Tips and tricks to save money. These quick and easy fixes will save your dollars this summer – but not decrease your social life.

Saving money is a challenge for any student – let alone an international student! But there are ways to cut back on your expenses without taking all the fun and social life out of your life. If you have a summer job, count yourself lucky and do your best to save as much of it as you can so that you can use it during the school year. If you do not have a summer job – or if you’ve landed an unpaid internship – learning how to make your dollars go farther is extremely important. Follow these suggestions to help you spend wisely:

Do you like coffee?

If you live in the U.S., you’ll likely see a coffee shop at every corner. It’s addicting, no doubt about it. You may find yourself stopping at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts to buy coffee – I mean, come on!, it’s a great place to study! One cup of coffee can cost anywhere between $3-$5. Try to limit yourself, think you can take the caffeine challenge and just buy one cup a week? This can actually save you about $144 a year. If a coffee reduction is out of the question, make it yourself or stop off at McDonalds where coffee is just $1.

Bills, bills and more bills

If you have an apartment you can save money on your electric and water bill. Try taking a shorter shower, hand washing dishes or waiting for a full load of dirty dishes before running the dishwasher are just some of the ways to do this. Be sure to turn the lights out and unplug electronics if you aren’t using them. These little daily habit changes can save you a good chunk of change.

Going out

Like to go out on a Friday night? Sure, we all do but the cost for entertainment can add up. If you are old enough to drink, a bar tab can add up very quickly. Next time you go to the bar plan how much you are going to spend and when you reach that amount then you are done for the night. Going out to the movies is now 10 bucks per person. Try going to redbox for $1.25 and getting popcorn to microwave. Instead of a Friday night at the movies for 15 bucks, try one at home for 5 bucks.

These are quick fixes that in the end can save you a great deal of money. Want to read more tips about how to budget for school? Check out our “How-To” article. Do you have some money saving tips to share? Let us know!