Are you a student?  Or, do you have a child or family member that is a student?  Well congratulations to all of the above, because being a student of higher education is something to take pride in and something that can take you further in life.  It is, however, expensive to be a student sometimes. If you are looking for tips on saving money as a student for yourself or for someone else, here are 5 ways to save money as a student that you can implement now.

1. Sign up for Amazon Prime Student.  If you already pay for an Amazon Prime membership, you might consider switching it out to an Amazon Prime Student membership.  You get 6 months free, you get it at half price AND you currently get $10 off of your first order!
2. Rent your textbooks.  Textbooks are a massive expense when you are in school.  Check out your school library, or textbook rental sites to try and rent your books instead of paying hundreds of dollars for them.
3. Apply for grants/scholarships.  You will be quite surprised by how many grants and/or scholarships are out there and available for all ages/races/classes of people.  This is FREE money, my friends!
4. Walk.  This is especially true if you live on campus or in a metropolitan area.  Cars are expensive. Between gas, insurance, and upkeep, you can easily be into hundreds of dollars each month and this isn’t even including a car payment.
5. Shop at places that offer student discounts. There are a large number of retailers that offer discounts to students, so be sure to look for these places before you do your shopping.  Every little discount helps.

Are you a student?  What ways have you found to save money?

Many of us struggle to save money at some point in our life, some of us struggle our whole lives with this.  We are here now though and trying to fix it, no reason to beat yourself up. The trick is, to change the cycle now and put yourself in a different position.  If you are busy trying to figure out why you are struggling to save money, here are 5 reasons why it may be happening.

1. Low Willpower.  We have all struggled with willpower to some degree.  Be it a diet, or one too many Netflix marathons, or, yes, spending too much money.
2. No written budget.  A written or computer or app budget will make a massive, massive difference in your ability to save money.  Knowing exactly where your money is going is key to being able to control your spending.
3. Present bias.   Present bias is described as placing the importance of an immediate reward over a future reward. For example, imagine that you have found with an unexpected $5,000 that can be used toward a down payment on a home or as a healthy deposit in your savings for the future, but you choose to spend it on a vacation because that sounds like more fun right now.  Sound familiar?
4. Keeping up with the Jones’.  I get it. It’s hard to watch all of those around you get nice things while you are working your tail off still driving the same old car.  I understand that it is frustrating. Just remember though, that all of those fancy new things cost money. Money that can serve you better being saved for your future.  What would you rather have? A nice car with a huge car payment for the next 5 years? Or would you rather use that money to pay off your mortgage 5 years (or more) sooner?
5. Not enough income.  Okay, this one isn’t exactly true, because you can almost always save money, however, it is easier to save it if you aren’t stretched thin with your income.  Consider taking up a second job or starting a new side hustle. This will help you pay off any debts that you have and get a jump start your savings.

Did you know that most of the things you buy go through changes in price cycles? It’s true.  We have already discussed some of the best and worst things to buy during the month of September, but did you know that there are quite a few things that simply cost less during the fall season?  Yep. Now that I have your attention, let’s talk about what those things are.

Here are 7 things that cost less in the fall that you should head out and shop for now to save:

1. New cars.  Weird, but true.  New cars do cost less in the fall.  Why? Well, this is because new models are getting ready to arrive at dealerships and they need to make room!
2. Appliances.  Appliances are going to cost less right now because new appliance models tend to hit the stores near the end of October to the early part of November.
3. Bicycles.  New models have recently come out and stores are looking to get rid of their stock.  You will find bikes for as much as 30% off buying last year’s model.
4. Houses.  I have the Zillow App on my phone because of my recent house search and I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that I get at least 10 notifications each day about prices dropping on homes.  That’s because Summer is the hot season for home buying and realtors recognize that. To keep the market moving, they will start dropping prices in the fall.
5. Lawnmowers.  The nice weather is quickly on its way out, and retailers know that people do not want to focus on yard work when it’s rainy and/or cold outside.  That’s why now is the best time to buy a new lawn mower because retailers do not want to store them throughout the winter.
6. BBQs and Outdoor Grills.  Again, Summer is over. Retailers want to clear out summertime stock, not store it for the months ahead.
7. Cookware.  The holidays are just around the corner and for many that means it’s time to get your bake on, which also means that all of those pre-holiday sales will start to happen and we can score seriously deep discounts on cookware.