Though tuition is very expensive, you can reduce the other expenses making up the COA.
1. If you look up the store circular/advertisement, you can find many fruits and vegetables for less than a dollar a pound. For example, I usually get apples (and other vegetables and fruits) for about 50-70 cents a pound. The normal price is about one dollar a pound. You can eat about 4,000 calories a day and only spend 120 dollars a month if you find the appropriate deals. (I spent 100 dollars a month on food while eating 4,000 daily calories of very healthy food. Fruits, vegetables, nuts, seafood, pasta) Buy store-brand cereal instead of the "name brand". The "slightly ripe" bananas are 29 cents a pound here in CA while the "brand new" ones are 57 cents a pound.
2. Do you really need the expensive phone plane? You could get a prepaid phone or just cut out the text messaging/non essential (for most people) options.
3. Get a used car that is still under warranty. (2 or 3 years old) Your insurance cost will be less for that Chevrolet Malibu or Ford Fusion than that BMW 325 that you are looking at.
4. Buy name-brand clothes at Marshalls, TJ Maxs, Kohls, etc instead of at Abercrombie and Fitch or the Gap.
5. You can cook your balanced meal in volume; thus you only have to cook once every two or three days. You also don't have to wash the saucepans and pots so often.
6. If you attend movies, buy matinee tickets. There are a ton of ways to save...🙂
