1. Set a budget
Before you start spending, get organized. Start by allotting yourself a limited amount of money for groceries, entertainment and other important costs. Once your money is gone for that week or month, it’s gone. That means having to say no when your roommate asks if you want to go the movies when your entertainment budget is shot.
 
Nick Herberger, author of The Freshman 40, a planning book for your first 40 days at college, stresses the importance of having a budget. “If you have a written budget, you’ll manage your money. If you don’t, your money will manage you,” he says.

If you overspend one week, figure out what went wrong and how you can manage better the next.

2. Buy your books online, not from your college’s bookstore
Shopping for used college books on Web sites like bn.com, half.com and amazon.com is like finding a new Coach handbag at a secondhand store for $25.

As long as the condition of the book is “like new” or better, you won’t even know the difference.

Just make sure you’re buying the right book. When you find out what books you need, take note of the edition and author. When you search for it online, type in all the information about the book. You don’t want to end up with the 1995 edition. Even better: Stop by your college bookstore a few weeks before classes start to check out what the cover looks like to eliminate any textbook discrepancies.
 
3. Use coupons and your student ID
Splurge on the Sunday paper for its coupons, or search for some online. Everything from toothpaste to crackers to clothes offers online coupons you can print out.

Even your favorite restaurants and stores give student discounts when you whip out your student ID. Places near colleges almost always give some sort of student discount. Some of them don’t even advertise it, so remember to ask, and don’t forget your ID!

4. Go home to do laundry
Save your quarters, and do your laundry at home instead of at a Laundromat. Don’t live close enough? Can’t find a new best friend with a free washer and dryer in their apartment? Then be smart about your laundry. Buy detergent on sale and in larger quantities. Consider using only the washing machine, then hang your clothes to dry. Wait to do a load until you can fill the machine to capacity. Just don’t leave your clothes unattended, or your favorite hoodie will be gone forever!
 
5. Take advantage of on-campus entertainment
“The college campus is alive 24/7,” says Herberger. “There is always something to do, always someone to hang with, and most of these things are free! This is the beauty of the college campus.” You could spend $15 on a movie ticket and popcorn…or you could bring a blanket down to the quad and watch a movie under the stars for free. Even more convincing are the free snacks colleges use to lure students. How can you go wrong?

6. Become a resident adviser
RAs get their room significantly discounted or for free. And it’s a great way to meet people and save money. But be prepared to work for the perks. RAs are expected to be available at all hours in case someone is locked out of their room or making too much noise, among a long list of other issues. If you’re not willing to answer your door at 3 a.m. to mediate a roommate argument, think twice about the job.