College can be very expensive, and all too often the cost of college can cause a great amount of stress for students.
Even if we were to put the tuition fees to one side there is still the rent, social expenses, travel costs and so on… indeed, the prospect of paying for college can be an uphill struggle for many families that simply can’t afford it. However, where there’s a will there’s a way and this article looks at a number of ways you can make an extra income whilst at college, which won’t take up all your time to the point you are distracted from your studies or have no social life.
It should be mentioned, however, that if you’re looking for a more frugal way to receive a college education, many major universities now offer distance learning opportunities; there’s even an online fnp program that means you can study nursing remotely. This is a great way to save money in terms of travel, accommodation and additional living expenses.
No matter whether you study on campus or online, here’s five suggestions on how to combat the high cost of college by being more enterprising.
FLIP THRIFT STORE ITEMS ON EBAY
Take some time to treasure hunt your way around thrift stores and yard sales, looking for items that you know have a strong desire on platforms such as eBay. People aren’t always aware of the value of particular items in thrift stores and with a bit of careful research you can find some high profit deals.
SELL FREE ITEMS
Lots of people have items that are “free to a good home”, presuming you have the means and manpower to come and pick them up. You could simply use eBay, but if instead, you were to scour the ‘want to buy’ sections of newspapers and online listings, such as Craigslist, then you can become a matchmaker hunting for items people have already expressed an interest in – meaning there’s less risk.
DONATE BLOOD PLASMA
There’s a limit to how much you can make doing this, as there is a restriction to how many times a week you can attend, but typically your time investment would be around three hours per week in order to make $250 to $350 per month. Understandably, this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but it’s a rewarding way to make money on the basis your blood plasma is necessary to help fuel life saving operations.
BABYSIT
Babysitting can be easy money. If you’re lucky, the kids will be asleep most the time, and you’ll get free time in someone’s home to study or earn even more income by, as an example, being paid to browse websites or answer online questionnaires.
MOW LAWNS
If you were to charge $20 per lawn, and mow 10 lawns a week (basically a weekend’s work) you’ll make $200 per week. The best part of this, of course, is that once you get regular customers, you can then build up a monthly ‘round’ that generates a reliable stream of income.
