Frugal Living Tips for College Students

Ankita Kamat

Frugal living tips for college students will help you to stand out in your friend circle. College days are the best days of life, so inculcate some productive habits such as frugal habits. These habits will glitter your future.

Trust me, if you start to be thrifty today as a college student then in the future you will thank yourself for this decision. Even I started to adapt to frugal living in my school days. Now I’m in my early 20s. I’ve also enjoyed my college life just a few years ago. So I can understand and relate your college life situations.

College life is all about having fun without any tension, right? You may be thinking that why should you think about saving and frugal living in college days. Let me tell you that, if you want to live your life on your own terms and conditions then frugality will help you in this.

17 Powerful frugal living tips for college students to be rich in future

Wealth or success can not be created in one day. If today you complete your graduation then suddenly tomorrow morning you can’t be very successful and rich! You should plan for your bright future. From today if you be thrifty as a college student then this will help you to be smart with your money. Day-by-day you will learn the art of money management as a college-going student.

1. Know what happens when you go to college without having breakfast at home
2. Avoid impressing your college crush by gifting costly things!
3. Don’t always be a nice person in your college days
4. Ride bicycle as a college student
5. Make passive income as a student
6. As a student avoid expensive trips
7. Know which app you should use to save money on online shopping
8. Learn free skills from your college friends
9. Play mind games when you get bored without spending money
10. Start a small business with your friends to make money
11. Don’t bunk your classes as a college student
12. Know how to make money as a student
13. Know how to save money as a college student to sponsor your dream career
14. As a student, you don’t need credit cards
15. Use branded goods when you will accomplish financial freedom
16. As a college student don’t delay any payments
17. Live your life outside the screen

Frugal living tips for college students to create a delightful life

In college days we all have big dreams, career goals and all of us ultimately dream for success, right? So as a college student if you really want to be successful in terms of wealth then frugal living will help you in this.

I say- frugality is the path which you should choose now because somewhere this path of frugality is connected to the path of success. If you want a delightful future then think about being thrifty.

Frugal living may seem very boring to you as you are a very young and fun-loving college student. But trust me, frugal living will be fun if you understand frugality well. So start to be more resourceful from today. Take simple steps to thrifty without depriving yourself.

Frugal Living Tips for College Students

1. Know what happens when you go to college without having breakfast at home

Nowadays it’s very common that college-going students skip breakfast and rush to the classes. But do you know, by doing this you will be spending more money on outside food. Yes, when you are hungry, street food can easily tempt you. So saving money on food in student life is also a frugal habit.

From today decide to follow healthy and frugal habits. Wake up early and have a proper breakfast at home before leaving for a college. This is an extremely simple frugal step to save money by not eating outside food. I say- promise yourself that from today you won’t skip your breakfast at home.

Frugal food habits for college students

  1. Have a glass of fruit juice at home, not cold drinks outside
  2. Carry your water bottle instead of buying them
  3. Carry your lunch box instead of going to the canteen

2. Avoid impressing your college crush by gifting costly things!

Most of the love stories start at college campuses! Well, it’s good to get someone special in life. But don’t try to impress your college crush by gifting costly things. Costly gifts won’t help you to build a strong and long-lasting relationship with your girl or boy.

So figure out ideas to impress your crush without spending a lot of money on costly gifts. You can prepare handmade gifts for her or him. This is a practical frugal tip. Handmade gifts cost you very little and also helps to create a strong bond between you. This is how you should be frugal without being cheap.

Frugal Living Tips for College Students

3. Don’t always be a nice person in your college days

When I was a college student sometimes I used to say ‘no’ to friends. I said ‘no’ to some hangouts, trips and parties. So as a college student it’s not necessary to say ‘yes’ to every weekend plans where you will be spending more money to have fun.

Don’t be that nice person who says ‘yes’ every time when your friends ask for a party or treat. Learn to deny politely. As a young college student, you must learn to say ‘no’. This is the part of frugal living. So without regret, learn to say ‘no’ to your spending.

4. Make passive income as a student

Gen Z has so many online opportunities to make passive income. So instead of wasting time scrolling your cell phone, make some money online. I feel that frugal living is not only about saving money but also about saving money. As a student, if you make money then you can save more.

As a student, learn to manage your time well and in your spare time explore passive income ideas. Well, you are struggling to manage your time then read the book Eat That Frog. I’ve also read this book and this book is simple to understand with practical tips.

5. Ride a bicycle as a college student

Do you know how cool you will look on a bicycle ride. Yes, you will look cool. When I was going to college some of my classmates were coming to college on their bicycle. Well, my college was at a walkable distance from my home so I was going by walk.

As a college student if you are thinking to spend money on bike and car then it’s time to give a pause to your thoughts. As a college student, it’s not necessary to buy a bike or a car. And you will be spending more money on fuel daily.

So as a college student enjoy a bicycle ride without spending more money on transportation. Even you can use public transportation more to save money. Implement these simple frugal tips in your daily life.

Frugal Living Tips for College Students

6. As a student avoid expensive trips

I can understand that in college life we all feel like explore the world by traveling to different places. But as a college student now you are not earning enough money to bear your all expensive trips. So I advise you to postpone your all expensive travel plans.

I’m not saying you to avoid traveling completely. But after completion of your education, when you start to earn a handsome package go for trips and explore the world. For now, you can plan some frugal vacations which cost you less.

7. Know which app you should use to save money on online shopping

I’ve signed up for and opened my account on CashKaro. This is a mobile app that provides cashback on online shopping. Usually, I’ve seen that when we get cashback we get money in our e-wallet which we should use only for online shopping. But from this app, we can transfer our cashback to our bank account.

Through this app, one can shop from any big online sites like Amazon, Flipkart, Naayka and much more. There are 1500+ websites where you can make online shopping. Then you will earn cashback if you make payment via this app. This app is really useful for Indians to save money on online shopping.

8. Learn free skills from your college friends

We all are good at something like communication, computer operations, drawing, photography and much more. So in college days, you have time to learn new things. So utilize this precious time to learn and be productive. You don’t need to spend money and join any courses or classes. But you can learn things from your college friends also.

So if you can’t afford to pay for any extra classes to improve your skills then learn skills from your friends for free. For example, if your friend is good at communicating with people then take advice from your friend to improve your communication skills.

During my student life, I’ve learnt drawing and a little bit of painting from my friends for free. I’m sure your every friend has some skills and knowledge about something, so learn from your friends. Trust me, all these extra skills will help you one or the other way in your career. So learn to utilize all these free opportunities.

9. Play mind games when you get bored without spending money

When you get bored play mind games! What I mean is- play games that refresh your mind and sharpens your brain. As a college student, you don’t need to spend more money on entertainment to avoid boredom. Just play games like chess, colour cube or any other indoor games. Even I like to play chess and the colour cube. This is one of the best frugal living tips for college students to avoid boredom without making a hole in your pocket.

Frugal living tips for college students

This is me, playing a colour cube. Finally, I’m done with the blue colour! 🙂 I like playing such indoor games which refreshes the mind. Well, buying a colour cube is a good idea instead of spending a lot of money on entertainment.

10. Start a small business with your friends to make money

As I told that many love stories start in the college so in the same way, you can create business stories in college campus! You can make a small group of friends who are interested in business and have an innovative, creative mindset. You know when the great ideas hit the mind, it’s when you discuss casually with your friends and relatives.

So discuss more with your friends and figure out business ideas. Who knows, you may get a million-dollar idea. Well, who does not like to earn money before the completion of graduation, right? So give it a try. Start with a small. Take simple steps to be financially independent as a college student.

11. Don’t bunk your classes as a college student

I’ve observed that many college students bunk classes and have fun with friends. And they spend money to join tuition classes. This is like a purposeful money mistake! You have paid full fees to take admission to the college so it should be worth paying. So don’t bunk classes.

You can avoid joining extra tuition classes by paying the extra money if you attend and learn well in college. So learn to be resourceful and stop wasting your money. Instead, focus on building wealth as a college student.

12. Know how to make money as a student

Even teenage students have started to earn money through part-time jobs and internships. So remember someone you is younger to you is already making financial plans to secure the future. I don’t want you to stay behind in this matter. So figure out the ways to make money as a college student. Earning money is also a part of frugal living.

13. Know how to save money as a college student to sponsor your dream career

First I say- have a career goal and a dream in life. Then save money to sponsor your dream career. I know you may not get more pocket money from your parents to save. But whenever you get pocket money save some part of the money. You may think this will be a very small amount. But remember every single penny is valuable. So start to save money as a college-going student.

14. As a student, you don’t need credit cards

A credit card means extra spending and the burden of credit. So don’t use credit cards. Actually you don’t need credit cards as a college student. But even if you are using credit cards then be aware of your spending habits.

Keep the track of your spendings through credit cards. So if you are using a credit card then use it in the right way. It does not mean that you should spend money just because you are having a credit card.

15. Use branded goods when you will accomplish financial freedom

Some college going students always prefer branded things. Head to toe they prefer branded products like shoes, clothes, watch and also prefer imported costly products. So here think deeply, do you really need all this? As a student, you don’t need branded costly products.

When you start to earn money and accomplish financial freedom in your life then think about branded products. But now as a student, you are not expected to use all branded items.

16. As a college student don’t delay any payments

If you say that the word “fine” is not in your dictionary then I really appreciate it! As a college student, you are supposed to pay all the fees like admission fees, exam fees on time. If you delay this then you should pay extra fine. So never do such silly mistakes related to money.

And I’ve seen that some students borrow library books and misplace them. Due to this, they have to pay fines to the library. So don’t do such mistakes where you lose your money. Take care of all these things as a frugal student.

17. Live your life outside the screen

During college days you don’t need costly gadgets like costly smartphones, laptops, tab. So try to live a simple life. When I was in college I was not using costly gadgets like a smartphone and laptop. I was using a computer at my college or sometimes at the net center. So I feel that you don’t actually require such gadgets.

If at all you need a computer or laptop then you can buy a simple one instead of buying an extremely costly laptop. As a student list down the features which you expect in your computer or laptop. So buy the gadget within your budget and according to your requirements as a college-going student.

I say- avoid using screens for entertainment. By this, you can save money on entertainment. Live your life outside the screen without wasting your money.

Art of frugal living

I feel frugal living is the art of balancing. It’s all about balancing spending and saving. Don’t you think you will achieve all your financial goals if you learn the art of balancing your money? Yes, in my life also I’m learning this art of balancing money.

To be honest I’ve already achieved some of my financial goals in my early 20s. And when you understand the amazing benefits of frugal living then you will enjoy the journey of frugality as a college student. So start to learn the art of frugal living.

Thus, these are practical and simple frugal living tips for college students. In most cases, your future depends on how well you live during your college days. So be a frugal student and create a delightful future by reaching your all goals.

Ankita Kamat

I'm Ankita Kamat, the creator of Frugal Beat, a blog dedicated to frugal living. Join me in exploring practical ways to save money, reduce waste and live a purposeful life. Let's embrace frugality as a lifestyle together.