Current yearly income including cost of school - $20k

I need to figure out a way to live as cheaply as possible, while still getting some enjoyment out of those things, such as cooking "decent" meals for cheap. The most obvious category is food, but be creative here! Think back to when you were in school and pretend your parents didn't pay for it (if they did). How would you utilize the resources we have now to stretch your money further back then in all categories of student life?

This isn't a theoretical question, I am returning to NCSU after being away for 7 years and I highly doubt I can finish my last 2 years of Engineering while holding a job. I may have to reevaluate this, but for now this is what I am going with.

Anyone that thinks they are shaving necessities costs off by being clever, I want to hear it.

Apps/Sites/Ideas/etc.

Go!

5/21/2015 11:24:46 AM

rice and beans will become your best friend (plus whatever meat is currently on super sale). mix that shit up with some Tony's and butter if you have it and you're set for days.

5/21/2015 11:33:02 AM

Hit up every single event on campus that advertises free food, especially at the beginning of the semester. I suppose it could be a bit more difficult if you live off campus. Are you getting a campus meal plan?

Also, it probably wouldn't hurt to have some sort of part-time job to give you some more supplemental income.

5/21/2015 11:41:27 AM

I definitely won't be the 28 year old that lives on campus, haha.

I have no intention of having a meal plan, but if this really could save me a decent amount of cash then I'd consider it.

What about housing? I have heard of something for low income that you can get at a discount if you qualify. Not DHIC, I think it is actually called HUD.

The cheapest I can find a normal one bedroom apartment for is roughly $580/mo currently. Everyone I know in Raleigh moved away from campus and the few that didn't don't have an open room. I don't think I can put up with random people again.. $450-$500 vs. $580 so that I can have place to sleep and study seems like a good trade off.

5/21/2015 11:47:57 AM

Quote :

"if this really could save me a decent amount of cash then I'd consider it."

It won't.


http://the99centchef.blogspot.com/

5/21/2015 11:54:46 AM

See that is the kind of stuff I want yall to post. Show me how to live on a few dollars per day

Now how can I save money on stuff like soap, deodorant, shampoo, etc.

I have never used Groupon or any other site like that and I honestly have no idea how they even work, haha.

Think about the pure necessities and how can I cut the cost?



[Edited on May 21, 2015 at 11:57 AM. Reason : _]

5/21/2015 11:56:21 AM

you can request samples online and get all the soap and hygiene products you want. if you watch that Extreme Cheapskate show or whatever it's called you'll see almost all of them do that. They'll also shower with their clothes in the tub to absorb excess shampoo, etc. and then hang dry them.

you can Google "reddit cheap meals" or whatever and you'll find threads with hundreds of responses for cheap meal ideas. it's difficult to eat healthy cheaply. rice, beans, bread, eggs, spreads, etc. only go so far nutritionally.

Subs:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Cheap_Meals/
http://www.reddit.com/r/budgetfood
http://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/
https://www.reddit.com/r/collegecooking/
http://www.reddit.com/r/7dollardinners

Recipe Thread:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1h2q9g/what_is_your_best_poor_recipe/

you should be able to find cheaper housing than $580. I had an 1100 sf two bedroom apartment in NW Raleigh for $650. You could easily qualify for subsidized housing if you file taxes independently for several years and show no income. You can also live on campus in ES King Village or something so you aren't in there with a bunch of freshmen. Most of those people are Indian exchange students working on their MS/PHD and have families.

5/21/2015 12:17:11 PM

Quote :

"The cheapest I can find a normal one bedroom apartment for is roughly $580/mo currently...."

if you need to stretch money, you should have at least one roommate

5/21/2015 12:38:19 PM

PM 0EPII1. He steals about 95% of his shit from his office (you could do it from the school). That would leave a lot more money for food and fun shit.

5/21/2015 12:41:51 PM

I would definitely have at least one roommate if there was any way to find someone besides a lotto. I can't take that risk for many reason and I am sure some of you know what the big one is.

Where is subsidized housing that isn't DHIC? I just found out the friend I mentioned is using DHIC and you either have to have a child, come out of foster care or have a family. If you are just broke and single, DHIC won't help you...

So basically I am being punished for having safe sex

Thanks for the new links!

[Edited on May 21, 2015 at 12:49 PM. Reason : _]

5/21/2015 12:49:05 PM

Don't forget coupons. Get friends who get the newspaper save them for you and hit up Harris teeter when they super double or triple coupons and stock up on essentials that don't expire.

5/21/2015 12:54:37 PM

Hit up the flea market too

5/21/2015 12:57:58 PM

Southernsavers.com is a great resource. My wife uses it to find out what coupons are going to be in this coming week's sunday paper and if it's worth it for us to buy it. It tells you the places that are having sales this week (like Harris Teeter super doubles week, etc.) and how to pair your coupons, etc. to get items super cheap or even free sometimes.

Get a Target red card and get 5% back on all of your purchases there. Pair that with their Cartwheel app to get even more discounts.

Switch to bars of soap instead of body wash. Better yet, make your own bars of soap. It's fairly easy to make a ton of it at once.

Cut cable. Get an antenna (Mohu Leaf, for example) to get channels OTA. If you already have an Amazon Prime account, use that for your TV/video needs instead of paying additional for Netflix, Hulu, etc.

Talk to your neighbor to ask if they want to split their internet bill and just use their wireless internet.

Ride a bike places instead of driving.

Take this as an opportunity to lose some weight and eat less (if you need to lose weight, that is). Drink shitloads of water instead of sodas and eating snack foods. Drinking water in between meals will keep you from getting the munchies.

Shower at the gym. Does the gym provide free soap/shampoo?

Spaghetti is cheap, and filling. Add veggies to the sauce instead of hamburger (diced zucchini is cheap and nutritious).

Visit the farmers market and ask if they have any "ugly" veggies they want to sell cheaply.

Stay single and don't waste money on trifling hoes.

Don't stay single, and hook up with a sugar momma.

5/21/2015 1:00:37 PM

see this is why TWW is so useful

More info posted here in the last hour and a half than I would have learned in the first year trying to do this.


Oh there is something waaay better than Amazon Prime or Netflix, it is called a VPN + the Internet

I haven't had cable in 5 years, haha.

[Edited on May 21, 2015 at 1:05 PM. Reason : _]

5/21/2015 1:00:52 PM

Grocery savings apps can come in handy. You get cash back for stuff you buy and cash out through PayPal with most of them. There are tons but I use these 4.

Ibotta: It sucks sometimes with being all obscure packaged foods, but right now has a ton of "any brand" discounts on basics like eggs, bread, frozen veggies, bananas etc.
Checkout51: I basically use it to get 25 cents back on bananas every week but it has other worthwhile things on occasion.
SavingStar: It has a lot of packaged/canned foods with bigger rebates like $4 off $12. It also offers a freebie item most weekends that is something small like a candy bar, box of cornbread mix or bottle of dish detergent.
Snap by Groupon: Another with a lot of obscure packaged foods, but it has fresh veggies and meats sometimes.

5/21/2015 1:34:25 PM

Big Lots and OLLIES for any non perishable things

Also keep an eye on Walgreen and local grocery store circulars and STOCK UP on anything you may need that is buy two get three free. Toothpaste, detergents etc you can often get a years + supply all at once for cheap.

5/22/2015 12:37:52 PM

Stocking up does sound like a great way to save money. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and links, keep them coming!

5/22/2015 12:54:35 PM

Bulk stores. Costo, BJs, etc. More up-front cost but you'll usually save over the long run.

5/22/2015 1:18:05 PM

^ On some things...on other things you can do better with grocery store sales (even more so with coupons)

5/22/2015 1:25:14 PM

when comparing similar items that are similar at the grocery store, the price label on the shelf will always displace a price per unit. i.e. price per square foot of paper towel, price per ounce of meat, etc.

5/22/2015 1:59:57 PM

damn y'all some cheap motherfuckers.




Nah, I'm kidding.


When I was in college, I never paid for shampoo/deodorant/soap etc. I would just sign up for all the free samples I saw online. The single serve Tide samples I'd get in the mail were awesome. I'd just have to take down a tiny pouch instead of a giant bottle of detergent.

Coupons are a great way to save on staples like rice, beans, toothpaste etc. I don't think I've paid for toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, soap etc in over 5 years.

Get familiar with the coupon policies of your local grocery stores.

Lowes Foods: doubles coupon up to $0.99 every day. Limit 20 double coupons per day per loyalty card.

Kroger: Does not double

Food Lion: Does not double

Harris Teeter: doubles coupons up to $0.99 every day. Limit 20 double coupons per day per VIC card. Also offers a SUPER DOUBLE COUPONS week bimonthly. During this week, they will double coupons up to $2. So a $1 coupon will take off $2 and a $2 coupon will take off $4

5/22/2015 2:25:24 PM

Quote :

"you can request samples online and get all the soap and hygiene products you want"

This.

Also, most of the time the cheapest grocery prices you can find will be at Target or Wal-Mart.

Buy most of your meat frozen. Learn to live on frozen chicken breasts. Red meat is pretty much out. Don't buy in bulk except for a few things (like frozen meat) or things that are completely non-perishable, i.e toilet paper,not mayo. As a single person the savings pretty much disappear when you see how much spoilage waste there is. I suggest Amazon Prime for a lot of stuff as well.

Ditch your vehicle if possible, things like insurance, registration, gas, etc. will eat a huge chunk of your income. If you can live close enough to campus to walk, bike, or take a free bus. Cab/uber if you want to go out on the weekend.

No cable TV. You will want and need broadband for school and entertainment purposes, but find the cheapest way you can to get it and avoid bundle packages, they don't save you money.

Any service you don't use weekly should not be purchased. Any service you do need should be split with a roommate if possible.

Find a roommate. Try looking for a young professional looking to split a house or a grad student. Craigslist is actually not a bad place to start with this one.

Living on 20k a year blows. I did it back in college and it sucked. You should probably try to work weekends or even 1 day on the weekend doing something like bartending or waiting tables. An extra $100 a week can be a godsend.

Lastly, I would suggest you look into food stamps and other gov. programs, you'll probably be eligible.

5/23/2015 3:46:05 PM

Here's one of the websites I go to that posts free samples


http://www.freestufffinder.com/free-samples/

5/23/2015 10:15:03 PM

My brother in law works for one of those papa spuds type companies that deliver vegetables to rich and old people in Cary. He only makes $8 an hour plus mileage, but he gets a shit ton of free food (produce, meat, etc). Anything that does not meet their extremely high standards of what they send to customers or any surplus is given to the workers.

He is medically retired from the army with disability so the pay amt does not really bother him, he does it more for something to do, and he really likes the owners. If you want to know the name of the place I could share it with you to see if its something you could manage with school. He definitely brings home a ton of fresh food every week, if you like to cook and want options other than junk food the job might be worth it to you.

It also has such low pay it probably would not disqualify you for any govt benefits you could draw.

5/27/2015 11:29:06 AM

^^How do you sift through that website??

5/27/2015 1:33:58 PM

Uber'ing on weekends and having a roommate clears up a lot of what I consider to be unnecessary sacrifices on food and "free" toiletries. I don't know what reason would constitute not having a roommate but the sacrifice of having one is far less than ordering your "free" toiletries online. If one has a significant reason (mental illness, have lots of guns, weird pets, huge slob, etc. etc.) for not having a roommate then one doesn't have a money issue, one has a life issue. The "square peg, round hole" scenario comes to mind when discussing saving money and living alone. Before long, having a roommate (at least in NC) will be weird, so do it now while you have the chance. Plenty of grad school departments you can email telling them you're looking for a roommate and they can help. If they've been accepted to grad school at NCSU, you've at least got that crossed off the list.

Saving money has to be a task where you work smart, not necessarily hard.

5/27/2015 2:11:32 PM

1600 income includes cost of school
500 rent with roomate and shared utilities
15X30 = 450 food
100 misc
300 entertainment
250 transportation

[Edited on May 27, 2015 at 2:22 PM. Reason : .]

5/27/2015 2:16:56 PM

^^^^ That sounds pretty interesting. I'll probably check it out in August once I am moved back in.

I didn't realize wanting to live by yourself as a 28 year old EE student meant you must have mental problems, lol.

5/27/2015 3:19:44 PM

Quote :

"^^How do you sift through that website??"

I just look through the Free Samples section and request things I know I'll use (and come straight from the company itself).

5/27/2015 4:31:33 PM

Step 1: Obtain rubber money.

5/28/2015 8:32:21 AM