep you warm, ask around first – most people I know own extra
hats, mittens, even winter coats that they do not wear often or at all. Winter coats are expensive items so try to
get one for free if possible (it’s harder with boots because of the different
sizes). Unless you are down to fewer
than 5-6 pairs of socks (same for undies), you don’t need to purchase
them. Three pairs of jeans and 4-5 tops
should work for most of the school year.
You are not in school to be a fashion plate but to study.
A phone. Unless you live at home and can use the home
phone, you’ll need a phone to communicate with classmates and family. Get the cheapest plan, even if you can only
text. It’s often enough. You can use Skype on your computer, for free,
for phone calls.
A computer. Unless you are learning skills that are very
hands-on, like woodworking, most likely you will be required to have full
access to a computer. If you can use the
family computer at home, perfect! However,
most people need a laptop computer to work on.
Find a good deal well before you start university (otherwise you may be
rushed to buy one and will end up buying something more expensive). Also, unless you need specific software for
your course (engineering studies often require these), a text editing software,
slide show, spreadsheet and internet browsing may be all you need. Don’t go overboard with the fastest PC around
and consider using your older sister’s discard.
Transportation to school. If you live close to campus, walking will be
fine; as well, many university fees include a bus-pass so you should be able to
commute for free. If you are too far to
walk and the bus isn’t free, consider a cheap bicycle (or a hand-me-down one);
once purchased, they are free to use.
Make sure to dress appropriately when it’s cold (ski goggles keep me
from crying when the wind is strong). If
you have the choice between a long commute and moving to campus (or close to),
look at the costs: I choose to live at home, in the far suburbs of Montreal
when I attended McGill, because a used car was much cheaper than renting
downtown Montreal, and even if I had some ‘wasted’ time in my commute, I did
not need to work part-time during the school year because I lived at home and
ate there too (my parents did not charge me rent nor food money). I made enough money during the summer to
cover all my costs. If you are living
away from home to attend school, travelling back home once or twice a year is
almost a necessity (I say ‘almost’ because you can survive without in most
cases); minimize the cost by sharing a car ride with someone else, or flying
when the prices are low (and not checking luggage). Transportation can be very expensive and you
need to add this to your budget BEFORE moving far away from home to study. Another option is to limit drastically your
visits home; international graduate students, on a very low income, often do
not go come every year.
Communication with
family. It’s very depressing, literally,
not to have any contact with your family if you do not live at home (if you
live at home, I’m assuming you speak to them for free!). A cell phone is ok, but plans are not
cheap. Free ways to chat are great: use
Skype or Facebook messenger, or use your email.
Pen and paper letters are fantastic too – when I lived in Poland for 18
months, my mom and I wrote letters to each other, 2-3 per month. I still have copies of them and enjoy
re-reading them. A letter within Canada
costs less than a dollar to mail.
We sometimes have to rethink
what the bare essentials are – and start there.
Start from the ground up to decide what to spend money on, not from what
you enjoy living at home and trying to cut down.
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