How To Pay For College While Still In High School

Don’t worry high school students I haven’t forgotten about you.  You may be wondering with all these posts on how to save and make money geared mostly towards college students how you can pay for college.  It’s great that you’re already thinking about this (you’re ahead of the curve). 

A Glimpse Into My Wallet

I just wanted to show you the proof of how my posts will really help in real life.  This semester, as usual,  I followed the procedure I described to you in, “Is This a Book or a Brick of Gold? “ and saved a boat-load of money.

Simplicity As Savings

Part of the green movement has emphasized simplicity so that waste is reduced.  Going green as a college student is not only something you may want to do anyway because of your ideals, but it is also a great way to save money.

So Why Am I Paying For School Again?

So you’re trying to pay for college, but what exactly is it you are paying for?  Some of you already know exactly what you want to do and have chosen your major accordingly, while the rest of you just don’t know yet.  Given that school is so expensive, it is important that you choose the right major and determine your career goals promptly.

All the Cool People Do It! Give Budgeting a Try!

I’ve been posting a lot about saving money and making money, but not that much about managing money.  One of the most important skills you need to master now (and for the rest of your life) is budgeting. 

Luckily you already have a budgeting kind of cheat sheet in the Expenses worksheet (in the Useful Links tab).  A budget not only considers your expenses (like utilities, food, rent, savings, etc), but also when those expenses occur and when you get paid.  Here is a sample budget I have put together using Excel.

Looking For Perks!

We have already explored the idea of your work paying for some or all of tuition costs through various programs.  There are other jobs out there that can help you reduce costs in other aspects of college life.  If you can’t find a job that will pay your tuition or housing costs then maybe you can find a job with other perks.

I Need A New Shirt!

Clothing can be a big money sucker.  It is tempting to spend your cash trying to look cool at some trendy store.   There are better ways to get a great look and still save some cash. 

Utility Bills: You Can't Avoid Them, But You Can Lower Them

Utility bills are tough.  You can’t negotiate the cost of water and power, but you can still save money on these things.  While other utilities (stuff I lump in with utilities) like phone service, cable, and internet can be negotiated and navigated.

Hoofin’ it! How to Cut Down on Transportation Costs.

Transportation can be quite costly if you make certain choices.  For instance, some people think that owning a car is required if you need to get around town.  This is not always the case.  For me I have to have a car because the nearest bus stop to my place of employment is 10 miles away, but most people I know don’t have those sorts of circumstances. We are going to explore how to save money by going without a car, or amending how you use your car if you choose to keep one anyway.

Saving Money On Pencils and Pickles.

Ok, school supplies are probably one of the most fun things to go shopping for each year before school starts.  Sometimes the fun can make you forget about how much money you are spending.  There are ways to reduce the cost of school supplies that don’t require much effort.

Is This a Book or a Brick of Gold?

College text books are infamous for being very expensive.  Sometimes you might wonder, “Is this a book or a brick of gold?”  There are multiple ways of saving money when getting textbooks (renting, buying from the right places, and sharing), but you need to think about a few things before you start collecting each semester’s worth of books.

Getting Something For Nothing: Lowering the Cost of Tuition and Rent

I told you I would write a post about how to cut costs. I lied.  I’m going to write multiple posts on how to cut costs in college. The first post will deal with the most expensive parts of paying for college: tuition and housing.

Dual Enrollment: The Early Bird Pathway

The most obvious pathway that most people default to is graduating from high school. and the following fall semester beginning college at a four year institution.  This is fine for those of you who have enough money saved for college, or who have full-ride scholarships, but for most students this is not the case.  The problem is that so many people never think about their general plan of paying for school and go straight to this; then they are forced to scramble when a financial crisis comes up and this is where mistakes are made. The financial mistakes you make here can haunt you for a long time...believe me. I will cover those mistakes later, but first I will share with you the major pathways to paying for college.  These pathways can be used in combination with each other.  The smarter, more innovative students usually find a way to combine all or most of these pathways.  If you are young enough you can take advantage of all of these pathways...for those of you who are older, you will be limited but you still have many options.