Being a college student is a wonderful experience that shapes our personalities, helps us grow and mature, and that each of us will most definitely remember throughout our lives. But, at the same time, college is an extremely draining time in terms of finance.
As is universally known, most college people are living on a budget. Trying to make ends meet, students use many different contrivances. They use grants and scholarship opportunities, they get professional help writing a paper online to have enough time to work full-time or part-time, and, of course, they cut down on expenses.
If you are currently a student seeking new opportunities for saving some bucks, we’ve got you covered. Housing is one of your largest expense items after the tuition and fees. This article will be your ultimate guide into this matter. Here, we are going to tell you how you can save on housing costs with ease. Let’s dive in!
1. Move Out of the Campus
Living in a dorm can be very convenient and fun. However, it is not always cheap. In fact, according to multiple college guides and studies, those living off-campus often pay 5-69% less for housing. Of course, the total amount of savings will depend on a wide range of factors, including the state, city, area, etc. But, all in all, renting something away from your campus should definitely be more affordable.
2. Rent a Room
Of course, each of us values privacy and wants to live in a nice, comfortable, and secluded place. But, when you are on a really tight budget, every saving opportunity matters. Thus, one more thing you can do is consider renting a room instead of going for a whole house or apartment. Of course, rooms are much cheaper.
3. Share Your Home With Mates
Another saving tip is to share a house or apartment with one or multiple friends. Splitting the monthly payments between several people will be more beneficial to everyone. But, what is more, this way you can also save money on other things such as shared items, which is also a big advantage.
Finally, it is also worth mentioning that living with housemates is also pretty fun. Thus, this tip is definitely worth considering because it has many perks.
4. Start Hunting for Your Future Home in Advance
This next tip isn’t quite as obvious as the previous ones. In fact, when it comes to home hunting, not many students even consider such factors as timing, which they should because it does play a big role.
Here is a thing – the real estate market is very dynamic and it changes all the time. And, there is such a thing as seasonality, which basically means that the demand for housing grows or drops during certain periods and the prices change accordingly. So, the tip is to start searching early on. This way, you will have more time, more options, and likely more affordable offers.
5. Consider Part-Furnished and Unfurnished Property
Another trick that will help you get a pocket-friendly housing opportunity is to expand your options to part-furnished and unfurnished homes. If you didn’t know this, such properties are almost always much cheaper.
And there is more! If you are worried that this kind of housing property will be too uncomfortable to live in, you should know that you can always furnish your home for almost no cost. There are plenty of stores with cheap furniture. Besides, you can always buy (or even get for free) some items from other people at, for example, garage sales. And you can even grab some stuff from your own home.
6. Learn to Haggle on Rent
This tip might not suit everyone, but it also works, especially when you are sealing a deal with a landlord directly. Sometimes, landlords will be willing to drop the price in order to make a deal. However, to see if that’s the case, you will need to haggle and you will have to do it right.
Keep in mind that not everyone will be willing to haggle. Thus, be very tactful about it and know when to back off if something goes wrong. But, in any case, feel free to give it a try. After all, if everything works, it can really help you save on your rental costs.
7. Don’t Get Tempted by Bills Included in the Rent
These days it is neither new nor rare to see landlords offering properties that have all the bills already included in the monthly rent. To many, especially students who haven’t dealt with bills before, this can sound like a pretty good deal, but it’s not.
The main issue here is that rent payments are fixed, whereas bills aren’t. That is, you will have to pay the same amount each month, be it January or July, even though bills typically go down during summer. Thus, paying bills separately is almost always cheaper.
8. Always Consider Multiple Options
Finally, the last tip we have for you is to never rush with your choice. Many students make the same mistake – they sign a deal for the first property that came to their landing and, as a result, they might be missing on some sweeter offers. If you don’t want to regret making a wrong choice, be sure to review more options before making your choice.
The Bottom Line
Being a student and living on a budget can be very draining and confusing, especially when it gets to such major expenses as housing. Every year, millions of students who are getting ready to enroll in college are terrified by the idea of paying thousands of dollars for rent. But, the good news is that there are always some options.
Now, after reading this article, you know about some of the most effective and yet simple tricks that will help you save on your housing expenses. Hopefully, each of you will find something here to suit your needs.
Salman is a prolific environmental writer, and has authored more than 500 articles in reputed journals, magazines and websites. He is proactively engaged in creating mass awareness on renewable energy, waste management, sustainability and conservation all over the world.
Salman can be reached on salman@cleantechloops.com
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