by Pat Merewether

Created on: September 27, 2008   Last Updated: November 10, 2008

The words "financially struggling'" and "student" are fairly common words to see together. Here are some tips to help you struggle less. Here are some tips to help you avoid financial difficulties.

1, Make a list of your monthly expenses and another list of your sources of income from family, scholarships, loans or part time jobs. Don't include selling your blood plasma as this is not a good thing to do on a regular basis.

2, Next high-light your life-or-death expenses: Tuition, food, electricity, heat, books, etc. Subtract these from your income and you have a picture of what your needs are. The wants' come later.

3. Go through your want/need' list and trim off as much as you can. Consider eating more beans and rice (or the obligatory Ramen Noodles) at home and less take-out and fast foods.

4. Do an eco-check on your dorm or apartment. If you pay your own utilities and have drafty old wooden windows, add some plastic sheeting. Checkout the local thrift shop and buy heavy drapes to keep your heat inside.

If you have an empty room, turn off the grate, close the door and wedge a towel or blanket across the bottom. Make sure no room-mates are inside. No need to pay heat or electricity for a room you won't use.

Bake an oven load of food on the very coldest days. Roast a chicken, bake potatoes or fresh bread (frozen dough works well and is relatively inexpensive). Invite your friends for a feast and have the comfort of the oven heat as a backup to your wheezing heater. Try to fix that drippy faucet or constantly running toilet - or ask the super to get them fixed.

5. Think about changing your coffee habits. You can blow $10 a day on only two cups of double-mocha-half-caf-latte with minty sprinkles. So, stop it! Or at least cut back on the number of cups. Invest in a coffee maker and a take-along mug. Again, excellent coffee pots are cheap and plentiful at the Goodwill. This can save ten dollars a week or forty dollars a month. Better yet, switch to your herbal tea and do your body and mind a favor at the same time as you pump up your budget. If you feel you need caffeine, green tea is filled with the stuff.

6. Make ahead meals. Mix up a big batch of salmon or tuna salad; chop up a celery stalk, 1/2 a small apple, half a small sweet onion, and chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and pepper and maybe toss in a few seedless grapes. Add two tablespoon of Miracle Whip. Nothing helps you avoid ordering a pizza like having food prepared and waiting for you when you get home from

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