As a college student, hanging on to the end of the financial rope comes with the territory. To help tighten the grip, Campus Throne has put together a list of various ways to help manage your money better.

BANKING

Something often overlooked is your banking ability. Learn to keep track of all your transactions, withdraws, and bills. Checking regularly online will help you avoid the costly fees of overdrawing your account on a Friday night.

CREDIT CARDS

Most are right when they say avoid having multiple credit cards in college. Credit is a dangerous thing. Your best bet is to open up one card with the lowest monthly fee available. A new card with a small credit line will help keep the charging to emergencies only, as well as establish a credit score. Developing a credit score is important to college students now considering the financial strain our economy will suffer for the next several years.

GROCERY SHOPPING

Food spending is something most students could improve on. Choose groceries over the fast food meals. Use common sense at the grocery store. Grab the items that will make the most meals. Use tap water over bottled water or Gatorade. Make your own coffee in the morning instead of buying from a shop. Buy groceries at a cheap store like Wal-Mart or one that offers gas points like Kroger.

DRINKING

There are several ways to cut back on drinking spending without actually having to cut back on drinking. Learn where all the beer and happy hour specials are at the bars on your campus, they all have them. Pre-game hard before you go out whether you’re a lightweight or a tank it will help. You can always switch to cheaper beer if you absolutely have to (Natural, PBR, High Life). If you really want to be creative, give making your own alcoholic beverage a shot. A strong wine is fairly cheap and simple to make.

TEXTBOOKS

Never buy textbooks from a bookstore. Buy the cheapest used ones you can find online and sell them back on the same website when you are finished with them. Do not buy books for a class you will not need them for.

Most students already know they will be spending heavily on food, beer, and books throughout the school year. These suggestions will help cut corners on costs in all three categories. You can then afford to drink with your friends and eat another day.

What is one of the biggest recurring pains in your wallet at the beginning of every semester? Answer: Absurdly inflated textbook prices. A simple visit to any college bookstore will reveal that textbook prices are completely out of control. It is truly saddening to walk around campus and even hear upperclassmen complaining about how they just spent $500 on books. A major percentage of college students have yet to learn the tricks of the trade. There are several alternate approaches one can take to keep book spending to a minimum.

Many students will skip buying a book, whether they need it or not, if it is too expensive.  Just a little more effort will make this approach more logical. For starters, attend class for the first few weeks and see if you will need the book. Often professors provide adequate notes in class or online that effectively prepares you for solid exam grades. I will never live down buying a $150 textbook for my first finance class and never needing to open it. If you are lucky this method will work for about 50% of your courses.

For the classes where there is no way around it (typically your major courses), online shopping is where you will be buying your books. Campus Throne has ranked the Top 5 websites for textbook purchasing based on low prices and high availability.

#1 Amazon.com (Hands down has best selection of new and used textbooks out there.)

#2 All Book Stores.com (A very handy site that compares prices of hundreds of bookstores in its database.)

#3 E-Bay (What it lacks in selection is made up for by its offering of international versions of textbooks that contain identical contact for a third of the price.)

#4 Chegg (Allows you to rent textbooks online rather than purchase them at a small, flat rate.)

If for one reason or another the book cannot be found online, it would never hurt to be creative. For example, many college websites have some type of student book exchange for students to advertise to each other. Check the campus library for copies. Never hesitate to sell old books you still have to underclassmen seen in line at bookstores. In this scenario both parties benefit, because if there is one thing worse than the selling price, it is the buyback price.

While making a stop at the ATM in between bars to take out another twenty for the night, your screen flashes the words…insufficient funds.

Any college guy that embraces the social party scene more days of the week than not has run into this problem. The grind to scrape by on a heavy liquid diet becomes especially challenging towards the end of the school year, hence the purpose of the summer job. With year-round spending on shots, double cheeseburgers, and the occasional impulse move, money can easily become a scarcity. There are several easy ways to keep some change in the bank, while not having to cut back on the full college experience.

ALLOCATE SUMMER PAYCHECKS CORRECTLY

First, set a fixed percentage of every paycheck that will go to your savings account for school spending, and actually stick to it. Two-thirds of every paycheck should go directly to a savings account. Avoid spending summer dollars on expensive vacations and clubbing with large cover charges. There are plenty of cheaper alternatives that still involve getting shitty with old high-school girlfriends.

CHEAPER METHODS FOR SUMMER FUN

Camping: Whether you take a weekend with your boys or take a group of girls cabrewing (Drinking + Canoeing to the lay person), a little quality time with mother nature is a great alternative to a night at the club. All it will cost you is a few cases of beer, some cheap grill food, and a box of condoms.

LOWER BAR EXPENSES

We all remember an embarrassing night…or two of spending $100+ at a bar. If you are going to follow any bar rule, be it this- Leave your credit card at home. An open bar tab will always end in an outrageous bill for you and free drinks for all of your friends. Having a fixed amount of available cash for the evening will prohibit you from going over budget. Also, you will waste even more time and money if you think about heading out for a night at the bars without a pre-game. Splitting a case of beer or a box of wine beforehand will help keep your drink and ultimately your dollar count down at the bar. Play it smart on this one, bars are the most deadly poison to a college guy’s wallet. Be sure to spend on bar drinks, not bar food. Learning how to grocery shop is the only way to save money on food, especially when you are craving the drunken 2am snack.

FIND THE RIGHT SUMMER JOB

Like many of us, if you are struggling to find that summer job, there are several simple yet lucrative places to look. Caddying, valeting, restaurant service, and interning within your major are your best payoffs.

SOME EXTRA TIPS TO $AVE MORE

Another additional tip to saving money could be eliminating your consumption of bottled water. Purchase a permanent bottle or thermos to refill. You will cut costs dramatically while helping the environment at the same time. On top of that, if your out just having lunch with your friends, order a water instead of a soft drink. The cumulative savings of doing this over several meals will astound you. Finally, one last tip…Pack your own lunch! Put your money towards buying whole sale foods purchased for less in which you can spread out over a longer period of time. This will surely cut down the costs of a 10 dollar lunch each day.

A little responsible summer saving can go a long way in college financing.