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Feb 21, 2003 We’ve all heard the phrase going around that students who are studying at a community college level or even at a University college level are considered "Starving Students". We all wonder what it is they do with their money “if ” and “when they have some, which is really rare, because most of it seems to all somehow get sucked up into text books and school supplies during the first week of school. And then of course, there is the Campus Bookstore, the place that’s packed at the first couple of weeks at the beginning of every semester. The place that’s filled with first week of school frenzy and chaos due to students packing the aisles to look for their required books and school supplies. It’s a really fun place to be during the first few weeks of school, since that’s where all students gather, it’s “the place to be” since the Bookstore is where its at! It’s where all the “Action” is. Of course that’s only mildly put, since that place just literally loves to take advantage of poor starving souls like us. Fact is the College Bookstore as been around long to know that students are lazy and that we love convenience. So, the Campus Bookstore just sits back,waits, and lurks around the corner knowing for a fact, that not all of us students want to buy our books online. Many of us either haven’t gotten accustomed to online purchasing or because we feel much more comfortable giving our credit card to the cashier at the time of check out, and taking it back after they are done, instead of having to spread it around online so that some people could perhaps get a hold of it on the Internet. So in trying to avoid all that, students usually end up flocking to the Campus Bookstore for convenience during the first week of school. Once finally there at the Bookstore, students find themselves breathing a sad frustrated sigh, as well as rolling their eyes at the overwhelmingly expensive price of text books, and at the same time, being forced to empty out their pockets to pay for these enormous costing books, books which often times don’t even get used the next semester or year around because of a new up- coming edition. It’s something that drives all of us nuts, and it’s very unfortunate, but what can we do about it? We just keep on coming back and the Bookstore just keeps on profiting! So, what’s a poor college student to do? Well, I see it like this. You can either buy your books online at Amazon.com or Textbooks.com or there’s always the Campus Bookstore and the fact of having to put up a battle each semester, to fight that crazy check out line during the first week of school. Or another thing that I would recommend doing from my own experience is this. Learn to be a serious “BARGAIN HUNTER “ because “with everything else in your life being complicated enough as is, why does having to deal with buying your Books and school supplies during the first week of school have to become an extra burden. Just learn to cut out or cut down on some extravagances in your life learn to cut down on things you use on a regular basis from “Brand name” clothes to entertainment items to snazzy watches and jewelry and what ever else is out there. That’s the only way for you to do it, so you won’t feel like you’re suffocating under the first week of school pressure as well as the enormous receipt you’ll be getting after having purchased all the books and school supplies. Being a serious “Bargain Hunter” isn’t as bad as it sounds, after all, I’m not asking you to lurk around Fleakmarkets or Yard Sales to hunt for items, so you can be a penny pincher and save up a lot of money. All I’m saying is this, learn to economize a little bit, cut down on the things you buy on a regular basis and that alone will save you up plenty of money or else you’ll be finding yourself flat broke! Just don’t buy too many expensive items at once so that you have no money left. Instead, save up your money, don’t limit yourself from hanging out with your friends, and still spend time occasionally at the mall window shopping, comparing prices for items you like from store to store like comparing items you see at Fry’s Electronics vs. items you see at Best Buys and still spend a bit of money, just don’t spend too much. Try saving up about $500 dollars each month, same goes for the college students who work full time. Saving up money a few months can go a long way and then you can spend it freely buying a brand new CD to treat yourself or buying a few electronic items at one time. I’m speaking from experience, because I have a friend who is also a college student but insisted on wanting brand names for a DVD Player. He said that “it had to have a brand name and that it had should preferably be “Sony”. Now talk about picky picky! This guy was just extremely stubborn, and wouldn’t take anything less. From what it sounded at the time it was like this. No Brand Name, NO GO! So after a few months of saving up his money, we figured, it was time to get to Best Buys, considering he did a great job at saving up his money, and all that saved up money was slowly starting to burn a hole in his wallet. So we went to Best Buys as he had about $150 dollars to play with, and managed to buy three items of his choice. We were looking for a DVD Player yet we found a DVD/ Karaoke machine combo and that just said it all. It wasn’t a Sony, but it had all the components he wanted and it ended up being more then he could have ever asked for so he was extremely happy. Another thing, when it comes to bargain hunting, I’ve found it helpful to sometimes not look at the advertisements in your Sunday Newspaper because just because items such as electronics or clothes are on sale in the paper, doesn’t mean other items besides what’s listed isn’t on sale. Instead, just get in the car and drive to your favorite store, look around a bit, and compare prices, at times, or stop by every so often to see if prices have changed, and who knows, you might stumble upon a pretty good deal. About the author: I'm a full time college student / Journalism Major. I have 3 Years of Print Journalism experience, having worked as a Staff Writer, covering all aspects of a Student Newspaper, as well as having been Sports Editor twice on my College Newspaper. Email Kimberly Nguyen: kimmyluvscoffee@yahoo.com ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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