Here Is What A Savvy Buckeye Looks Like
Hello all! So the topic of this post is near and dear to my heart: thriftiness. We are all college students. We all understand how strapped we are for cash, between the expenses of classes, textbooks, food, concerts, social events, clothes, athletic events, music, the list goes on.
Now, you have all probably heard a million different advice columns for thriftiness, but not everyone has heard this advice aimed towards Ohio State students specifically, and not many of you have a mother who has a binder dedicated to couponing. I rest my case– this article is worthy of your time if you are looking for frugal spending in Columbus.
So, without further ado, some savviness for you:
1) Textbooks:
I have a few reasons for starting this list with textbooks. First, everyone in college needs textbooks. Second, it is literally the easiest thing to save the most amount of money on. Here’s why: if you shop for your books online, you will save money. Period. Oftentimes, if you spend just a little bit of time on sites like Amazon, EBay, Craigslist, etc. you will often find your textbooks for significantly less money than if you buy them in stores.
2) Clothes:
I firmly believe that Goodwill is the best institution on earth. It consistently turns up some of my favorite pieces of clothing; you can find classy, funky, cozy, chic, urban, rustic, etc. But, like with textbooks, the name of the game is to spend time looking around. If you are still not convinced, try TJMaxx or Forever 21. They have trendy clothes on the cheap.
3) Food:
It doesn’t matter whether you are eating at a restaurant or cooking your own meals; use coupons whenever you can. Pizza places, ethnic restaurants, major fast food chains, and local restaurants almost always have coupons in local magazines, newspapers, and coupon booklets. A great booklet to look at is RedPlum. Also, check for sales at your local grocery store. Major chains often post online advertisements for items that are on sale. Try to base your weekly meals around these items, and try to find coupons for sale items to save even more!
4) Social Events:
This is a super easy one to take care of for Buckeye students. Check the Ohio Union website for discounted or FREE concerts, comedians, events involving celebrities, tickets to places like the zoo, Columbus museums and Cedar Point, and more. For more ideas on cheap social events, check the campus newspapers for concerts and events happening around the Columbus area. Lastly, to get a little more specific, please check out the Gallery Hop that happens every first Saturday of each month in the Short North. You can waltz around the beautiful Short North, check out the local art galleries, and hear local musicians belting it out along the streets, all for FREE. It is an amazing experience, I promise.