Grad School on a Budget Part 2

In part one I covered every conceivable way to get free or cheap food, now in part two, we'll tackle the rest of the grad school equation.

Student Discounts
You're paying damn good money for that ID--use it to get discounts.  You can get student discounts at museums, stores, restaurants, movies and any number of other establishments as well as public transportation.  If you haven't been a student for a while, you've probably forgotten how handy that little card is.  If you don't know if a place offers a discount for students, ask.  When I was a sheepish undergrad trying to be cool, I never asked for discounts.  Once I was a frazzled grad student,  I asked for discounts from every person I gave money to (practically), and found discounts in unexpected places.  The worst that can happen is that they say no.  I found out that my local movie theatre has a student discount as does J. Crew (not that I can afford J. Crew even with a discount, but a friend just bought her first interview suit there and got 15% off). Always always always ask.

If you have a large cultural venue in your town, you may also be able to get last minute student rush tickets. Right before a big concert/performance, you go up to the ticket booth and ask to purchase student rush tickets for half price.  Since it's right before the show, the venue is happy to sell them for less rather than not at all.  The downside is that if the event sells out, you're out of luck.  I saw The Nutcracker two years ago for $12, and it was awesome.  Make sure the venue offers this option before trying it out, and they may not do it for all performances.

It's gotten to the point that now, two years after grad school, I'm still breaking myself of the 'asking for a student discount' habit.  I was at a museum recently, and the man asked if I was a student.  I say "no." and then couldn't think of what a non-student is called, so I finished with "I am a regular."  He gave me a funny look, so I just said, "I'm a grown-up."

Stick with Students

The hardest thing about staying frugal in grad school is when you're socializing with people who have real jobs and incomes.  Some of your friends may not have to budget as strictly as you, and therefore don't understand your financial limitations, or even the demands that grad school makes on your time.  I'm not saying jettison your friends, but it's important to come to terms right away with the fact that some of your relationships may change.  See my earlier post about socializing on the cheap, and keep in mind that it's ok to say no when your fancy friends want to go out for a fancy meal.  To keep the friendships up, make sure to be honest about your circumstances, and suggest other, more frugal social options like pot-lucks, museums, picnics, etc.

Carpooling and Public Transit
College and University campuses are always on a bus line--why not take advantage of that? Your student ID probably gets you cheap or free bus fare and you can study while you ride.  With gas prices these days, it just makes sense to use public transit every chance you get, and I find that the somewhat erratic bus/class scheduling can actually be conducive to getting work done.  Rather than rush home right after class, you can strand yourself in a quiet work space free from distraction.  If public transit doesn't work, try to arrange carpooling with classmates, sharing driving duties will certainly save on gas, and you may also be able to split the cost of a parking permit.

Books
To be honest, I rarely bought books for grad school.  My first masters was a writing program, so we didn't really need books, and my second masters, I learned right quickly that doing the reading was a waste of time.  Everyone already knows to buy used books if possible, check the library for an older edition that may work just as well or share books with a friend.  I'd also advise that you maybe wait a bit to see if you actually need the book at all.  Some professors in some disciplines absolutely require you to get the book, others don't care.  Obviously, doing well in grad school is much more important than saving money, but don't think you're a bad student if you skip spending $50 for something you'll never use.  Of course, if you do buy books, sell them back through Amazon.com or bn.com.

Keep Frugality in Mind
This one sounds like a no-brainer, but it's very, very easy to get caught up in grad school and let your frugal ways slip.  If this happens, don't beat yourself up because academic success is more important than saving a dollar, but just try to keep frugal habits at the back of your mind and keep yourself in check.  Most likely you will be taxing your brain and working harder than you ever thought possible all while seated at a desk, and you will need some kind of release--something to look forward to.  Set up a system of rewards that don't break the bank, and give them to yourself when you feel like you're going to crack, or like you just need a little boost.  My boost was a 32 ounce iced coffee with cream and sugar from Dunkin Donuts that I would drink on my walk to class.  It was a reward for walking instead of driving, and perked me right up so I could learn more.  Plus, it only cost $2.43.

If anyone has any other ideas, tips or tricks, please leave them in the comments--I know I can't possibly have covered everything.

Grad School on a Budget Part 1

A friend who is going to grad school in the fall asked me if I have any tips for living frugally as a grad student.  Since being a grad student was how I spent much of the last few years, all these ideas started percolating to the top of my head.  You can't really control the cost of tuition or books (unless you skip buying books), but there are a few other aspects of your life where you can reign it in.  Here are a few of the most do-able and (hopefully) helpful ideas that I could come up with.


Happy Hours
It's kind of a no-brainer to seek out happy hours whatever age you are, but it's even easier on a student schedule.  Keeping odd hours means that you have more flexibility to attend more happy hours, and it's a good (cheaper) way to keep up with your job-having friends.  Do a bit of sleuthing and see what's out there.  Some places have late-night happy hours as well, if getting blotto at 6pm isn't conducive to studying.  There's no point in paying full price for socializing if you can find a legitimate way to get a discount.  Make and keep a list of your favorite happy hour haunts and float it to your friends.

Scavenging
I'm not talking about dumpster diving, but if you're in a free food situation, find a way to take some of that home with you.  A friend of mine used to carry around tupperware and would load up on any free food she ever came across.  That's the extreme end of the spectrum, but if you are ever in a situation where it's suggested that you take food home--do it.  Just make sure you eat it.  One of my jobs in grad school was at a fancy private library that hosted a lot of functions.  I never had to bring lunch.  Yes, sometimes my lunch would be chips and an ice cream sandwich, but it was free, so who cares.

Snacks
Grad students keep odd hours, and are often traveling from class to work to the library to social events.  I can't even count the number of times when I've realized that I'm going to be out of the house for 12-14 hours and haven't even thought about what/when I'm going to eat.  If you have to eat on the go, you'll probably have to rely on fast or convenience foods which can really get expensive after a while and aren't particularly good for you.  Instead of doing that, spend a little time and effort and plan ahead.

If you have a job stash some healthy snacks there, so you'll always know you have something.  My go-to is instant oatmeal in the single serve packs.  I keep a box at work, and a packet in my purse at all times.  I can't count the number of times I've arrived at work, realized I've forgotten my lunch, and had to rely on that oatmeal.  It's filling, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper than going out to get something.

In your backpack, always keep a variety of snacks.  Buy or make granola bars, carry apples or oranges (handy, portable and healthy), buy dried fruit snacks, buy or make trail mix, carry around goldfish crackers--anything you like.  Then, when you realize that you've been holed up in the library for ten hours and haven't eaten, you don't have to go to the vending machine or cafe.  You have to carry a backpack anyway, might as well put food in it.  A couple I went to grad school with always had a snack bag.  It was just a giant freezer bag with a variety of snacks in it, and they never had to go to the vending machine.

This is just good advice for everyone, not just grad students.  Never get caught without food.  Life is unpredictable, and you never know when you're going to need a snack.  Presently, at Job #1 I have a box of single-serving oatmeal, some figs and an odwalla bar.  At Job #2, I have a bag of trader joes peanut-butter filled pretzels, an apple and some goldfish grahams.  In my car, I have granola bars.  In my purse, I have oatmeal and dried fruit snacks.

Of course, carry a water bottle with you as well.

Food in General
Food is the biggest part of most people's budget, but one that can be greatly reduced with a little pre-planning.  Much like making sure you always have a snack, when you're a grad student, make sure you always have something ready to go.  Pick a day in the week when you can do the bulk of your cooking and have plenty of frozen meals on hand.  Even if you've eaten a couple snacks while in the library, you will most likely come home starving (learning takes a lot of energy), and that is a recipe for pizza ordering.  If you take a little time, say on a Sunday, to figure out how many meals you'll be eating at home, and pre-make whatever you can.  This could be anything from making a pot of soup and freezing individual portions, to pre-cutting veggies to making sure you have bread for sandwiches.

If we're being completely honest, while I was in grad school, I ate a lot of frozen pizza and boxed pastas.  They weren't very good for me, but they were quick and easy, and cheaper than going out.  If you want to be healthy, pre-make yourself some pizza and freeze it; make some pasta sauce ahead of time so you just have to heat it up and cook the noodles.  Your shortcuts will be based on what you eat, but always be thinking in terms of planning ahead.  It's a bit tedious at first, but becomes second nature quickly.  Plus, it's nice to focus on something besides school sometimes.

Stay tuned for Grad School on a Budget Part 2...