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| This is not Lady Joanna but I think she might look like this. |
Welcome to a week (or more depending of how many guest posts I snag) of Back to School Money Saving advice. From your wee littlest ones in preschool, all the way through Graduate and Professional school, Money Saving Lords and Ladies in the Court of the Queen of Free will be bringing you their best $ saving tips.
Today’s tips come from Lady Joanna who happened to leave some words of wisdom for Lady Katie on Freedom Friday a few weeks ago. She is a Money Saving Lady and Veterinarian. In just a few short e-mails back and forth, I know one thing. I like this girl. She has got moxy and isn’t afraid to use it. Yesterday, she brought us Part 1 of Graduate and Professional School Money Saving Tips and today she continues those thoughts with 4 more ideas to help you keep $ in your pockets.
6. I had 3 friends who lived rent free throughout grad school. The catch was that they had to do “chores” on the land/farm that the house was on for the couple who owned the place. The work was minimal and split between the three of them. That had to be the best deal that anyone had! If you don’t mind a little physical labor, these jobs are still out there, it just takes some searching through local newspapers and word of mouth.
7. There are more programs now than when I graduated for veterinarians who want to practice in underserved areas. The government, through the USDA, will now pay a large part of the student loan off for someone if they agree to spend a few years in a designated area upon graduation. I have heard they have some similar programs in other professions, but I can’t vouch for that (yes The Queen believes this to be true for both the legal and education fields). I wish that program had been in place when I graduated, I would have done it in a heartbeat. Go here to learn more.
8. Pack your lunch each day and any snacks/drinks you may want. Buying lunch from the nearest fast food joint or at the university may be more convenient, but it will eat a whole through your wallet any day. Don’t even get me started on vending machines! If you buy your soda/water/sport drinks on sale at the grocery store, you will often pay half or less than what you pay through a vending machine! If you don’t believe me, consider this. I recently bought 24 bottles of water for $3.99. That’s about $0.17 per bottle. I also purchased 24 cans of soda for $4.99, or about $0.21 per can. When’s the last time you bought water for $0.17 or soda for $0.21 from a vending machine?!
9. If you’re in professional school or have graduated from one, some reputable companies will pay you to take surveys about their products. I’m not talking about the online scams that you’ll see everywhere. I’m referring to real, genuine, reputable companies that want feedback on what you like and dislike about their products. Most of these I became involved with after graduation, but most will only take a few minutes of your time and pay in cash or gift cards.
A BIG Royal Thank You to Lady Joanna for sharing her wisdom and insight. We’re better together and each of you has a tip to share or a money saving idea that someone has thought of yet. Tomorrow, we’ll hear from Lady Jackie who will be breaking it down Preschool style!
If you are interested in guest posting on the Back to School Bonanza, please e-mail me! I’m particularly looking for posts sharing tips to saving with a student in Middle School, Shoe shopping tips, and sports/extra curricular savings!
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