You asked:

I had a lot of money saved at the beginning of the school year, but now my bank account is drying up. I have some holiday money, but that won’t last long. What can I do?

Budgeting your expenses in college can be hard to do, especially if you’re responsible for paying things like tuition, textbooks, cell phone service and food tabs, independently. Here are some creative ways to boost your budget and manage it wisely:

• Rent textbooks, or buy them used online . This is almost always cheaper than buying books from your school bookstore. Spend some time researching your book list on the Internet for cheaper options.

• Sell your junk. Begin with your old textbooks: Offer them to a friend taking the class, or sell them on one of the websites you found when searching for used books to buy. If you have electronics, workout equipment, books, jewelry or anything you don’t use any more, try selling it on eBay or Amazon. Setting up accounts with these websites is free. Spend some time getting used to the site, and then set up your page to sell your items.

• Cash in on your closet. Sort through your clothes and take good-quality items you no longer wear to a consignment store, which will give you a percentage of what they earn on the sale of your clothes. You might not make much, but every little bit counts, right?

• Track your spending by keeping a record book. Write down everything you spend money on and check it at the end of the week. You might be surprised to find that you spend way too much money on eating out or shopping. Use this knowledge to help curb your expenditures.

• Use coupons and follow sales when buying groceries. When you buy an item on sale and have a coupon for it, you’ll get it at a greatly reduced rate -- sometimes even for free!

• Get a job. This probably isn’t what you want to hear, but if you need money, earn it. Check out on-campus jobs through your school, help-wanted ads in the newspaper, and look around town for places that have “We’re Hiring!” signs posted. Also, check out sales companies like Vector and Mary Kay, which allow you to work when you want to and still earn a decent chunk of change.

Name: Sarah Arsenoff
School: UNC Wilmington
Year: Senior
Major: Marine Biology
Her Deal: This is Sarah's third year as an R.A. for freshmen and international students. She writes for Periplus, a university newsletter for students who, like her, are in the honors scholars program.

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