Instead of buying all your textbooks...make friends! Every subsequent year I spend less and less on books when in fact, the books get more and more expensive. Textbooks are definitely not cheap, and oftentimes courses won't even need you to use the entire book, and sometimes, not at all! A mistake that some students tend to make is that they buy books before a class actually starts. DO NOT buy textbooks before attending the first class! Professors usually have a grace period for textbooks, since the first few courses are generally introductions and will not need the use of a textbook. Also, kinder professors have grace periods for students who cannot obtain textbooks–such as during shortages–or for those who bought the books online.

It is a good idea to not buy the books beforehand because in some cases, the professors will tell you not to buy the books on the book list; that happened to me in my first class at college. So, a good alternative would be to get to know the people who are in the same class and offer to pay for a part of the book in order to share it. It is definitely the easiest way to save money, and a great way to make friends and meet new people as well.

Learn how to shop around. Oftentimes, for things such as food and essentials, larger stores have coupons, sales, or specials that can save you quite a bit of money in exchange for some research once in a while. Keeping track of prices can save you money, and although fifty cents here or a dollar there may not seem like much, it adds up. Continuing that thought...

Learn how to cook your own meals. It may not be immediately apparent, but cooking your own food can be cheaper. Not only can you eat what you like, you could make more and store the leftovers for another time. Raw ingredients are usually cheaper for more, when compared to prepared food. Though it may not store as long, food is usually tastier fresh anyway. Plus, school plans are often overpriced. However...

Don't rule out a small meal plan. Personally, I do cook my own meals, but sometimes it may be inconvenient for me to cook a meal from scratch. At those times, I use the money in my meal plan to buy prepared food. My particular plan is non-mandatory, and significantly cheaper than the alternatives to eat exclusively at the dining halls. So, I can save money by not having to eat at the dining halls every day, yet I don't sacrifice the convenience of eating whenever I want without having to cook.

Invest in a water filter and a water boiler. Depending on the institution and dorm rules, water heaters may not be allowed. But regardless of living situation, whether it is on- or off-campus, definitely buy a water filter. Unless you particularly enjoy spending money on bottled water all the time, a water filter saves money as well as the environment. Just using water from the tap to get drinkable water saves money in the long run, and buying a durable water bottle yourself saves buying lots of plastic.

Know which banks are on campus. Instead of opening an account at a bank that is close to home, know what is more convenient on campus. More often than not there will be multiple choices instead of a monopoly, but it will still be good to know. Bank visits at school tend to be more dire–such as when you're low on cash–so it may be good to think about convenience at school in those situations, rather than thinking about the home situation.

Consider wholesale club memberships. If there are warehouse or wholesale stores near campus, such as Sam's Club or Costco, consider getting a membership at those stores if you don't already have one. Wholesale prices are generally better than retail, and for essentials like tissues, toilet paper, and paper towels, it would be good to buy those in bulk anyway.

Good Things To Have: Exacto knife, Tape (heavy duty, masking, all kinds), Can opener, Surge protector (since extension cords are usually not allowed),and a Microwave oven.

Michael Ng is a senior at Binghamton University, majoring in computer science.