I'm a college student, and this is the end of my second year at college. I live in one of the on-campus dorms and conveniently am within a reasonable amount of walking distance to some stores and fast food places including Target, Shopko, Cashwise, Arbys.... The only issue I seem to have at school is the lack of money. I definitely don't want to partake in a job while attending school (props to those that do), because with the multiple classes I take and the multiple clubs I'm in (including being an officer in some), I don't have a lot of time left over for homework and just time to hang out with friends.
Last year, my first year at the university, I decided to start not only saving money, but also earning it. This was when I began couponing. My mother has used coupons for as long as I can remember. She didn't take it too seriously, just used them if she had them and if it was a product she often bought. I never really thought twice about it, but when you're running low on cash, you realize how even a 50 cent coupon can make a difference. I began printing coupons (oh the joy of having print credits at school that I usually don't fully use anyway) for things I knew I would need eventually. Cleaning supplies, food, makeup, beverages.... but I couldn't survive on couponing alone. Even the overage coupons couldn't stop the inevitable reduction of money in my pocket. It was then that I turned to money-making sites.
It started with survey websites. Pinecone, Synnovate, MyView, Opinion Outpost, Swagbucks etc.... It seemed to take forever, but once I started earning enough to redeem my points/$$ on those sites it made the time spent worth it. A few minutes each night, and I was starting to earn Amazon cash. I chose the Amazon redemption option for a reason--- Amazon Prime. As a college student you can get a free trial of Amazon Prime for, what I believe was, six months. For some items this can lead to free two day shipping, and still sometimes make the product cheaper than what you can get in stores or from other sellers on amazon with shipping price included. So if you have a college email address, I recommend taking them up on their trial offer.
This was all fine and dandy, but I needed money I could use at the nearby stores when I needed it. So I joined a new site called Jingit. It was just starting out, but I looked into it thoroughly to figure out if it was legit before joining. Through watching commercials I could earn up to $10 a week, so I was hooked immediately. I could easily watch their ads during commercials while I was watching a tv show. Why watch the ads on tv when I could be paid to watch the ones online? Now, the site is up and running again, and now I can (and have) earn $15 a week. The money is transferred to a debit card immediately once you click to transfer it, and is ready for use at stores that accept Visa debit cards. It has definitely become my favorite money earning site.
Overall, I must say I made this post to show that you CAN earn and save money at college. I hear so many of my fellow classmates complain about being broke, and yet they continue to shop without even considering saving money or finding quick ways to an extra income. I can't wait to see how much I save on school supplies before the next fall semester comes around with couponing and the money I earn on the various websites.
