Balling On A Budget: How To Finesse On A College Budget

Spending money at UCLA can add up, especially living in Westwood where there are so many fun things to do. Here's how to save on a college budget at UCLA!

As the summer after graduation comes to a melancholic stop, the number in your bank account suddenly seems a lot…smaller. From grabbing a bite to eat to miscellaneous Venmo-ing: the sad reality is that your graduation money is disappearing faster than $5 foundation without setting spray. Learning to live on a college budget is crucial!

This realization has pushed you to find a way around this dollar dilemma; it’s hard to be a poor girl in a material world, especially around Westwood. Here to help a girl (or guy) out, is a compiled list of tactics, websites, and rules of thumb to save your bank while you’re gaining a college education to make bank.

1. Choose Where to Eat Wisely

LA has a lot of good food in general but why waste money on an Uber when there’s Westwood right there? With an Inn-N-Out, Fat Sal’s Deli, and Pieology right there, you’ll be able to grab food without the cost of transportation.

2. Find a Job On-Campus

The UCLA Career Center has a lot of resources: seek and you shall find. From working at Ackerman to becoming a student tutor, find a job that fits your skill-set and schedule. A plus to on-campus employers is that they understand that you are a college student and will understand the struggle of class, exams, and last minute events. Here’s the link.

3. Sell or Donate Unused Clothes

While this may result in some disappointing turn-out in terms of cash, selling your old, fashionable clothes to places such as Uptown Cheapskate or Buffalo Exchange can result in some cash. Donating clothes doesn’t yield as much but can result in tax reimbursements.

4. Unpaid Internships can lead to Paid Internships

Unpaid internships, that may include monotonous tasks, can give you experience and job connections that will eventually allow you to climb the ladder to obtain better-paying opportunities. Don’t disregard resumé builders just because they don’t have the payoff you expect. Working in an undergraduate lab or running errands for a corporation looks better than any part-time barista job. So take a chance with things that don’t result in money right away.

5. Check Facebook Groups for Textbooks and Other Items

Once you join a Facebook group like this one, you can find anything from textbooks to iClickers, to clothes and furniture. Balling on a budget is all about making sure you aren’t spending bank on temporary items. It may be tempting to spend on pretty things, but you aren’t going to keep the couch from college forever right?

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6. Buy Student Merch from Anywhere BUT the Student Store

Just go to sales. Don’t spend roughly $60 for that really cute UCLA Spirit Jersey even though I know you want to. Wait for 20% off, or just look on Amazon or nearby local underground stores. And if you can fit them, buy kids’ sizes #noshame.

7. Always Choose Diddy Rheise Cookies

This is a no-brainer; if you’re paying more than 50 cents for a cookie while at UCLA, you’re doing it wrong.

We may all be sinking in the same financial crisis-ridden boat, but at least we can sink fashionably; and if you resist the urge to buy Rihanna’s entire Fenty Beauty collection or that expensive sweatshirt, maybe you won’t be sinking at all.