One of the top financial mistakes college students make is not taking advantage of the array of discounts and freebies that are available to them. Students may not be aware of all that is offered or even know where to look. Well students, look no further. I am going to share with you several different types of student discounts and freebies available to you.

The first, and arguably the most important, are food discounts. College students lives revolve around food, after Jesus of course. We eat while we study, we eat while we talk with friends, we probably eat when we shouldn’t, like in class. There is always that one student who brings in Chick-Fil-A from Wildcat, and the whole class has to use the power of prayer to resist going up to his desk and stealing his bacon deluxe sandwich right out of his hands. It is a known fact that college students love food. Restaurants all over the country have now started offering discounts to students who purchase from them. Arby’s and Culvers offer 10% off of your meal. Chipotle offers a free drink. Dominos offers 10%-20% off of your pizza. These discounts may not seem like a whole lot but if you think of all of the times you have gone there and not taken advantage of the discount, you would be surprised at how much you could’ve saved. Just think, if you go to Culvers every Sunday and order a meal that costs you about $10, within a year you would save roughly $52, which could pay for one of your textbooks, a parking pass, an oil change, or even a new car tire (if small).

Another area where college students can save some money is on electronics for school, like computers. When your computer from high school decides to give out on you and you have no choice but to buy a new one, do not pay full price. Apple has special pricing for students and they have also been known to give out gift cards with purchases. Sign up for Best Buy’s student deals and you can get deals all year round. Dell also offers a free tablet with a purchase over $699. If you do not want to spend all of your time in the library, a labtop or a tablet is a must, and they can be pricey. Make sure you are taking advantage of savings where you can!

Believe it or not, you can even save money on the music you listen to and the shows you watch. Which doesn’t really seem fair. Should we really be watching TV instead of cramming for an Econ test? Probably not, but it happens. The self-discipline it takes to resist the temptation of watching the latest episode of Greys Anatomy is real guys. Spotify offers its premium service, and Hulu AND Showtime for only $4.99 a month. Yes, you can binge watch Stranger Things while simultaneously listening to the new song by Hillsong all while cramming for your next test for only $4.99 a month. Apple music offers 6 months free and all the music your heart desires for only $4.99 a month. Finally, Pandora also offers $4.99 a month for their premium service. With the rising popularity in music and streaming, make sure you are getting the best deal out there.  

This is only a handful of ways students can save money; there are so many other discounts out there. I encourage you to take a look next time you’re out to eat or go shopping to see if the store offers a discount for students. It may not be a lot, but as I said before, it adds up, especially over the span of your college years. If you combine two or three of these “College Hacks,” you could be saving yourself hundreds of dollars. Take advantage of the array of discounts and freebies offered to you for just being a student while you still can!