When online college programs first began to pop up, most people scoffed at the idea and assumed that online college was a scam. Indeed, many of the first online colleges weren’t accredited and they were mostly a waste of time. However, these days, just about every major college has an accompanying online program, so you can get a degree with all the same prestige as the grads who took classes on campus, only you can save time and money by taking college courses from the comfort of your own home. Here are 5 ways to save money living off campus in college.
- Transportation
If you live on campus and you have a car, you could end up spending hundreds of dollars per month on a parking pass and your car will spend most days just sitting there. If you don’t have a car, then you will need to spend a lot of money on buses and cabs whenever you want to leave campus. However, if you live off campus, you can ride a bike to class and leave your car at home where you don’t have to pay for parking.
- Food Costs
The one other expense that will definitely burn the largest hole in your wallet is going to be your food costs. You will be spending so much time on campus that you will inevitably be spending a lot of money on meals and snacks at the various cafes and vending machines on campus. These expenses can really add up quickly, and as much as you might tell yourself not to buy food on campus, when you are hungry and you have a long day, it is the easiest expense to justify in the moment.
- Tuition
There is no arguing that online college is always less expensive than a standard college program. If you go to PSU online, you can save thousands of dollars that would have otherwise been spent living on campus at Portland State. Besides the simple fact that the costs of living on campus are much higher, each course you take will be much more expensive. So unless you have a trust fund that you’re dipping into for your college tuition, you may really want to consider online courses.
- Books
Some professors will be very specific about the textbooks you need to buy, all the way down to the edition that is required. There are usually very minimal changes to each of these editions, but the difference in cost can be quite dramatic. When you take online classes, there won’t be anyone looking over your shoulder to make sure that you bought the most recent version of the textbook. This means that you can save a bundle on older book editions.
- Work More
One of the biggest ways that you can keep your cash flowing when you take online courses is by keeping a full-time work schedule, or at least as close to full-time as possible. This is because you will be able to study and do your school work on your own time when enrolled in an online program. If you have a very stable job that requires you to work very specific hours, you won’t have to sacrifice the income in order to go to your classes.
