With the ever-changing economy and rising tuition costs, students are being forced to save more and spend less. Even with these hardships, students have options to pay for school while still maintaining a lifestyle on a small budget.
First, students should look into visiting their Financial Aid Office. Moorpark, Oxnard and Ventura College offer financial aid options such as FASFA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, which includes grants and loans. Additional options are the BOG fee waiver, and scholarships.
“They can fill out a FASFA application, it pays for tuition and you can get a discount on parking,” said Carolina Guillan, student specialist at Oxnard College.
Students also have a BOG (Board of Governors) fee waiver if they are not eligible for FASFA. A BOG waiver, waves all your fees for registration of classes (excluding some small fees that are added by the campus, like the $17 health fee). To qualify for a BOG fee waiver, a student must be a California resident and meet certain income qualifications. Visit moorparkcollege.edu under financial aid to see if you meet the necessary income requirements for the BOG fee waiver.
There are also some more obvious, yet overlooked ways to keep your wallet from thinning out too quickly. For example, instead of paying for lunch, fix a lunch at home to cut back on costs and save money for things you really need.
“I try to cut back on outside spending such as going out to eat all the time, or buying things I don’t need right now,” said Lauren Moore, a Theatre Arts major at Moorpark College. “I try only to spend money on the necessities and save up for the things I really want.”
According to a financial aid technician at Moorpark, it is also extremely important to use common sense to differentiate between what a student wants and what they actually need, before spending.
Also, look into buying cheaper school supplies to cut back on spending money. Instead of buying your textbooks at full price at the on-campus bookstore, search for cheaper prices online. Amazon.com, cheaptextbooks.com, textbooks.com and eBay offer used books from private sellers.
Another new website that’s becoming more popular is chegg.com. Chegg is a website that offers books for rent. A book that could cost somewhere around $100 can be rented for $19.24 with tax. An added bonus on Chegg is that when you rent a book, your purchase plants a tree in select places. Not only are you helping your wallet but also the environment.
For further advice on saving money for school, visit the financial aid office.
Students save with sensible spending
By Katie Yates
September 23, 2009
0
More to Discover