by Cheyenne Schoen |
Textbooks, groceries, gas, and happy hour are major money-guzzlers. Living on a college budget is tough, but fear not! We’re bringing you a list that makes upgrading from ramen and gummi bears to a quality meal more than just a dream.
Entertainment
Portland is full of entertainment opportunities and as a student you don’t have to spend an arm and a leg to enjoy them.
The Oregon Symphony offers students $10 tickets for eligible shows. There are 10 shows this semester alone that are eligible for this discount, and details about each show can be found on the symphony’s website.
UP students are also eligible for a $20 year-long entry pass to the Portland Art Museum, and every fourth Friday is free for anyone between 5 and 8 p.m.
The Oregon Zoo has some awesome exhibits and entry is only $4 on the second Tuesday of each month.
Regal Cinemas offers a rewards program for discounted prices on concessions on certain days of the week, along with a free movie ticket once you accumulate enough points.
Apps
With so many apps available these days, it’s hard to pick out which is the best to use. Here are just a few that can help you save those extra couple of bucks a week.
The University Network (TUN): TUN finds student discounts specific to your location. Using TUN will build up points, which can be redeemed for free stuff at local vendors.
ATM Hunter: This handy app finds the ATMs nearest you that won’t charge you a fee.
GasBuddy: GasBuddy finds the cheapest gas near you by using your location.
DrinkOwl: For those who are 21 and older, use DrinkOwl to find the cheapest happy hours, get coupons for restaurants and find out the daily specials in the Portland area.
Spotify Premium: Students can go ad-free for $4.99 a month.
Technology
Don’t let technology troubles affect your schoolwork or Netflix schedule.
Apple Store: You can save up to $200 on a new Mac and $20 on an iPad if you’re a college student.
Best Buy: Sign up for the College Student Deals program to get discounts on computers, tablets, cameras and other technology.
Hewlett Packard: The HP Academy program offers discounts on tablets, printers, computers and ink.
Microsoft: Get 10 percent off computers, software, and accessories when you go through the Microsoft Store for Education.
Norton: Keep your computer safe from viruses and safe up to 50 percent on anti-virus software through their student discounts page.
Food
Enough said.
Chipotle: Flash your student ID and get a free soft drink. Yes, really — with those savings, you can even splurge on guacamole!
Qdoba: Get a $5 burrito meal and a free soft drink if you show your ID.
Some participating Subway, Dairy Queen, Pizza Hut, Buffalo Wild Wings, Domino’s Pizza, and Papa John’s locations offer student discounts.
Clothing
It doesn’t matter whether you prefer to do your shopping in your pajamas at home or you like wandering through Lloyd Center and downtown — you could be saving few bucks.
Asos: Get 10 percent off the trendy online retailer.
Banana Republic: Look good for your job interview without going broke; save 15 percent on full-priced items in-store.
Charlotte Russe: 10 percent off with a student ID.
Goodwill: Save 10 percent and give old clothes a new home.
J.Crew: Look sharp and save 15 percent.
Medelita: Attention all nursing majors. You can get 15 percent off scrubs, bags and clogs if you sign up for Medelita’s student discount program.
Madewell: Show your ID and get 15 percent off at the location on 12th avenue.
Textbooks
Although the bookstore is convenient, don’t forget to check websites like Amazon, Chegg, BookByte or SlugBooks to see if the book you need is available to rent or buy at a lower price.
Other ways to save
Signing up for a Fred Meyer or Safeway rewards card is free, and can help you accumulate gas points to put toward your next fill-up.
Sign up for Amazon Student with your UP email account to get a free Amazon Prime membership (two-day shipping!) for six months. Get $10 when you refer a friend.
Many stores and restaurants offer student discounts that you may not even know about. When in doubt, just ask!
Cheyenne is a reporter at The Beacon. She can be reached at schoen17@up.edu or on Twitter @cheyschoen.
