Tips on Cutting Costs

1. Buy store brands, in the US and the UK Stop and Shop's Cornflakes is just as good as Kellogg's. In Switzerland, Migros and Coop are the top two supermarkets.


2. Walk to school if possible, especially when the weather is OK.


3. Go to discount shops. You'll be surprised with what you can get for much less.


4. Cook and eat at home.


5. If you live in the US, most supermarkets have a "newsletter" of discounts for the week. Make sure you check it out.


6. If you love vintage clothes, you'll love the US's Salvation Army. In the UK, try the Music and Video Exchange in Notting Hill Gate.


7. Look for a research seminar, talk, or a department social in any of the other fields or departments (including your own) in your university. There is bound to be free pizza and soda around.


8. Join a Price Club. In the US, there's Costco's. Split supplies with friends if you have limited storage space.


9. For clothes, if you really want something but don't really need it, wait until the end of the season. The price is bound to go down.


10. Don’t go to all the stores that say "Sale." It's often a veiled invitation from the devil to buy something that you don't need.


11. Bring baon to school for lunch. You will start a trend that the locals will appreciate.


12. Forget subscribing to the daily paper. Look up the news online


13. Don't buy inessential things like perfume, clothes, etc. Just buy them when you go home. (Perfume is cheaper in the Duty Free stores).


14. Buy used books from the University bookstore.


15. Professor's reading lists are usually provided to bookstores weeks before the opening of classes. This allows you to a) borrow the relevant textbooks from the library ahead of everyone else and keep it for the rest of the semester b) shop around for the best price.


16. You don't have to have the university seal in all your notebooks. Check out other school and offices supplies stores other than the ones in your university. Outside stores are more reasonably priced.


17. Apply for a credit card that will give you frequent flyer miles every time you use it. If you want to get a lot of miles, charge your tuition fee on the credit card. Make sure, however, that you pay for the amount in full when the bill comes. The interest rates of credit cards are frightening.


18. If you like to eat a lot, go to restaurants where the food is served buffet style. You can eat all you can for a reasonable price.


19. Walk if possible. It's good exercise.


20. Sign up for Student Discount Clubs.


21. ALWAYS bring you student ID with you. You can get into museums, clubs, theaters at a discount.


22. You don't have to buy a computer (and a printer)! If you live near your campus, you can take advantage of the free access to computers that your school offers.


23. For making long distance calls, make your calls thru pre-paid phone cards. The rates for these pre-paid calling cards are usually cheaper than what the phone company would charge you. Try checking with your nearby Filipino/ Oriental store or in the internet where online-prepaid cards abound.


24. Consider renting a room with a family near the University instead of getting your own apartment or staying in a dorm. The University usually has a listing of available housing opportunities.