10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
Summary: 10 simple, easy ways to cut down the techy costs of college and university - from cloud storage to investing in a decent smartphone, and 'pay as you go' e-book downloads.
After spending four years at my university, I have come to realise how much money I have all but literally flushed down the loo because of my unwise choices with choosing technology.
But there are a few tricks up my sleeve still, as I prepare to take my final exams in May and leave my undergraduate years behind.
1. Invest in a smartphone with a good data plan so not only your social life can fall into one device, but also hardware features too, like a decent camera and a music player.
2. E-books are often cheaper than their paper equivalent and in some cases are stored in the cloud for on-demand access.
3. Don't forget second hand books on Amazon are also a way to find extremely cheap books at a fraction of the price.
4. Download large content on campus where bandwidth restrictions are usually non-existent. It's very easy to bust that monthly download limit at home, especially with fellow students sharing your house.
5. Take advantage of free Wi-Fi when you can to alleviate the 'pressure' on your data plan. But if you are using someones free wireless network in a cafe or coffee house, get a brew out of politeness.
6. 'Pay as you go' as much as you can and take advantage of the student discount you have. Your student email alone should grant you access to cheap software, sometimes available by your academic department.
7. Netbooks are easier on your wallet than tablets, laptops or desktops. They will last longer and do everything you need them to do. So why splash out on something when you clearly don't need to?
8. Television on the web might be cheaper than you think. Even catching up on on-demand services instead of paying for the TV licence in the UK would already save out $200.
9. Take the free cloud storage services like Dropbox instead of paying for dozens of flash drives or expensive solid-state drives.
10. Black and white laser printers can be huge and bulky but they will last you an incredibly long time. While it may not be cheaper than a deskjet printer, consider this as an investment, seeing as universities often charge you even more to print on campus.
What other money saving tips do you have up your sleeve?
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Talkback
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
Getting second hand books off ebay/amazon is more like taking a loan out, as once you have finished with them you can normally sell it for the same price, I wasted so much money in my first year buying new book, then when the cash started to run out i started buying second hand ones and have never looked back.
One thing about point 8, watch out in case the law changes (in the UK anyway), even now you cant watch live tv, and its easier for the tv licence company to check which houses are watching tv thoufh the internet compared to the old days where you received it through the aerial.
This is off topic, but TV license fees
I help myself to large amounts of BBC programming here in the US and A. I wanted to contribute something for all this great programming I enjoy, so I contacted the BBC and asked to buy a TV license (even though I live in the US). If they issued a paper or something I could at least frame it and put it on my cube wall.
BBC wrote me back and said that because I'm not in the UK, they wouldn't take my money and wouldn't sell me a license.
Why the hell not? If someone came to my business and wanted to give us money for a piece of paper, we'd take the money and give the paper, even if it were something they didn't need and couldn't use.
At a time when BBC services are being slashed, this policy is idiotic. Why not set up an ecommerce site, accept paypal, and sell UK TV licenses to anyone worldwide who wants one?
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
Well done for trying to support the BBC, our government seems to be trying its best to get rid of it!
But I agree with you that its a shame that its often seen a good thing to get out of paying it. when you look at how much it does its a worthy thing to support.
Well, here's a radical thought. Let's let the people
BBC Woes
Many BBC/ITV shows are online, but limited to UK IP addresses. I $200/month to Comcast with fewer and fewer shows. I'd gladly pay $200 for a license to allow my IP address to watch shows. Now that the BBC's budget is getting slashed, I can't understand why they'd refuse a revenue stream, even if its from the colonies.
DJEliott, let me tell you about an app called Vuze
I can't for the life of me understand why instead of Top Gear and Gordon Ramsey, we in America aren't watching lots of Attenborough series. Those shows have a civilizing effect on people.
BBC is making a serious mistake in not getting more of its programming on American TV. It would make people have a much better appreciation of the soul of Britain if they could spend a lot more time connecting with its events and culture. That would advance British interests (hint hint).
In the meantime, for a preview of what exists visit thepiratebay.org and type in "BBC".
Um, don't feel guilty. BBC programming is SOLD
I wrote them emails asking where to send a check
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
They could do with a separate, reduced, iPlayer license for non-TV license payers
I disagree with most of these points
2) eBooks may be cheaper, but they're not necessarily the best to study with, and if it's part of your future profession, having paper you can access is nice (your mileage may vary, however).
3) I agree with this point 100%. Buying used hurts the disgustingly overpriced textbook industry as much as piracy does, but you get to do it without the morality issues. I'm not being sarcastic, I honestly think the textbook market needs to be hurt bad so they stop gouging students.
4) I guess bandwidth restrictions are a UK thing, in the US they're essentially non-existent and I usually had faster internet at home than on campus (also, fewer peering eyes at what I was downloading).
5) Free Wi-Fi is sufficiently common place that a data plan is really just for convenience sake (and while worth it if you can pay the cost, it's hard to justify it as a penniless student.
6) I agree this is a great use of your student email (hang onto it after you graduate)
7) They are easier on the wallet, but if outlets are abundant and your hands don't fit on the tiny keyboard, a cheapo-Dell for $400 will serve you just as well for mobility and better for actually typing.
8) I strongly agree - also, paying ala carte gives networks a fair cut as does watching online (the network put it there, so they're obviously getting something for it). Even after college this is a better plan.
9) Flash drives are so ridiculously cheap and files are so small that a single one will store all of the documents you're likely to need for presentations around campus. Also, a flash drive requires that you reveal less of your personal life to classmates when accessing a presentation via a projector.
10) While I agree it's a good investment, a better option is to minimize printing. Keep notes on your computer, don't print out every presentation your professor has ever thought about printing. Computers are supposed to be making us paperless, not more paper dependent. The thing though about the laserjet is that it's unlikely to pay for itself over even 4 years - unless you're printing a ream a month, you're probably better with a cheapo ink jet and/or on campus printing.
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
Thank you, thank you, for not touting the iPad ...
The biggest thing that helped me was
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college
Step 1: Do NOT go to College...
saving without giving up
RE: 10 techy ways to cut the costs of college