Ah the joy of drinking lots of booze and being care free. Then there’s disaster of trying to cure a hangover the next day while that term assignment lingers in the back of your mind. The life of a college student. As summer break/ the thought of no more schooling approaches the topic of getting drunk becomes increasingly popular.

I could be a hypocrite and tell you not to drink. But that’s not what Studenomics is about. I’m not here to lecture or judge anyone. Too many personal finance blogs give simple advice like– “don’t drink alcohol” or “alcohol is a waste.” I’m sure we all have enough authority figures in our lives and one more is certainly not needed.

Let’s have some fun and talk about ways you can save money when drinking lots of alcohol:

Don’t bring a lot of money with you.

This may sound simple but it’s very effective. My trick is to bring an estimate of money I need for the night in my wallet, along with my ID. I always keep an extra $20 or so in my back pocket for the cab ride home.

No matter how good your intentions are before you drink, once you start drinking, your money will have much less value to you. Whether it’s the mood or the good vibes that catch up to you, something will trigger you to become care free with your spending. So remember, if you only bring $40 with you, then you’ll only spend $40. If you bring $100 “just in case” you might end up spending all of it. It’s better to be realistic ahead of time than to regret all the money you spent the next morning.

Split the bill always.

Just because you guys get drunk it’s no excuse for someone to “forget” to pay. Make sure the bill gets paid equally so that you’re not always stuck picking up the tab (unless you’re really rich- then we should hang out some time). Plus don’t let something as minor as splitting a bill affect the mood of the group.

Avoid drinks in certain environments.

It’s cool if you have drinks at a buddies place or the local pub, but you may want to think twice at dinner. It’s no secret that drinks are much more expensive with dinner than they are at home or in a pub. Six beers at a restaurant for dinner will cost you much more than six beers in your living room.

Pick your location ahead of time.

Sometimes when you go out, you plan to just go with the flow. That’s cool and all but when you realize how much money you spent on taking cabs around town, you’ll wish that you did some planning before the night started.

How do all of you 20-somethings out there save money when going out for a few (or many) drinks?

Alright so we all know that common sense isn’t all that common. For my Friday College Life 101 post I wanted to put together a post of things that all college students should know regarding school life. I will address different topics and kind of rant/state what’s been bothering me lately.

Coming late to class

It happens. We all come late to class (or work) at some point.I can’t even try to remember how many times I have been late for a class (especially those 8 AM classes). Why is it that there’s always some clown that feels the need to enter a huge lecture hall 30 minutes late in the middle of a sentence? Imagine you were discussing something and someone abruptly opens the door and creates a major distraction. You wouldn’t like it.

I highly recommend waiting outside the room for a break. Most 3 hour lectures have a 15 minutes break at the midway point. I know it sucks missing half of the class but suck it up. You are the late one.

If you must enter then take a peek into the room to make sure there is space. Whatever you do, never be the clown that comes late and makes a huge scene while trying to find space. Seriously do you realize how annoying you are? Just because you come late you shouldn’t piss off the other people in the class that came on time.

Missing deadlines

Nobody cares about your excuses. Unless a family member passed away or has fallen ill then shut up. People have it a lot worse than you do. Save your sorry excuse for someone that will listen.

If you absolutely have to hand an assignment in late then don’t email the professor on the due date. This basically shows that you decided to work on the assignment at the very last minute and you ran out of time.

Email the professor a few days before the due date. Tell them you require more time because you want to add more value to your work. Tell the professor you want to make sure you hand in an A paper. They may not buy it but it’s better than blatantly lying about not feeling well.

What does today’s post have to do with personal finance? Everything. The horrible habits you develop in college will follow you into the real world. These are the habits that will hold you back from that promotion or big wage increase. Who in the right mind would promote the guy that walks into a meeting late? Who would give the girl a raise that hands the report in past the deadline?

I’m in my final year of college and I think I have a decent grasp of where my money is spent around my campus. I have slowly improved my ability to save money when spending my whole day on campus. With that being said it doesn’t mean that I don’t spend money foolishly around my college campus. Over the last month I have taken note on wallet busters around the college campus and have listed them below as a light Friday read for you guys:

The college bookstore. You have got to be kidding me? A book that was on sale for $175 at my college bookstore, I found online at textbooksw.com for $70 (not specifically endorsing this site or any other textbook broker, just a suggestion). The currency brought it up an extra few dollars and the shipping was free. Let’s assume I saved $95. That’s $95 going towards my next vacation. That $95 could also equal a few  fun nights out in the city. Our that $95 can be reinvested into your education and can be put towards an evening course or continuing education course.

The fast food joints. Well as much as they bust your wallet I’m sure they aren’t helping your gut either. Obviously it’s unrealistic to bring food from home everyday because that’s just now how life works. We wake up late sometimes, our alarm clock doesn’t go off, were up all night finishing an assignment, and were often in a rush in general.

The college pub. Of course you can save money by drinking at the college pub as opposed to a fancy night club, BUT, the college pub becomes a wallet buster when you find yourself drinking 5 days a week there.

Credit card reps. Despite giving you such a great free t-shirt or backpack the credit card reps will bust your wallet in the long term. I am not against credit cards but I do not support giving people with a very low income and bad spending habits access to “plastic money.” Government legislation has helped change what credit card reps can and can not do, but they still can be a serious wallet buster for young uninformed college students.

Random vendors. You ever wonder what’s up with all of these random people selling stuff on campus? I don’t know about you guys but around my college campus there will be vendors sometimes. They sell the biggest junk. They would be better fit to work on a resort down south because they do a great job of selling random relics.

What are some other wallet busters around the college campus?

Are you as productive as you would like to be? Do you put things off way longer than you should? Unless you are the rare “getting things done” expert then chances are you struggle with productivity in college. I have slowly been improving my productivity, but am willing to admit that I’m nowhere close to perfect.

Instead of giving you guys a list of productivity tips on a Friday afternoon that you would forget by the time Sunday rolls around, I wanted to try something different. Today I will be looking at common productivity issues that college students face:

When you say to yourself- “I will go for a few beers and do my stuff when I get home.” Yes I have done this many times and so have you. Whether you tell yourself you will go for a quick lunch, quick beer, quick coffee, or quick walk, I’m sure that you have at one point done this to yourself. You should NEVER plan to do your school work or any other important tasks after you go out first. Stepping out should be either used as a break or as a reward for getting things done. Once you’re out the last thing on your mind will be your school work.

Thinking you’re a loser for staying in. Staying in at home to get your stuff done will not make you a loser. I can promise you this. What will you miss by not going out once in a while? I’m a big advocate of enjoying yourself while in college WHILE striking the perfect balance between work and play. If you play too much and don’t work enough then you will fall behind on your school work which will in turn costs you lots of money down the road.

Using college as an excuse to be unproductive. I know college consumes a high amount of your time but don’t make it seem like it fills up every second because it doesn’t. I know it and you know it. Instead of watching the whole season 5 of The Office on dvd that time can be used to complete one of the 25,000 tasks on your to-do list.

Having too many “relax” days. We all need one day to relax but anything more is a bit excessive. A break is good for you but after a few days your brain might start to forget some of the important notes from your last class. This happens to me all of the time. I take a few days off from school work or from Studenomics and then have a hell of a time trying to get back into the groove of things. The take home point here is that a little rest is needed but do not overdo it because you will get lazy.

Have a great weekend and try to squeeze some productivity into it!

photo: louis79

Picking up girls with money- no I am NOT talking about prostitution or paying for sex. Well technically you always pay for sex but that’s a different story. By talking about picking up girls with money I wanted to discuss those guys that always spend their paychecks on the nicest clothes, fanciest shoes, and hefty cover charges at high scale clubs, all to pick up women. Granted we all love the attention of the opposite sex but some of us spend way more money than is needed.

Today for College Life 101 I just wanted to mention a very popular piece of dating advice for men that many college students may not be aware of- uniforms do not win games when it comes to attracting women.

I will never write a guide for picking up girls because I have a great girlfriend and she will be the first to declare that I have lots to learn about the subject. With that being said allow me to make some comments on picking up girls in your twenties by spending lots of money:

You ever notice how some guys go to the bar dressed like scrubs and still manage to leave with a few numbers in hand? They are the guys that have learned that out of the million ways to attract women, your wallet isn’t the best method in your twenties.

Sure a college girl may notice that you have a Dolce & Gabana dress shirt on but it doesn’t mean that she will flock to you or go home with you.

You will not double your dating by buying the most expensive pair of Guess Jeans or a Hugo Boss dress shirt.

As a college student or even a recent college graduate you probably don’t have enough of a disposable income to be spending money so foolishly. If you’re a broke college student or college graduate then don’t let that discourage you or kill your confidence when you go out.

It’s all about having a great sense of humor and having some fun. Dating tips shouldn’t be about what dress shirt to wear, about what cologne to wear, or about attracting women with your heavy wallet.

Next time when you go out I want you guys to try a different approach. Instead of spending all of your money on the new Lacoste cologne just go out to have a good time. Bring only a few dollars with you. Enjoy meeting people that will not care whether you buy them a drink right off the bat or if you have the trendiest jeans on.

Don’t worry guys Studenomics is not turning into a blog all about dating tips. As many of you may be aware by now once in a while Studenomics features an article that falls under the category College Life 101. This section pretty much has no boundaries and I’m willing to discuss any topic that relates to college life. So feel free to contact me with any suggestions.

Despite being very busy with work and summer school I have still managed to squeeze in some fun summer activities into my schedule. As a college student it’s often a difficult decision to make in regards to taking summer courses. After going on my college website in early May I found an intensive course that would go on for 2 days a week for 5 weeks and I would end up with a full credit.

Since most of the readers of Studenomics have summer jobs I found it important to find fun summer activities that didn’t require a lot of time.

Mini golf

Price= $20 for 3 people

There’s a mini golf course about 5 minutes from my home and since I’m horrible at real golf I’m going to have to stick to mini golf for the time being. Mini golf can be really relaxing and used to get your mind off the fact that it’s almost back to school time.

You could save money by purchasing a summer mini golf package or by getting a little creative and setting up a little mini golfing green in your own backyard. It’s usually less than $10 a person so as a weekly summer activity it’s fairly cheap. Just don’t get mad if you lose to your younger brother like I always do.

Attending a movie theater

Price= $35 for 2 people

This one will probably receive lots of criticism because of the rise of Netflix and all of the various movie rental companies out there. The bottom line for me is if there’s a group of us looking for something to do and we really want to see a new release then we’re willing to pay the money to see it at the local cineplex. Sure you could watch new movies online but what’s the use of having a few people huddled by the laptop to watch a movie in bad quality?

It’s fairly simple for us, one person checks the movie times online while another person uses their credit card to purchase the movie tickets online.

If you want to save money there are discount movie theater’s available in most cities. There’s actually one right beside my college which is where me and some friends used to go during our 4 hour spares (yes I know I should’ve been studying).

Backyard party

Price= About $100 split between 6 people

Planning a backyard party is fairly simple, you just need to find out how many people are showing up so that you can purchase plenty of food and beverages.

You could potentially save money on a backyard barbecue party by not serving alcohol but then I doubt anyone would show up. You could also save money by only cooking hot dogs and hamburgers but then you really shouldn’t expect to see me.

I find that it is worth the money to have a great backyard party by having everyone pitch in an equal amount of money for food and beverages of decent quality.

A great party will leave you with memories that will become synonymous with that summer. For example, when you think of summer 2008 there has to be that one memory that instantly comes to mind.

The best money saving tip for this fun summer activity is to ensure that everybody pitches in an equal amount of money for everything. This way $15-20 will lead to a very enjoyable evening for you surrounded by great company.

photo: brainware300, ercwttmn

As a college student or new graduate you don’t exactly have the salary to buy the nicest pair of jeans or a Hugo Boss dress shirt for when you go out on the weekends. However, after communicating with a few readers I wanted to write about how to build confidence when you’re short on funds.

College Life 101 was originally intended for the first Friday of every month but since it’s summer time I’ve been receiving many emails from the college students that read Studenomics about “college life” issues. I believe in giving the people what they want, so I have put together an article with some valuable tips with how you can build confidence before a big weekend or big date when you have no money:

Get some sun during the day. If you wear a little bit of sun screen to ensure you don’t get burned then after a few hours in the sun you could end up with a decent looking tan.

Get in some physical exercise. You feel much better after a 30-45 minute workout because your body releases endorphins. A quick jog followed by 100 push ups will definitely get you feeling good before a big date or night out.

Get a hair cut. I can’t put my finger on it but I feel really good sometimes after a hair cut. I use my student status at a local barber shop where I get my hair cut for $10. If you’re a young guy paying more than $15 for a hair cut then it’s time you found a new barber

Have a light snack. Don’t stuff your face because then you’ll be bloated all night walking around feeling like a slob. If you get some food in your system before you head out you will have energy to last you the whole night.

Think positive & avoid thoughts about failure. Who cares if the date doesn’t go exactly as planned? As long as you have a fun time and have no regrets then don’t dwell over how the conversation went or how the food tasted.

Never view yourself as inferior to others. You may not have the most expensive wardrobe but that doesn’t mean that you’re not an amazing person. If people try to put you down they’re only doing it to feel better about themselves.

Fake it until you make it. You have definitely heard this saying before. If you’re lacking self confidence then simply lie to yourself and convince yourself that you are confident. This is easier said than done so I will leave it at this- practice, practice, and then practice some more.

Have a few drinks. Liquid confidence my friends. If you’re driving then obviously don’t drink and drive. Also try not to overdo the booze because you want to build a little bit of confidence- you don’t want to go out and make a fool out of yourself because you drank too much before you got to the bar.

photo: ChrisGambat

Every college student knows the deal this summer- there’s a recession and jobs are hard to come by, let alone a job that will pay you a decent wage. However, now that the warm weather is here we all want to get out of the house and enjoy our time off from school. Can you party this summer on a tight budget? 100% YES.

Don’t worry Studenomics is not here to tell you to save your money by not partying at all this summer or by playing board games because that is completely unrealistic & you guys wouldn’t listen anyway. Studenomics is here to show you how to optimize your spending so that you get the most out of life today while saving for tomorrow.

The following are ways you can party with your friends on a tight budget this summer while you enjoy your time off from college:

Park party. Get together with some friends in a public park at night time or during the evening. Most parks require you pay a small permit fee so don’t be cheap and pay it or else you might get a nice fine from the police. If the park doesn’t require a permit fee then your evening becomes even cheaper.

Backyard barbecue. So simple yet so fun. One person brings the beer, one brings the food, another brings soft drinks and you got yourself a party. Remember not to make too much noise after dark because you may get a fine causing this to be an extremely unfrugal party.

Camping. Cottage prices can be very steep in the summer so why not pay the camping ground fee and pitch a tent (I hope you dirty minds are not thinking about something else). Once again one person pays for gas, the other brings the tent, another person brings the beer, someone brings up the food, and you guys got yourself an inexpensive weekend away from home.

Few more tips to save money on partying this summer:

Student discount. College may be out for the summer but you can still use your student discount card when purchasing food or other items for your summer party.

Summer specials. My beer of choice is a Corona with a lime in it and it so happens that there is a summer special on Corona’s this year. The point here is to look around and you will be able to find some great deals on alcohol, food, and possibly even camping accessories.

Pool your money ahead of time. Do NOT leave home with your bank card. Before you guys go out get together and calculate roughly how much money you will need and pull out the cash. If you are going camping then pay for everything in advance (unless you plan on driving 6 hours).

Make sure everyone spends the same amount. Don’t be the guy that’s nervous because you’re stuck paying for the camping ground fee while your buddy buys a little bit of beer and spends the least amount of money.

If the total amount of all expenses comes out to be $400 then make sure 4 people all chip in $100 each. The whole point of splitting up the tasks is to ensure that you guys don’t forget anything and that everyone is responsible for one thing.

Some common summer activities to avoid:

Night clubs in the downtown core. These get pretty pricey in the summer because some night club owners use the influx of college students as an excuse to raise cover price and the cost of drinks. Plus as sexy as it may seem to be surrounded by a bunch of sweaty people it really isn’t. The clubs get stuffy and the whole time your going to want to leave but won’t because you paid your $10 cover fee.

Cottage rental. This can be really fun but from my past experiences and from what I’ve been able to gather from others- it can get really expensive. Most cottage rental places only have a 2 month window where they can earn decent money so they jack up the prices.

photo: shekay

An empty heart will hold you back more than an empty pocket. How many times have you told yourself that you would meet more girls in college if you had more money? Probably a countless amount of times. First and foremost, let me say that the no money theory is nothing but a myth. Sure having a fancy car and a pocket full of money helps but when you’re in college I don’t think anyone expects you to be rich.

As you may know by now, every first Friday (or weekend) of the month I put together a post that is a completely light read and is specifically aimed at college students that don’t care much for my personal finance advice. After speaking with many males and females I have put together a decent list of ways you can meet girls in college when you are broke.

Before you meet a girl:

Go to student bars/pubs on campus

I know I have probably said this about a million times but I will say once more time, if you want to meet girls your age without spending lots of money then check out the bars on campus. You will meet people in the same situation as yours and drinks are generally cheaper. The best nights to go to the college pubs are usually Thursdays because that’s when drinks are the cheapest during the week and college students flock in herds.

Be confident

So what if you’re poor now? In a few years you will likely have a solid career earning a decent income. You are on the road to success so don’t worry if you don’t have lots of money when you’re a 20 something college student. Unfortunately, confidence can’t be taught nor can you read an article and learn how to be confident. It takes practice and lots (and lots) of rejections until you finally find what works for you.

Once you meet a girl:

Cook dinner at home

You can taking all the dancing lessons in the world or you could work all weekend long to earn enough money to take a girl out to a fancy restaurant but at the end of the day you are better off learning how to cook. Yes I know that food costs money but cooking your own meal vs. buying a meal at a restaurant for two is substantially different.

Try something new

Keep the girl on her toes at all times. Try to get the girl to pay for some of the dates or look no further for cheap & creative date ideas. If you are good at something (something hard to learn not playing video games) then bring your date to see you in action. I have a friend that always brings girls to his shows where he plays the guitar for a band.

Do something creative that the girl may have never seen before

If you meet a girl in one of your college classes and you’re stressing because she wants to go on a date with you but you got no money then stress no more. She will be more impressed with how much thought you put into the date as opposed to how much money you spent on it. You don’t have to believe me but this comes straight from a females mouth.

There you go you don’t need money to pick up girls in college. Any other tips for how a broke college student can have a decent social life? Please share…

photo: stefan

The first Friday of the month is here again and it is time for another College Life 101 article. Today’s article is all about providing all of you college students with cheap and creative date ideas. You could ask my girlfriend and she will be the first to admit that I’m not the best person to be giving date ideas but lucky for the internet and for email I have been able to compile a decent list.

Classic Date Ideas:

Bowling. A great idea if you are half decent at bowling. I unfortunately could not bowl properly if my life depended on it. I love to bench press and dead lift but for some reason I can’t roll a bowling ball properly. If you want to spice it up a bit you could try night time glow in the dark bowling and maybe toss a few drinks into the equation.

Mini golf. I love play mini golf but the only problem is that I get a bit too competitive. This is the perfect idea for a sunny summer afternoon or even a nice spring day. You don’t have worry about being skilled because mini golf is simple and fun for most people.

Go for coffee. This is ideal for a breakfast or lunch date and you can never go wrong with a cup of fresh brewed coffee. How effective and fun this date is depends on your conversation skills. If you’re a shy person then I doubt you’d want to meet for coffee and come off as completely quiet while the other person rambles on.

House party. You can’t go wrong with a classic house party. Usually tends to be very inexpensive with the only cost being alcohol and transportation (bus or cab). These are hard to come by because not many people want to throw a house party but when the opportunity presents itself bring a date and some good conversation topics.

Creative Date Ideas:

Go to bar where you are popular. When I say popular I mean popular in the sense that people actually acknowledge you with some respect. You don’t want to bring someone to a bar where you are the most popular guy because you make a complete fool of yourself or because you are known for something your not proud of. Bring your date somewhere where everyone knows your name so that you will seem like a popular guy. The reason this works is because you want to come off as person that is easy to like and fun to be around.

Prepare the meal yourself. This probably won’t go over too well if you live with your parents and they’re home at the time. This is an excellent idea for college students living on their own. No excuses, if you suck at cooking all you need is a little help from the almighty Google and a 10 minute how to cook x meal video and you’re set.

Amateur night at a comedy club. The reason I got specific with amateur night is because these tend to be either really cheap or free. The best part is that sometimes the comedians will completely flop and you guys will have something to talk about. Even if the amateur comedians are really funny then at least you won’t have to do any talking the whole date. The less you talk the lower your chances of saying something stupid.

There are so many more creative and cheap date ideas that I’m missing out on but that’s the great part of running a blog. I look forward to reading some of your great ideas.

Photo: urbanshoregirl