By Harley Ryan
- Textbooks
Bookstore or online? The best option for you when making this decision is definitely purchasing your books online. You will more than likely have to pay full price at the bookstore, which can add up. The top two textbooks websites are chegg.com and half.com.
One more thing, know what classes your friends are taking because you may be able to borrow their book if you are planning to the take the same class the next semester.
- Food
Most of you will be living in dorms so it will be hard to cook decent meals that don’t involve the microwave. You will find yourself going out to eat a lot and we all know that is expensive. Shenandoah University offers different meal plans for students that can be used in their dining hall and food court. I would like to mention that there is a super cheap grocery outlet less than five minutes away (here are directions) from the university called Sharp Shopper; they receive their products from closeout sales so they are able to sell their products for low prices. Check out my article Sharp Shopper: Fill Your Stomach for Less, to learn more about this grocery outlet.
- Transportation
Unlike most colleges, freshmen are allowed to have cars on campus, which can be costly because gas isn’t cheap! Instead of driving, you could always try walking, ride a bicycle, or skateboard to where you want to you go. There are plenty of places around campus that can be accessed by these alternatives. It doesn’t hurt that these alternatives are great forms of exercise as well.
Another option you could choose is using Winchester’s public transit. Winchester has a trolley and bus that make various stops throughout the city. It is only a dollar to ride the bus and trolley. See the trolley and bus route if you are interested in using Winchester’s public transit.
- Student ID
You should have your student ID on you at all times because you never know when it will come in handy. Multiple businesses around Winchester will offer students discounts if they show their ID at the time of purchase. See Tyler’s article to see exactly all the places you can receive a discount. The university has provided a list as well.
- Being A Student in General
As I stated above, local businesses in Winchester offer discounts to students, but major companies offer discounts to students as well. The Simple Dollar website has a list of about 60 companies that will offer student discounts.
- Recycle
Photo Courtesy of Buzzfeed
Don’t throw anything away! You would be surprised to know that most things you throw away can be repurposed into fun and useful items to have in your dorm or apartment. Buzzfeed has a great article for these kinds of DIY projects.
- Shopping
Photo Courtesy of http://www.allthingstarget.com
There are a couple different ways to save your money. First, always head back to the clearance rack, most of the time you can find great deals there. Second, we have a TJ Maxx, Ross, and a Gabriel Brothers in town where you can get designer brands for a steal. Third, try checking out the swap shop that is on campus. Fourth, there are quite a few consignment shops around Winchester that will help you save while shopping and if you have clothes that you want to get rid of some shops will pay you for unwanted clothes.
- Entertainment
There is no need to go off campus to find entertainment. The university has several events happening every week that are free for students. All you need to do is look at the email you get everyday from the Sun-E to see the list of events. This is a great way to meet people and hopefully make new friends.
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