5 Money Hacks For College Students (That Won’t Bore You To Death)

Let’s face it: Fiscal responsibility is usually pretty boring. As much as your parents tell you to do it, saving for retirement with money from an internship or a part-time job just seems ridiculous.

However, financial health and well-managed spending can lead to some pretty amazing stuff. Expensive getaways on break? Weekends at a rented house? Nice headphones or a great speaker? Better clothes?

These things are actually affordable for normal people (even college students) once you get your house in order. And, no, you don’t have to bore yourself to sleep while you’re doing it. We promise: You won’t be sitting in front of a spreadsheet making a monthly spending report.

1. Get A Side Hustle (It’s Really Easy)

Side hustles are a real thing for normal people. If you don’t have the time or desire for an internship, you can still boost your resume and increase your net worth with a side hustle. Whether it’s tutoring, delivering, dog sitting, or something else entirely, there are plenty of new, hyper-flexible jobs available in the app-driven economy.

Here are four of our favorite side hustles for your wallet (and your resume).

2. Get Free Money With Apps

Certain things are no-brainers. However, when it comes to money and your personal data, a lot of deals can seem too good to be true. That’s why when it comes to money-saving, discount-getting, and other thrifty apps like that, you have to go with trusted sources.

Luckily, we’ve already vetted the best apps for you. Certain apps might work better for you depending on your personal shopping/spending habits.

Honey is a plugin that gets you discount codes and coupons, and finds the best prices for you while online shopping. This one’s especially helpful for the Amazon addicts among us.

Paribus plugs into your email and scans your online receipts. Afterward, it takes advantage of price drop guarantees and other store policies to advocate for money back on your behalf. Basically, they do all the work and you pocket the returns.

Depending on your style, different apps work better for different people. Just do a little digging online before you give them access to your email.

3. Buy Or Rent Cheaper Textbooks

This might be a boring solution for money saving, but it can save you hundreds of dollars and realistically should take you less than an hour of online shopping.

We’ve put together a full guide on how to secure the cheapest textbooks, but basically it comes to using online tools, buying (preferably renting) used, and finding the free ones online (which most of us do anyway).

4. Cancel Unused Subscriptions (Or Use Someone Else’s)

Unless you’re an absolute media monster, you probably don’t need Hulu, HBO, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. There are a few solutions here:

Your parents may be willing to pay for one or more of these.

Your school might already be paying for these things for students who live on-campus, so check online. Even if you’re not in university housing, you can probably borrow a friend’s login.

Cancel the ones you don’t need—and really think about it. Game of Thrones only comes out once a year (if we’re lucky), so do you really need an HBO account? Netflix is a little better for movies than it is for TV, and Hulu has tons of binge-able shows, so maybe decide which you like better and axe the others.

This isn’t just for media either. Use apps like Truebill or Trim to manage subscriptions (they also give other money advice).

5. Get A Paid Internship (That You Actually Like)

The good thing about an internship during the school semester is: You don’t have to have one. That means you can be somewhat choosy about securing your gig. Find one that is paid. Find one in an industry that interests you. And most importantly, find one at a company that seems like a good place to work.

A paid, part-time internship is a great way to meet new people, network, set yourself up for the job market, and make great money. Not sure how to get one near you? Start your search right here on WayUp.

See? We promised. Not a single snooze-fest on this list.