Alright, so you’re racking up $12,000 a year in college debt, and you figure you’ll be paying off your school off until you are 40. Can it get any worse? Well, yes, the cost of living is not cheap either, and you don’t have enormous amounts of cash flowing in. This is when students need to get creative about spending their money wisely. Fortunately, there are many ways to live on the cheap. Here are a few easy ones.

1. One of the biggies is leaving your car parked. A parked car does not drain gas money. Bring a bike to school, of walk from place to place. You will save some green and get some good exercise at the same time walking or biking to wherever you need to go.

2. When it comes to food, there are a few options to eat on the cheap, and it all begins with Ramen Noodles. Yes, Ramens aren’t the healthiest option, but considering a whole week’s worth of lunch cost about a buck makes them more enticing. If you find yourself constantly buying snacks and goodies to munch on between meals, borrow them instead from the dining hall. With the amount of money that you are paying for your meal plan, taking an apple for an afternoon snack is not a big deal.

3. When you go shopping for basic goods, make it a cost-effective trip. Do your shopping at a Wal-Mart or a dollar store if you can. You can also buy in bulk to save money per unit. Shop at a Sam’s Club or Costco if you can. See if you can split the cost of a membership among several people and save some money that way.

4. Utilize your student status. Find out about deals that are only available for college students. You will be shocked at how much money you can save by simply flashing your student ID. At the movie theater in Indianola, we can get into late shows for $2, making for an inexpensive, fun night.

5. Lastly, if you are bottled water drinker, dump the bottles and drink good old tap water. When bottled water costs more than gasoline, it doesn’t make financial sense to drink it. Buy a good water jug, and get in the habit of carrying that instead. Besides, you’re doing our environment a favor by not needlessly wasting all those plastic bottles.

These are just a few easy ways to save some green. Keep your eyes open, and you will surely discover more ways to make your hard-earned money go further.