It might have just caught up to you: a nearly empty bank account.
And with exams lingering around the corner and rearing their ugly heads, you might not have time to pick up an extra job. Here are a few tips for surviving on meager funds without abandoning your social life or standard of living.
Food Buy all food for the week ahead of time at stores such as Food Lion.
A box of oatmeal will last you 10 mornings. A loaf of bread and a packet of cheese will, depending on how many slices of bread there are, last at least four days (if you eat one sandwich for lunch, one for dinner). Buy a large bag of chips to accompany your daily sandwiches, and limit drinks to bottles of water, which you can refill at any water fountain.
Make sure you go grocery shopping once a week only, to avoid using much gas. And avoid shopping when you're hungry if you don't want to arrive back home laden with bags of food and your bank account running on empty.
The same goes for midnight snacks. Buy a few snacks, in bulk, ahead of time so that the next time your brain calls for a break, you won't be suckered into paying $15 on a delivered pizza and cheesy bread.
If you are going out, stay local to avoid filling your tank. Hit up Hillsborough Street, where the fare includes anything from Italian to Greek to Chinese, or walk to Cameron Village.
Entertainment Make it a movie night. Gather your friends around the TV for a night of the classics -- anything you might have stacked away on your shelf.
Although traditional movie theaters might be expensive, Carmike Blue Ridge 14 Cinema is not your traditional $7.50 splurge. For $1.50 per ticket you can catch Enchanted, 27 Dresses, Cloverfield, There Will Be Blood, Definitely, Maybe and I Am Legend, among others, this week.
If that newly released DVD is a must-see, check it out from Red Box -- $1 at the Harris Teeter in Cameron Village. However, make sure to return the movie the next day or your credit card or debit account will be charged.
Take advantage of living in the capital of North Carolina. Visit the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and the North Carolina Museum of Art, both of which have permanent collections and exhibits that are free to the public.
Cheap dates Take advantage of mother nature. Organize an outdoor picnic at Pullen Park (with sandwiches, about $2.50) or go paddle boating at Lake Johnson ($5).
Go for coffee -- preferably a diner or some other place that serves free refills.
See: Entertainment and Food.
Utilize on-campus resources Don't immerse yourself in book stores such as Barnes and Noble -- you might end up buying a book you could check out from the library, which has anything from new releases to the classics. Books are checked out on a 30-day basis, with one 30-day renewal allowed. You can also check out iPods from the library for a period of seven days.
From Thursday to Sunday, the Campus Cinema will be featuring Charlie Wilson's War and Juno. Tickets are $1.50.
As a last resort: If you have something that's truly dispensable, or if you have an extra of something, use The Wolf Web's Classifieds to sell it for a few extra bucks.
SOURCE: D.H. Hill Library, Campus Cinema
