Maybe itâs because people take fewer classes and therefore have less financial assistance, maybe itâs because people spend more money on vacations and music festivals, or maybe itâs because people waste more time drinking beer on patiosâI donât know what it is about summer, but it seems like everyoneâs always broke. When you consider that weâre all students already and are thus, by definition, already pretty broke (âstarving studentâ is a stereotype that seems woefully true these days), this summer insolvency seems like an extra-maddening bummer.
What to do? Well, unless youâre willing to do the obvious (work more, spend less), here are some admittedly untested tips to get students through to the fall without being sent to the poorhouse:
- Go on an âend of the worldâ diet: Sure, it might be fun to eat out at restaurants, but chances are that youâve accumulated plenty of nutritious foodstuffs around your pantry that are totally suitable for consumption. Instead of buying groceries or going out for lunch, force yourself to only eat things that are already in your home. This will likely mean eating a lot of the food that you donât really like and have been avoiding for months or years (I personally have a collection of 14 cans of multiple varieties of vegetable soup), but you will definitely cut back on grocery costs. Use your savings to spring for admission to one of this summerâs similarly titled end of the world blockbusters like This is the End (out June 12) or The Worldâs End (set for release August 23).
- Sell all your excess stuff: Nothing says summer like easy-breezy-beautiful minimalism. Sell all your stuff on Craigslist for a quick liquidation of funds. One caveat: try not to sell anything that you really need and will just re-buy at full cost in a few months. Iâve gone through so many kitchen tables in this manner that I probably could have sprung for a non-IKEA one years ago and been better off.
- Get a summer job: I understand that working can be a major downer when the sunâs shining and the beach is calling; but that doesnât mean you canât make bank. Look for fun work that lets you be in your ideal summer element. Driving ice cream trucks, lifeguarding pools, and planting trees are all sunny seasonal opportunities to accumulate wealth while getting a tan and getting dates.
Good luck on getting that green, folks.
