Brooke Springfield saves money by shopping at Wal-Mart
By William Moore
Faced with the current economic downturn, many students are finding new ways to save money. Many things that were affordable in years past have become luxuries and no longer have a place in the already-tight budget of the average college student.
With prices on the rise, saving money wherever possible is becoming more and more important. Despite gas prices being much lower than in the past few years, the constant cost of filling the tank can add up to a lot. Chris O'Neill, a 21 year-old Athens native has taken to riding a scooter instead of driving a car.
“You get over 125 miles-per-gallon on a scooter,” said O'Neill, “and spend roughly six dollars a week on gas.”
According to O'Neill, the initial cost of a scooter is much cheaper than a car, and if the engine is less than 50 cubic centimeters, you don't have to pay for insurance.
“On top of the great gas mileage, you never have to pay for parking,” said O'Neill. “With a scooter it’s always easy to find a parking place and it’s always a free one.”
For students who are no longer on the UGA meal plan, groceries are a constant source of expenses. To help save money, many students have taken to shopping at Wal-Mart instead of Kroger and are buying generic brand food instead of the name-brand items.
“I used to do all of my grocery shopping at Kroger,” said Brooke Springfield, a third-year Publication Management major from Cartersville, “but now I try to shop at Wal-Mart whenever I can. It’s basically the exact same food but a little bit cheaper. It might not seem like much of a difference, but every little bit counts.”
Similarly, many students are cutting back on luxury goods and services such as premium television and internet packages. In less trying times, expensive cable and internet packages were more affordable, though with money tight, as little as $10 or $15 per month can make a huge difference.
“I recently downgraded my cable package to better fit my budget,” said Kevin Row, a fourth year Psychology major from Atlanta. “It was nice when we had more channels but it made sense now to get a cheaper package. The money I save adds up to over $100 a year.”
Another student similarly cut down on her television package to fit the economy. Sarah Grace Hudspeth, a fourth-year speech therapy major from Watkinsville, removed premium channels from her cable package to reduce the monthly bill.
Even students with mostly pre-determined budgets are finding ways to save money. Living on campus in the dorms with the UGA meal plan sets the budget of many students in stone, but there are still ways to save a few bucks on the side.
“I live in the dorms and am on the meal plan, so I try not to eat out very often,” said Briana Gerdeman, a second-year Journalism and International Affairs major from Duluth, “but when I do go out to eat, I usually get water instead of a soft drink. It doesn't cost anything extra for water, and its better for you anyways.”
Edited By Austin Pratt
Faced with the current economic downturn, many students are finding new ways to save money. Many things that were affordable in years past have become luxuries and no longer have a place in the already-tight budget of the average college student.
With prices on the rise, saving money wherever possible is becoming more and more important. Despite gas prices being much lower than in the past few years, the constant cost of filling the tank can add up to a lot. Chris O'Neill, a 21 year-old Athens native has taken to riding a scooter instead of driving a car.
“You get over 125 miles-per-gallon on a scooter,” said O'Neill, “and spend roughly six dollars a week on gas.”
According to O'Neill, the initial cost of a scooter is much cheaper than a car, and if the engine is less than 50 cubic centimeters, you don't have to pay for insurance.
“On top of the great gas mileage, you never have to pay for parking,” said O'Neill. “With a scooter it’s always easy to find a parking place and it’s always a free one.”
For students who are no longer on the UGA meal plan, groceries are a constant source of expenses. To help save money, many students have taken to shopping at Wal-Mart instead of Kroger and are buying generic brand food instead of the name-brand items.
“I used to do all of my grocery shopping at Kroger,” said Brooke Springfield, a third-year Publication Management major from Cartersville, “but now I try to shop at Wal-Mart whenever I can. It’s basically the exact same food but a little bit cheaper. It might not seem like much of a difference, but every little bit counts.”
Similarly, many students are cutting back on luxury goods and services such as premium television and internet packages. In less trying times, expensive cable and internet packages were more affordable, though with money tight, as little as $10 or $15 per month can make a huge difference.
“I recently downgraded my cable package to better fit my budget,” said Kevin Row, a fourth year Psychology major from Atlanta. “It was nice when we had more channels but it made sense now to get a cheaper package. The money I save adds up to over $100 a year.”
Another student similarly cut down on her television package to fit the economy. Sarah Grace Hudspeth, a fourth-year speech therapy major from Watkinsville, removed premium channels from her cable package to reduce the monthly bill.
Even students with mostly pre-determined budgets are finding ways to save money. Living on campus in the dorms with the UGA meal plan sets the budget of many students in stone, but there are still ways to save a few bucks on the side.
“I live in the dorms and am on the meal plan, so I try not to eat out very often,” said Briana Gerdeman, a second-year Journalism and International Affairs major from Duluth, “but when I do go out to eat, I usually get water instead of a soft drink. It doesn't cost anything extra for water, and its better for you anyways.”
Edited By Austin Pratt
Lots of good anecdotal examples of students cutting back on expenses. It would be useful to have more information on how their specific financial situations have changed. Did they lose their jobs? Did their parents? Are they just being more careful? Then, it would be good to have some statistics to support the story's assumption that more students are living frugally now than were before. Is the number of scooter parking permits increasing on campus? Do cable providers say more people in student-populated neighborhoods are cutting back on their packages? Are restaurants that cater especially to students seeing reduced sales? If not, the story might be overreaching. Maybe some students are reacting to the recession, but most students aren't.
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