Being a student can be a bittersweet experience. You get to learn more about things you are interested in and keep a flexible schedule, of many other things. However, it typically also comes with a price of not making a great income and living poorly, unless you have wealthy parents or a highly paid partner who can support you. Being a graduate student, I hate to think about how much debt I carry, especially during this time of year when all of those end-of-the-year statements come for tax purposes. Ugh. Anyways, one thing that students CAN use to their advantage is having a student ID card. Many businesses provide discounts to students, and its important to always ask/research even if it doesn't explicitly say.
Most commonly, I think students use their student IDs for movie theater tickets, which can give you at least a couple of bucks off of your ticket. These discount tickets can similarly also be found for other types of shows like concerts and plays. Universities and colleges tend to also provide discounts on computers and other essential technology from stores like Apple and Dell, which you can shop online for in addition to a school store. Microsoft Office, for instance, also provides a line of their software specifically for the student budget that can get you through college with the just basics. If you travel a lot, this is another great place to look for student discounts - Amtrak (Train) and Greyhound Bus lines provide student discount programs, and STA Travel and Student Universe provide excellent databases on airfare at a student price. Major cell phone service providers may also provide you a student discount, including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile. I'd recommend googling these for more information, but I want you to know they do exist, and cell phone bills are insanely high, so be sure to check it out if its applicable for you!
The list can go on, so just be sure to look anywhere you go or stores that you frequent to see if they provide discounts for students. My favorite student discount I have found is through Amazon.com. They provide a free 1-year membership of Amazon Prime, which is a great way to get free 2-day shipping on most of the items Amazon.com sells. If you would like to learn more about how to sign up for a free student account, click here. I probably buy 75% of my non-grocery items from Amazon, simply because they have great deals for people on a budget, and fast free shipping only makes things even better! The point here is, NEVER stop looking for student discounts, because there are a lot of sympathetic businesses out there to help you during a financially difficult time in your life!
Showing posts with label discounts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label discounts. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Get Your Groupon!
My apologies to those of you who have been looking forward to a new post for a while. While I am amidst studying and writing for my last real year of intense doctoral studies, writing here will be a good break for me :)
On this post I would love to mention a website I recently discovered, thanks to CNN.com, called Groupon. Groupon is a website that offers amazing deals in numerous U.S. cities and other countries. I'm not just talking about $5 off a meal, no, I am talking about SERIOUS deals. Here's how it works: each day a new "deal" is posted for each particular city/ location. You can choose to purchase that deal with a credit card, however, enough people must also purchase that deal in order to "activate" it. Don't worry, if you buy the deal and it doesn't make, your card will not be charged. What they want you to do is to help others also buy that deal, and if you do, you receive $10! (Refer by me at: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu4275448)
Why would a business do this? While they are offering insanely good deals, they are looking to drive in a new customer base, and get more people to come to them by putting up this deal, assuming enough people buy it. Businesses range from restaurants to shopping, to parks and attractions - you just never know what you will see! You can also subscribe to daily emails for a specific location so that you don't need to check the website everyday.
"But wait a minute, my city isn't on here. This probably won't be of use to me." I hear ya. Another great way to use Groupon is for planning vacations. For example, on my last trip to Las Vegas, which is a featured city on Groupon, we did a Red Rock Canyon Tour provided by Scoot City tours. It was one of our more expensive activities at $119 per person. Groupon previously offered a deal with Scoot City Tours for the same tour for two people for half the price! $110 for two people! I couldn't believe it! Be sure to check the fine print of the deal, since most of the deals have an expiration date of at least a couple of months away. There are a ton of cities on Groupon, so I would encourage you to watch for the deals, especially if you are planning a vacation in the future!
On this post I would love to mention a website I recently discovered, thanks to CNN.com, called Groupon. Groupon is a website that offers amazing deals in numerous U.S. cities and other countries. I'm not just talking about $5 off a meal, no, I am talking about SERIOUS deals. Here's how it works: each day a new "deal" is posted for each particular city/ location. You can choose to purchase that deal with a credit card, however, enough people must also purchase that deal in order to "activate" it. Don't worry, if you buy the deal and it doesn't make, your card will not be charged. What they want you to do is to help others also buy that deal, and if you do, you receive $10! (Refer by me at: http://www.groupon.com/r/uu4275448)
Why would a business do this? While they are offering insanely good deals, they are looking to drive in a new customer base, and get more people to come to them by putting up this deal, assuming enough people buy it. Businesses range from restaurants to shopping, to parks and attractions - you just never know what you will see! You can also subscribe to daily emails for a specific location so that you don't need to check the website everyday.
"But wait a minute, my city isn't on here. This probably won't be of use to me." I hear ya. Another great way to use Groupon is for planning vacations. For example, on my last trip to Las Vegas, which is a featured city on Groupon, we did a Red Rock Canyon Tour provided by Scoot City tours. It was one of our more expensive activities at $119 per person. Groupon previously offered a deal with Scoot City Tours for the same tour for two people for half the price! $110 for two people! I couldn't believe it! Be sure to check the fine print of the deal, since most of the deals have an expiration date of at least a couple of months away. There are a ton of cities on Groupon, so I would encourage you to watch for the deals, especially if you are planning a vacation in the future!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Getting a AAA Membership
If you own a car, or travel with someone frequently in their car, consider getting a AAA membership. Although they provide many forms of insurance, their membership program provides 24-hour roadside assistance at very reasonable prices. Basic membership dues start at $53 a year. Plus, you save by using your AAA membership EVERYWHERE. Hotels, restaurants, entertainment, you name it, you will likely get a discount of some kind (The AAA website provides a list of discounts for your area when a zip code is entered.)
I can advocate that AAA can be a real lifesaver when those inconvenient, and sometimes huge car emergencies come up. My Grandmother still has a membership and anytime I was having an issue with the car, like one time I got locked out of the car, she called AAA, they dispatched an associated AAA towing/auto service, and they came and unlocked my car, free of charge. All you have to do is have the AAA member present. Just this past winter I was in another car conundrum on the road (on the way to the airport, just our luck), and I wished we would have had a AAA membership (We have since moved out of my Grandma's area :( ) it would have saved a lot of worry and money, since towing a car in it self is usually around $100-$150 dollars. (Depending on the level of membership, AAA will agree to tow your car x-amount of miles.)
For the discounts and personal reassurance a AAA membership can provide, I believe it is worth the small cost. Check out what they can offer you at http://www.aaa.com
I can advocate that AAA can be a real lifesaver when those inconvenient, and sometimes huge car emergencies come up. My Grandmother still has a membership and anytime I was having an issue with the car, like one time I got locked out of the car, she called AAA, they dispatched an associated AAA towing/auto service, and they came and unlocked my car, free of charge. All you have to do is have the AAA member present. Just this past winter I was in another car conundrum on the road (on the way to the airport, just our luck), and I wished we would have had a AAA membership (We have since moved out of my Grandma's area :( ) it would have saved a lot of worry and money, since towing a car in it self is usually around $100-$150 dollars. (Depending on the level of membership, AAA will agree to tow your car x-amount of miles.)
For the discounts and personal reassurance a AAA membership can provide, I believe it is worth the small cost. Check out what they can offer you at http://www.aaa.com
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