we keep talking about debt...

Started by Doh Boy Fresh
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
D

Doh Boy Fresh

Full Member
10+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
So, here is my quetsion...

What tips do you guys have for saving money while IN dental school... I plan on attending UIC so any tips reg. UIC in particular or other general tips would help!
 
food and entertainment costs can really get high fast.
be smart about eating out vs. grocery shopping
dont drink too much - or too expensively 😛
limit yourself on trips to the movie theater, concerts, etc so that you are not spending a ton of high interest money on these things
 
Doh Boy Fresh said:
So, here is my quetsion...

What tips do you guys have for saving money while IN dental school... I plan on attending UIC so any tips reg. UIC in particular or other general tips would help!
Click to expand...

don't go to the bars:laugh:

seriously though live as close to school as possible, cook at home, don't get cable tv, and stay single.
 
carbide said:
don't go to the bars:laugh:

seriously though live as close to school as possible, cook at home, don't get cable tv, and stay single.
Click to expand...

good call on not having cable - for the first 2 or so years, you wont have time to watch tv anyways.
 
invest in a coffee maker if that's your thing instead of going to starbucks every day
 
* Cup-O-Noodle for lunch
* Drink only tap water
* Costco food samples for complete meals
* IKEA 99 cents daily breakfast
* Shop for clothes at Frugal Fannies
* Cancel home internet
* Hang dry your clothes
* Cancel home phone
* fatwallet.com
* Cancel home cable
* McDonald's/BK/Wendy's Dollar menu
* Females don't use makeup
* Buy grocery items that are B1G1 free
* Don't ever pay for software
* Drink at home before going out to niteclub
* Split apart your doublelayer toilet paper for double usage
* Read "The Millionaire Next Door"
 
Daurang said:
* Split apart your doublelayer toilet paper for double usage
Click to expand...

:uhno:

Wow... I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.


To the OP: The things people do to save money in undergrad or out there in the working world work just the same way in d-school.
 
-don't live in university housing --> it's usually overpriced. you can get something much nice for a couple hundred dollars less per month
-make your lunch everyday --> eating out for lunch everyday is very, very expensive
-pre-game (hard) before going out and nurse a beer or 2 at the bar/club
-limit how many times you go out to eat to 1 night
-dump your car if you don't absolutely need it --> insurance is expensive

if you do these 5 things you will easily save $5000+/year and will not come off as a tightwad. nobody likes a tightwad.

Hup
 
- bring your own lunch (definately cheaper then eating out)
- make your own coffee every morning
- skip out on the cable tv (you absolutely won't have time to watch it and you'll be able to find tons of tv shows online now)
- pregaming is always good
- put aside a set amount of money each month for eating out/hanging out with friends/having fun...and when it's gone be done with it
- costco membership with a few of your dental school friends
- don't drive unless you absolutely need to and start using the bus
 
thanks! these are some really helpful tips - esp about univ. housing... i was debating that...also is it safer to live with roommates vs alone? Do you guys recommend living solo, or with 1 roommate?
 
Doh Boy Fresh said:
thanks! these are some really helpful tips - esp about univ. housing... i was debating that...also is it safer to live with roommates vs alone? Do you guys recommend living solo, or with 1 roommate?
Click to expand...
Have you been living at home with your parents these past four years?
 
moral of the story is that if you drink Popov you will be fine financially
 
Dentgirl09 said:
Is it possible to have a job during D school? Honestly? Say.. Kaplan tutor or bartender?
Click to expand...

I'm not a student yet, but I doubt it. I mean you're studying all the time. Although when my dentist was in school she used to do her classmates lab work for cash. LOL
 
theres people that do it, also theres work study but its pretty rare to see people do those in the first couple years. It all comes down to the requirements of the job and the ability of the student to juggle
 
Dentgirl09 said:
Is it possible to have a job during D school? Honestly? Say.. Kaplan tutor or bartender?
Click to expand...

Is the few hundred dollars that you'd make worth the struggle and stress when you're paying hundreds of thousand of dollars for your education?
 
DrReo said:
Is the few hundred dollars that you'd make worth the struggle and stress when you're paying hundreds of thousand of dollars for your education?
Click to expand...

AMEN.
that is why i quit doing fast food in high school and did not work fast food while doing undergrad.

when you're a dentist, you could make the few hundred dollars you'd make a month slaving at a mcdonald's in a single day. actually, you could probably make like three times as much in a single day as a dentist as you would slaving away an entire month at a horrible greasy fast food job.

think about the future 🙄
 
I was thinking of it more as a way to pay for things such as food and a car payment. I know if I don't pay for it my parents will try to pay for it because they wont' let me take loans out on something like food. If I continued working with Kaplan I could make decent money for working 4-8 hours per week.... enough to eat off of at the least?

If it really is that big of a stressor id definitely give it up. No reason sacrificing my d-school education for it.... but I worked 20-30 hours per week during undergrad (not that undergrad is necessarily comparable to dschool) but cutting the 20-30 downto 4-8 may be OK? I also did work-study which was nice being able to study part of the time.

I don't live too crazily right now..... I pay for food... about 300 / month at least in DC.... and my going out.... and don't get to save any money really. I could def save a little here and there but not enough to be anything significant so I use it for pleasure instead. I also pay for my flights back adn forth home and that adds up a little bit.

I'm just curious as to whether anyone does it.... or is it just a thing you should only really do if its completely necessary? Maybe I could work nonstop this summer and save up $$ for the first year at the least?
 
i tutored gross anatomy on saturdays 4-8 hours - enough $ to burn on fun stuff and food. but this was towards the end of DS2 through DS4 year. and mostly in the fall.

i had only one friend that worked (at best buy) in 3rd year and as a hostess at a golf course on the weekends for a couple years - but shes amazingly organized and a major multitasker. and i know a girl that did lab work for an orthodontist - got paid per model she trimmed, etc.

overall, not that many people really worked in my class. these are rare cases. give it at least until you figure out 2nd year without massive heartburn until you try working. if you must do it, try to find something that you can bring study material along.
 
texas_dds said:
i tutored gross anatomy on saturdays 4-8 hours - enough $ to burn on fun stuff and food. but this was towards the end of DS2 through DS4 year. and mostly in the fall.

i had only one friend that worked (at best buy) in 3rd year and as a hostess at a golf course on the weekends for a couple years - but shes amazingly organized and a major multitasker. and i know a girl that did lab work for an orthodontist - got paid per model she trimmed, etc.

overall, not that many people really worked in my class. these are rare cases. give it at least until you figure out 2nd year without massive heartburn until you try working. if you must do it, try to find something that you can bring study material along.
Click to expand...

Thanks tex. I suppose you are right. Much smarter to focus on dschool until I got it down... then venture out into doing other things in my spare time. I suppose I shoudl use the "work time" to maybe have some time to myself so I won't go nuts. Thanks for the advice and letting me know what ppl ACTUALLY do in dschool. 🙂
 
no problem - just remember, being a dental student, especially right at first - is a full time job and more. you have to be ok with the idea of borrowing to eat. just be glad you dont have a family of 4 as well, some of your classmates will.
 
carbide said:
don't go to the bars:laugh:

seriously though live as close to school as possible, cook at home, don't get cable tv, and stay single.
Click to expand...

great advice. girl/boyfriends get expensive especially when you pay for them too!
 
DROCKINDAHOUSE said:
No kidding. I was thinking the same thing. Maybe the OP was lucky enough to have rich parents paying the tab.
Click to expand...


There is no need for rudeness... i do not live with my parents nor are my parents rich.

I am asking because I currently attend an undergrad that is in a very suburban-like environment (aka Super safe). The dental school I will be attending will be in the city of chicago, and I"ve had SEVERAL med/dental students in the area there tell me it's safest to live either in school provided housing or not live singly...for safety reasons. Don't be a dick. Thanks.
 
Doh Boy Fresh said:
There is no need for rudeness... i do not live with my parents nor are my parents rich.

I am asking because I currently attend an undergrad that is in a very suburban-like environment (aka Super safe). The dental school I will be attending will be in the city of chicago, and I"ve had SEVERAL med/dental students in the area there tell me it's safest to live either in school provided housing or not live singly...for safety reasons. Don't be a dick. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Who's being rude?

Both the person that made the initial observation and I were merely commenting on how you seemed to be so impressed by the comments which suggested you should eat Ramen noodles and not buy expensive drinks at clubs. Who doesn't know how to live cheaply?

You sounded like a rich kid who had never lived on his own. Oh, and I have the right to be a d*** when and where I so choose. Grow up and stop insulting people anonymously online.
 
DROCKINDAHOUSE said:
Who's being rude?

Both the person that made the initial observation and I were merely commenting on how you seemed to be so impressed by the comments which suggested you should eat Ramen noodles and not buy expensive drinks at clubs. Who doesn't know how to live cheaply?

You sounded like a rich kid who had never lived on his own. Oh, and I have the right to be a d*** when and where I so choose. Grow up and stop insulting people anonymously online.
Click to expand...


1. WHo is being rude--> you.
2. Dude, I opened the forum asking for any money saving tips ... do you seriously think that i'm then going to turn around to the kind respondents and say, "um, yeah, thats' for the "impressive" responses about ramen noodles (which btw, I NEVER mentioned) that happened in your head...and honestly, if you are that smart you would realize that the fact that i asked for money saving tips = my parents are not rich... and
3.... lol look who just said "oh i have a right to be a dick when adn where I choose...and then turns aroudn and tells me to stop insultin people anonymously online...you sound like a person that doens't know what he's talking about...thank god you went the dental route and not the law school route, you make no sense.
 
Doh Boy Fresh said:
1. WHo is being rude--> you.
2. Dude, I opened the forum asking for any money saving tips ... do you seriously think that i'm then going to turn around to the kind respondents and say, "um, yeah, thats' for the "impressive" responses about ramen noodles (which btw, I NEVER mentioned) that happened in your head...and honestly, if you are that smart you would realize that the fact that i asked for money saving tips = my parents are not rich... and
3.... lol look who just said "oh i have a right to be a dick when adn where I choose...and then turns aroudn and tells me to stop insultin people anonymously online...you sound like a person that doens't know what he's talking about...thank god you went the dental route and not the law school route, you make no sense.
Click to expand...

I told you to stop insulting people because you were. Me saying that I have the right to be a d*** was in no way insulting to you.

You're the one who was being rude. But either way you are amusing.

The whole reason I commented was because I really felt this thread was pointless. How is "saving money in dental school" any different than saving money in real life? That's right, there is no difference. Dental school isn't some magical place where you exchange all your real money for "dental school dollars" and you can only spend so many. If you know how to live on a budget and spend sparingly then you should be fine. Obviously, because you posted this you gave everyone the impression that you had no clue.

Do I still not make any sense?
 
Last edited:
DROCKINDAHOUSE said:
I told you to stop insulting people because you were. Me saying that I have the right to be a d*** was in no way insulting to you.

You're the one who was being rude. But either way you are amusing.

The whole reason I commented was because I really felt this thread was pointless. How is "saving money in dental school" any different than saving money in real life? That's right, there is no difference. Dental school isn't some magical place where you exchange all your real money for "dental school dollars" and you can only spend so many. If you know how to live on a budget and spend sparingly then you should be fine. Obviously, because you posted this you gave everyone the impression that you had no clue.

Do I still not make any sense?
Click to expand...

Now that I"m amusing, I am over it. joy.
 
DROCKINDAHOUSE said:
I told you to stop insulting people because you were. Me saying that I have the right to be a d*** was in no way insulting to you.

You're the one who was being rude. But either way you are amusing.

The whole reason I commented was because I really felt this thread was pointless. How is "saving money in dental school" any different than saving money in real life? That's right, there is no difference. Dental school isn't some magical place where you exchange all your real money for "dental school dollars" and you can only spend so many. If you know how to live on a budget and spend sparingly then you should be fine. Obviously, because you posted this you gave everyone the impression that you had no clue.

Do I still not make any sense?
Click to expand...

Okay Mr. RC-24. How is it pointless? The OP wants dental students (i.e. not you) to comment on ways to save cash, obvious or not.
 
DrReo said:
Okay Mr. RC-24. How is it pointless? The OP wants dental students (i.e. not you) to comment on ways to save cash, obvious or not.
Click to expand...

Oh hello Mr. RC-18, did you READ the statements I made in the post below? Can anyone tell us how saving money in dental school is any different from saving money in, oh I don't know, real life?



DROCKINDAHOUSE said:
The whole reason I commented was because I really felt this thread was pointless. How is "saving money in dental school" any different than saving money in real life? That's right, there is no difference. Dental school isn't some magical place where you exchange all your real money for "dental school dollars" and you can only spend so many. If you know how to live on a budget and spend sparingly then you should be fine. Obviously, because you posted this you gave everyone the impression that you had no clue.
Click to expand...
 
DROCKINDAHOUSE said:
Oh hello Mr. RC-18, did you READ the statements I made in the post below? Can anyone tell us how saving money in dental school is any different from saving money in, oh I don't know, real life?
Click to expand...

In dental school, the OP might be faced with the choice of buying $1200 worth of brand new text books. That's a lot of money that the OP might be willing to spend if someone suggests the books are absolutely critical to passing classes. But if the general consensus among upperclassmen at the OP's dental school is that class notes are sufficient to pass, the OP may choose not to buy the books and thus save $1200. I have yet to encounter in real life a debate of whether to buy textbooks or not when I think about saving money.

Things like cooking at home, not buying Starbucks, and living with roommates are ways to save money that apply from real life. However, dilemmas like buying textbooks, buying various clinical supplies, and buying disability insurance as a student are potential money saving areas that are unclear as to whether the student should go cheap to save the money but potentially have a negative effect on his/her education & career, or just spend the money and make life as a student better.

There were lots of "required" supplies for our dental school that you could not purchase and do just fine, and there were other "required" supplies that were absolutely essential for your education.
 
maybe you're a self-sufficient person... but I look to the advice of those before me to avoid making the same mistakes. If this is what I want to do, let me do it in peace... and honestly, you're not even a dental student yet, so don't answer a question that wasn't posed to you in the first place.

Thanks.
 
Dentgirl09 said:
Is it possible to have a job during D school? Honestly? Say.. Kaplan tutor or bartender?
Click to expand...

It totally depends on the school you attend, the job hours and what semester you are in at D-school. I tutored other dental/medical students 2nd-4th year and made good money while getting free studying for boards, etc. Check with your dental school if you have good grades after 1st year, they often have a tutoring program that if you qualify for is a great opportunity! I made $12/hour to "study."

Also, If you can swing a bartending gig on say Friday/Saturday nights or one of the above, you could easily walk away with $100-200/night for 6-7 hours work. That is $400/month unless you are serving your poor dental school friends who aren't tipping you....(I speak from experience, unfortunately) 🙂
 
I agree with others. It depends on the intensity of the school program you are attending and on you. Some people can retain info. quickly and easily while others need to spend more time. If that's the case, working might not be an option. Most students will agree that year 1 and 2 are the hardest. Maybe a job in yr 3 and 4 is more feasible. Anyways best of luck! :luck:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.