Going to College on a Budget

My Bachelor Graduation Picture
Photo Credit: Dream2Be Photography 

I feel like I have gone to school for my entire life, especially since I didn’t take the traditional route for school. I got my Associates of Arts at a community college, then my Bachelors in an Adult Program and now currently working on my MBA.


Something people always asks is "How did you get your Degrees with little to no debt?" I am going to give you my tips and tricks on how to become educated on a budget.

1. Attend Community College: This is probably the smartest thing you can do. The classes are so much cheaper and you get the same type of education. What some people don’t tell you is that you have to go General Education classes before taking classes for your major.

2. Get a Job: While I was taking a full load of classes during my college career I also worked 2 part time jobs until I graduated with my Bachelors. I loved having the freedom of having my own money and I didn’t really have to depend on anyone.

Do not spend $600 for a texbook...

3. Rent Textbooks: This is the biggest piece of advice for any college student! Don’t buy those books, save your money and the environment and rent instead. I don’t care if a professor tells you “Keep your books, you will need to reference them.” You will never open them again. Unless you were like one of my classmates, she kept her Microeconomics book. She reads it when she can’t fall asleep and then knocks out 3 minutes later. You will see the steps below on how to find a book for cheap:

• Get a hold of the ISBN Number, it will be a 10-13 digit number near the bar code of the book. You can find this at the bookstore, in your syllabus or can ask the professor. 
• Look up ISBN# for rent in your preferred search engine.
• Compare prices, while you are doing that look for coupon codes too!
• Then pay for your rental, make sure to save boxes or stock up on large mailing envelopes. You will need them when your class is over and need to send back your textbooks.

4. Grants and Scholarships: Take advantage of this kind of free money. That’s how I graduated with ZERO debt for my Associates Degree and cut my tuition in half for my Bachelors Degree. Make sure you can keep your grades up for these options, otherwise you might have to pay back some how. Be aware once you are in Grad school these aren’t as openly available to you, use them for your undergrad! Also do not use your grants and scholarships on things you don’t need, use them for tuition and textbooks. I will never forget when I was a Freshman, people would use their grant or student loan money on matching sweats with the college logo, don’t be like them. You will have to payback the student loans with tons on interest!

5. Tuition Reimbursement: I am using this option for my MBA. My job will be paying for about half of my tuition cost if I get an A or B in my class. Before going this route make sure that you understand the terms of Tuition Reimbursement. If I want to leave tomorrow I can without having to pay anything back. Other employers make them stay for a certain amount of time after giving their employees the money, if you leave get ready to pay up.

6. Buy supplies on clearance: I get my supplies after the back-to-school rush. Once you start going to school you will know what you will need. Get the necessities such as pens, pencils, binders, loose leaf paper, highlighters, and notebooks.

7. Do not buy Microsoft Office: Yes, you will need it for college, but guess what? You can get it for free! All you have to do is sign up with your school email and they will give you the most updated Microsoft Office for your laptop. It will just require a quick download.

8. Shop around colleges: Look into difficult colleges, many are over priced and you can attend somewhere else for half the price. When doing homework for my MBA, the school I wanted to go to would cost me over $80,000 not including textbooks. I ended up finding a wonderful private school that will only cost me $42,500. That’s is something I can deal with better.

9. MBA students: you may not have to take the GMAT Exam. Many programs waive this exam, look into your chosen program before signing up for the actual exam. My school waived it due to having a High GPA and work experience. I wish I would have known that before stressing and paying hundreds in exam and prep fees.

10. Ask graduates for advice: We are more than willing to share tips and tricks to help you succeed. Do not be shy to ask, there is honestly no dumb questions. Not everyone has someone in their lives to be a good resources, and we wholeheartedly understand that. When you graduate, you become part of a selfless group of people who want to see others reach their dreams and goals. 

My favorite quote about education!

I hope these tips bring you success as you educate yourself and reach that precious goal of obtaining a College Education. I know some days are harder than others, but once you walk across that stage and see your name on that paper it is all worth it!

Con Amor,

Adriana 💕

Vacation Money Wall

As mentioned in my last post I have started my debt-free journey. While that means I am on a budget, that doesn't mean that I am throwing travel out the window. Before I had no issue putting plane tickets, hotels and vacation packages on a credit card, then making payments every month. I have definitely learned that paying cash or with a debit card is the way to go. While reading Love Your Life Not Theirs I have learned about "sinking funds". This basically means that you save up money little by little, every week or every payday to save up for upcoming or reoccurring expenses. This gave me the idea of making a Vacation Money Wall.

Vacation Money Wall in my bedroom

My money wall this year are for the upcoming trips I have planned New Orleans for Mardi Gras, Oaxaca, and a New Years Trip to somewhere warm. My portion of the house on Airbnb and my plane ticket have already been paid for Mardi Gras, so now I just to save up spending money. I get paid weekly so I take out $60 a week and split it up accordingly. It is much easier to take out cash little by little every payday rather than having to come up with a large amount of money by the time of the trip. 

It very important to keep in mind to keep on top of this type of saving and to not take money from it when money gets tight. It is a nice motivation to put the envelopes somewhere you can see them everyday, it gives you a little more motivation to keep stuffing your envelopes. Imagine how liberating it is to come back home from your vacation and you do not have to worry how to pay off that credit card bill, you actually come back relaxed. 

I love this quote I found on Pinterest, it is a perfect example of why the Money Wall is such a great idea!

A good example to keep in mind while doing this new form or budgeting is that it gives you such a peace of mind when planning your travel. When you go on social media you might see all of these people traveling to these gorgeous places, but what we might not know is that they charged everything on their credit card, from the airline tickets to the new designer sunglasses. They maybe paying off that trip for years to come, while you already paid everything in cash and can start saving for your next trip!

What do you do to budget for an upcoming vacation?

Con Amor,

Adriana