Living cheaply

It seems my theme lately has been money. Oh well.

So I read this article (yes, yet another article from Mom) that gave tips for living on $7 a day. I scoffed at the title. Bwah, I can barely get by on $40 a week for groceries and gas, and that doesn't include putting away $5 or $10 a week to save for retirement. What's a poor college student to do when the week's allowance slips away like dandelion fluff in a hurricane?

Now, I'm not anti-money saving and frugality. Americans are notoriously the worst of all Western countries at saving, so I definitely support change.

I'm just not sure how plausible it is to save money when you're in college, with stores targeting you as a consumer, yellow being all the rage this season, gas prices rising, summer heat waves approaching and the economy flushing itself down the toilet. But it's worth a try, right?

The $7 a day tips aren't too terrifying. They range from buying food in bulk (Costco, anyone) to comparison shopping. It's all common sense, and it comes down to planning (another tip mentioned, which I have known about all along).

With planning in mind, I thought it apt to list some of my own tips for living cheaply, which I think are much less painful than giving up food for a month so you can afford textbooks.

1. Plan a weekly menu and don't deviate
2. Try to eat meals over the course of the week that share ingredients
3. Plan trips out in the car so you're not driving back and forth and wasting gas--plan a route that is most effective in hitting all the stops in a loop or straight line.
4. If you have a TV at home or the Internet, you don't need to go out every weekend to be entertained. Hell, why not stay home and read? Books don't even need to cost money--ever heard of a library?
5. Coffee is not a necessity for life. Cut it out of your daily budget (you know how you are, Starbucks regulars) and you will have more money and a smaller waistline. The same goes for fast food.
6. Try public transportation. While I haven't grown enough balls to do this in Tucson yet, I'm working towards it. The bus is way cheaper than spending $40 a week on gas--especially if you get the U-Pass and university discount.
7. AC at night, blinds closed during the day.
8. Don't turn on all the lights in the house. Use only those you need, which is usually one at a time.

These are just suggestions. They work. You can try them if you like (and you should).

Also, the person from the $7 a day article reads the Simple Dollar financial blog, which is worth a look-see.