Things First Time Homebuyers Need To Know

The best deals when buying a home are often given to first home buyer. That is because there are so many different programs and incentives that are giving to help first time buyers realize their home ownership dreams. You will find that you are in line for a lot of monetary perks when making your … Read more

How to Stay Out of Debt When in School

“Home life ceases to be free and beautiful as soon as it is founded on borrowing and debt,” claimed the great playwright Henrik Ibsen. Truer words have never been spoken. The surest way to add more stress to your college days is to get yourself into debt.

Being a student means making sacrifices. While frequenting the local bars or traveling to exotic destinations for spring break may sound like fun, this is not the time to go into debt in order to maintain a luxury-laden life. By managing your funds in school you will be well prepared to take care of yourself after you graduate and well on your way to enjoying the finer things in life.

1. Explore Grants and Scholarships

Always look for any and all free ways to pay for your education and avoid student loans. Student loans are alluring, but remember that loans are not just a way of securing extra money – they must be paid back. Instead, explore the countless private and federal scholarships that target people with all sorts of backgrounds, degree paths (which often even include courses offered through online universities), ethnicities, income levels, etc. In addition, government grants are very generous these days and most students from low income households will qualify for a grant.

2. Buy Groceries/Plan Meals

A student’s life seems to never slow down, making it easy to fall into a fast food lifestyle. However eating out all the time quickly adds up and the term, “freshman fifteen” comes from the weight gain student’s often experience when all of their meals consist of processed foods.

Luckily, both of these dilemmas can be avoided by planning meals and going on weekly shopping trips. Commit to making this a habit while at school. Of course, this takes some preparation. Think of this experience as another lesson; a lesson in life skills. Plan each week’s meals and then shop accordingly, and don’t forget to take advantage of any coupons or student discounts that might be available to you. The average fast food bill for one person is $15 these days. Yet for $30, you might be able enough groceries to last you more than a week.

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