Do you want to save more money? These are the things I stopped buying to save extra money as a college student!

There are only two ways to have more money: increase your income or decrease your spending.

Today I’m going to focus on ways to decrease your spending. Even as a college student with a low budget, you’d be surprised at how many ways you can probably cut your spending even further to save some extra money each month.

It’s easy to justify little splurges here and there by having a “treat yo’self” mindset. And I’m not saying that’s a bad thing at all!

In fact, you might want to dedicate a small amount of “fun money” each month that you can spend on whatever you want.

But little splurges quickly add up if you aren’t careful and can eat into your budget each month.

So here’s what I quit spending money on in order to save money as a college student:

1. Ordering Delivery

I went through a big phase of having food delivered to my college dorm freshman year and later to my college apartment.

But I quickly cut this out once I got smart about my money and realized how much it was costing me and what a waste it was.

Delivery fees are RIDICULOUS. Plus you have to leave a tip for the delivery person. This can make a $10 delivery order end up costing you close to $20 instead.

So I made a rule for myself that I could no longer order delivery. If I wanted food, then I had to walk to go get it. All in all, this saved me a TON of money.

2. Drinks Out

If you’re a college student, you might find yourself going out pretty regularly with your friends. But buying drinks at the bar can be a HUGE money waster.

This is something you can eliminate and save a lot of money each month. Not to mention, it’s better for your health.

If you must drink, do it at the pre-game and save yourself a massive amount of money. Then stick to ice water at the bar instead. I promise you it’s worth it!

3. Going Out To Eat

Along with delivery, I cut out going out to eat as much as possible in college. Now this isn’t something you have to eliminate entirely. But I recommend setting a limit for yourself (like going out to eat one meal a week.)

Going out to eat, even somewhere “fast casual” like Chipotle or Sweetgreen, can end up being $20 a meal which is a budget killer if you’re doing it multiple times per week.

So this is a great way to cut back on your spending as a college student.

4. Workout Classes

Workout classes are another thing I stopped doing because they cost too much money. It was a bummer because I really liked taking ballet classes at a nearby studio…

But then I found out that my college campus fitness center was going to start offering weekly ballet-style workout classes for FREE!

It wasn’t exactly the same, but it sure beat paying for classes. And if you aren’t picky about what kind of workouts you do, you can find a whole range of free fitness classes at most college gyms.

They also have regular workout equipment like treadmills, weight machines, stationary bikes, and so on. You can get in a great workout without paying a dime.

5. Subscriptions

With so many subscription services out there, you might not even realize just how many recurring monthly payments you have!

Netflix, Hulu, Dinsey+, Spotify, Amazon Prime, Instacart, Uber+, and so on. At “only” $9.99 a month or so, you might feel like you’re not paying that much, but if you have multiple subscriptions, that adds up FAST.

I cut every subscription I had during college except one — I got a great deal on Spotify Premium for $4.99 a month for students so I kept that to be able to listen to music.

Eliminating TV and movie streaming services not only saved me money, but it also helped me stop wasting time watching shows all the time.

6. Coffee Shops

At this point it’s almost a cliche, but cutting that daily coffee habit really CAN save you a lot of extra money over the course of a year.

Overpriced drinks at the coffee shop are really one of the most pointless expenditures out there — you’re paying $6 for a drink you can literally have for $1 at home.

I know a lot of college students like to go to a coffee shop to study or do homework, but I personally preferred going to the campus library (quieter and more space) and then I didn’t have the chance to buy anything.

7. Rideshare Apps

Uber and Lyft rides can quickly add up if you’re not careful. Before you know it, you’ve spent $100 or more on just a few rides.

I lived in a city for college, so while Uber and Lyft were convenient, I could also take public transportation or walk. Yes, this usually took a LOT longer, but it was incredibly cheap (or in the case of walking somewhere, totally free.)

I started allowing myself only two Uber or Lyft rides per month (sometimes it was unavoidable) but other than that cut them completely, and it saved me a lot of money.

8. New Cellphone

I was always the person who had an iPhone that was at least three generations behind whatever the current latest model was at the time.

Rather than upgrading my phone every two years and having a higher monthly payment, I stuck with my old phone instead.

This might sound like a small thing, but when you consider the fact that a brand-new iPhone is over $1,000 (even if you’re paying for it in increments each month), it’s actually a huge way to save money by avoiding shiny new objects.

9. Clothing And Shoes

New clothing and shoes is something that can quickly blow your budget out of the water. It’s tempting to go back-to-school shopping or buy a new outfit every time you have an event, but this is a major area where you can stop spending money.

I didn’t do this at the beginning of college, but by sophomore year, I had quit buying new clothing and shoes almost altogether.

Did this mean I ended up repeating outfits a lot? Yes. Does it really matter? No.

This is a habit I’ve kept even after graduating college and it’s such a relief not to waste money on new clothes all the time that I only end up wearing once or twice anyway.

10. Beauty Treatments

This one is mainly for the ladies, but cutting out beauty treatments is another way I saved money as a college student.

Getting your hair done, manicures and pedicures, getting your eyebrows done, going to the tanning bed… it all adds up, to the tune of hundreds of dollars a month even!

I used to get my nails done all the time when I was younger, but in college, this is something I just stopped caring about and that saved me $100 a month by skipping the regular manicures and pedicures. Same goes for any other beauty treatments you can think of.

If you still really want it, you can find a DIY version to do at home and save money.

11. Taking Trips

This one pained me because I LOVE to travel. In fact, the highlight of college for me was studying abroad in Paris for one semester. I was able to spend months living in and exploring Paris, and I traveled to Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, and the UK while I was there.

But in order to save up for my study abroad, I barely traveled for the first year and a half of college. And it ended up being worth it.

Because a week-long trip to the beach for spring break would have ended up costing me the same as multiple weekend trips in Europe.

One weekend getaway to another city in the U.S. could have also kept me going for an extra week while I was studying abroad.

Short, instant gratification trips end up costing you more in the long run. If you want to travel as a college student, it’s better to study abroad or go on a backpacking trip somewhere cheap (like Central America, Eastern Europe, or Southeast Asia) where your money goes much further.

12. The Latest Gadgets

Finally, one thing I totally avoided was caring about having the latest gadgets as a college student, much like how I didn’t worry about having the latest cellphone.

For example, AirPods. To this day I still use wired headphones to listen because I didn’t want to spend $100+ on a pair of AirPods when I was in college.

Same with gadgets like an Apple Watch or an Alexa. Rather than letting the hype of the latest tech affect me, I just kept using what I had and saved a ton of money.

Related Posts:

• 55 Best Discounts For College Students
• 26 Summer Job Ideas For College Students
• 16 Legit Ways To Make Money Online

The post 12 Things I Stopped Buying To Save Money As A College Student appeared first on Sincerely Students.

Summer is a time when many college students have a break from classes for several months. It’s a popular time to get a job to earn some extra money for the upcoming school year.

There are so many different summer jobs available to college students.

Below you’ll find 27 of the best summer job ideas for college students who are looking to work and earn some money this summer!

1. Server

Being a server at a restaurant is a great summer job for college students. It’s something you can do without much experience, and the potential to earn tips is very high.

Many restaurants look for seasonal help, making summer a good time to get a job, especially if the restaurant is located in an area that sees a lot of tourists in the summer.

2. Bartender

Another summer job idea for college students is being a bartender. This is a good choice if you’re a night owl because you’ll almost always be working later shifts as a bartender. It’s also a good job for earning tips.

You can become a bartender at 18 in many states in the US, but some states do require you to be 21 or older.

3. Tutor

Tutoring is one of the best jobs for college students. If you’re going home for the summer, you can market your services in your hometown.

You can also work for a tutoring center or tutoring service. Even though school is out during the summer, many parents use the time to get their kids extra academic help.

As a college student, one service you can offer is SAT/ACT tutoring to help high schoolers prepare for the exams that will get them into college.

4. Babysitter

Babysitting is a good summer job idea for college students who love kids. It can be a flexible and fun job if you like working with children.

During the summer, many parents are also looking for full-time nannies who can watch the kids during the weekdays, so this is a great way to make a lot of money during the summer.

5. Internship

An internship is one of the best summer job ideas for college students. Not only can you make good money, you also gain relevant career experience.

When looking for a summer internship, a good place to start is your college career center. Your major may also have specific resources for helping you find an internship.

I don’t recommend ever taking an unpaid summer internship, even though they are unfortunately very common for some majors and career paths. However, it’s not worth working for free and you’re better off getting a regular summer job if you can’t find a paid internship.

6. Campus Job

Some students choose to stay on campus during the summer to take extra classes or to work. If this is you, then getting a campus job is a great idea.

Campus jobs can include being a teaching assistant or research assistant, or working in your major building, the library, the student center, the health center, and so on. If you’re taking summer classes, this is the best way to find a job that will be flexible with your class schedule.

7. Au Pair

Au pairing is similar to babysitting or nannying, but you typically will live with the family. As an au pair, you receive a small stipend but your expenses like housing and food are covered by the family.

There are many opportunities to au pair abroad, so this is a great summer job if you want to live in another country for the summer.

8. Restaurant Host

If you want to work in a restaurant but you don’t want to be a server, being a host is another option. Hosts are responsible for greeting guests, checking them in, and getting them seated.

While you may not earn as much as a server since you won’t get tips, many people find being a host to be a less stressful restaurant job.

9. Summer Camp

Working as a summer camp counselor is a fun job for college students. Many summer camps don’t pay much, but you do have your housing and food covered for the summer.

This is a great job for college students who like working with kids and want an active and unique summer job.

10. Golf Course

There are several different golf course jobs that college students do. For girls, you can work as a cart girl and drive around on a golf cart selling food and drinks to golfers on the course. Many girls love this job because you can make great tips.

For guys, working as a caddy, a golf cart attendant, or a groundskeeper are all common jobs.

11. Lawn Care

This is mainly a job for guys, but girls can definitely do it too. Working in lawn care, gardening, or landscaping is not an easy summer job because it requires physical labor, but you can make good money doing it.

You can work for a lawn care company, or start offering your own services if you have the equipment and the skills.

12. Hospitality

Working in hospitality is a great summer job for college students. You can work locally, or use this job as a way to travel and work in an exotic locale.

Many hotels and resorts need seasonal help, making this an excellent choice for a summer job for college students.

13. Yacht Crew

Speaking of exotic locales, working as a yacht crew member is another unique summer job idea for college students.

If you want to get paid to travel, working on a yacht is a great way to do it. The work itself is not all that glamorous. You can work as a steward or stewardess, a cleaner, a cook, or various other jobs. But it can be an amazing experience if you’re up for the adventure.

14. Movie Theater

Working at a movie theater is a great summer job for college students. You get to work indoors in the air conditioning and there are a variety of positions you can do including selling tickets, concessions, and cleaning.

Plus, movie theater employees get perks like free movies and concessions.

15. Retail

If you’re looking for summer job ideas for college students, being a retail associate is a good job that does not require much experience.

The opportunities are endless when it comes to retail. You can look into large chain stores as well as smaller local stores and boutiques. Clothing stores, bookstores, electronics stores, and grocery stores are all good options for college students.

Many retail stores hire seasonal employees, making this a great summer job.

16. Pet Sitting

For animal lovers, pet sitting is a great summer job. This is also something that can be a lot of fun and not too stressful.

If you have neighbors that will be out of town this summer, you can offer to pet sit for them. The duties of a pet sitter include feeding, walking, and playing with the animals while their owner is away.

17. Rideshare Driver

For college students with their own car, being a rideshare driver is a great summer job. It’s very flexible and lets you set your own hours.

You can set up an account on an app like Uber or Lyft and drive as much or as little as you want, and only accept rides that you want to do.

18. Theme Park

If you’re looking for a fun and active summer job, working at a theme park is perfect for college students. Most theme parks hire a ton of seasonal employees just for summer.

You can have a variety of roles at a theme park, including ride attendant, ticket seller, or food service worker.

19. Lifeguard

Being a lifeguard at a local swimming pool, beach, or water park is a popular summer job for college students. If you like swimming and being outside, this is a good job for you.

It does require completing some training and passing a certification course, but once you’re a certified lifeguard, you can work anywhere.

20. Receptionist

If you’re looking for an indoor office job this summer, you might enjoy being a receptionist. Receptionists are responsible for answering the phone, greeting customers, sorting mail, scheduling appointments and maintaining a calendar, and more.

This is also a good way to get experience related to your major and future career path. For example, being a receptionist at a law firm or at a dentist’s office.

21. Fast Food

Working in fast food may not be the most glamorous summer job for college students, but it’s one that can be a good option if you thrive in a fast-paced environment.

During the summer, you can also look for fast food jobs at seasonal places like an ice cream parlor or a beachfront hamburger restaurant.

22. Workaway

Have you ever heard of Workaway before? It’s a platform for finding job opportunities all around the world. The jobs aren’t paid, but most of them including housing and food so you won’t have to spend anything on living expenses.

Workaway allows you to find extremely unique summer jobs, like working at an animal sanctuary in Costa Rica, a farm in Australia, or a surf hostel in Portugal for several months.

23. Valet

Working as a valet or parking attendant is a good summer job idea for college students that has the potential to earn you a lot of tips.

Many high-end restaurants, hotels, and country clubs offer valet parking services and need parking attendants who can park and retrieve cars.

24. Delivery Driver

If driving passengers around for Uber or Lyft doesn’t sound appealing to you, you could consider being a delivery driver instead.

Delivery drivers can sign up for an account on Uber Eats, Doordash, Grubhub, or another food delivery app, and make money from picking up and delivering to-go orders.

25. Barista

Working as a barista is another summer job idea for college students. As a barista, you’ll be making coffee and other drinks and preparing orders for customers.

Many coffee shops and cafes are hiring baristas, and this is a good seasonal job where you can also earn tips from customers.

26. Start a Business

Finally, consider starting your own business as a college student! It can take a while to start earning money, so this is something that you should either start well before the summer, or on the side as you work another job.

I highly recommend starting a blog as a way to make money in college. You can also offer freelance services like freelance writing, graphic design, or social media management. All of these options have extremely low start-up costs, making them perfect for students.

The options are endless when it comes to what kind of business you can start as a college student.

Best Summer Job Ideas for College Students

These are some of the best summer job ideas for college students.

Getting a job during the summer is a great way to earn money and get experience that will look good on a resume. In some cases, it can even be a lot of fun.

Hopefully this guide helped you brainstorm some ideas for what kind of summer job you can get! It’s a good idea to start applying in the spring so that you have a job lined up in time for the start of summer.

Related Posts:

• 55 Best Discounts For College Students
• 20 Legit Ways To Make Money As A Student
• 12 Things I Stopped Buying To Save Money As A College Student
• 6 Tips For Getting An Internship In College

The post 26 Summer Job Ideas For College Students appeared first on Sincerely Students.

Many value this independence that comes with being a college student, but with great power comes great responsibility, and you’ll likely have to deal with many different things yourself for the first time in your life. 

When it comes to student finance, it’s easy to sweep it under the rug during your college years, and deal with the consequences after graduation.

But staying on top of your money throughout your time away from home will make life easier further down the road, and learning about financial responsibility now will stand you in good stead for the rest of your life.

One of the most important aspects of financial understanding is getting to grips with credit scores. If you’re able to start building your credit from a young age, you will appear more reliable to lenders, which can bring lots of different benefits.

In this post, we explore what credit scores are, how they work, and how you can help to improve your personal score during your time at college. 

What is a credit score?

A credit score is a three-digit number that lenders use to assess your creditworthiness; the higher your credit score, the more credibility you have. A higher score indicates that you’re a lower-risk borrower, which could lead to a lower interest rate on a loan.

The highest credit score you can have is 850. Anything above 750 is considered “Very Good” while above 800 is considered “Excellent.”

The lowest credit score you can have is 300. However, anything below 670 is typically not considered a good credit score.

A credit score is calculated based on information from your credit report. This report includes your borrowing history, payment patterns, and outstanding debt. The three major credit bureaus – Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion – each generate their own report. It’s important to note that your score may vary slightly from bureau to bureau. Experts recommend you check all three reports at least once a year.

There are several factors that can impact your credit score, including late payments, high balances, and a long credit history. Improving your credit score may take time, but it can be worth it in the long run. By taking steps to improve your score, you could save money on future loans and lines of credit.

Improving your credit score as a student

Fortunately, there are many ways you can improve your credit score as a student. Here are four simple tips you can follow: 

Pay your bills on time

Late payments are extremely detrimental to your financial health. They can make it more difficult to maintain a high credit score, and it signifies to lenders you aren’t necessarily financially responsible. With lots of different bills to pay out whilst at college, it can be useful to set up direct debits, which ensures the payments will go out automatically when they’re due.

This also saves you time because you can “set it and forget it.” Staying on top of your bills and always paying on time is one of the best ways to improve your credit score.

Spend within your budget

Budgeting is an essential part of student life, as it enables you to enjoy the college experience without affecting your financial situation in the long run. Whether you look at which store you buy your groceries from, or consider if you really need that latest bit of tech, there are lots of ways you can limit your spending at college to live within your budget.

A low utilization rate is also important for your credit score. Let’s say you have one credit card with a limit of $1,000 a month. If you’re always charging $900+ a month, that’s over 90% utilization which hurts your score.

It’s better to utilize a smaller percentage of available credit. One way you can do this is by spending less, but you can also have your credit card issue increase your credit limit (just don’t increase your spending to match it!)

Get a student credit card

Giving a student a credit card may seem like a recipe for disaster, but they’re actually incredibly useful tools for building a credit score while at college. Many banks have tailored credit cards specifically for students, and when used responsibly, they can help to cover the costs of daily living, whilst also building your credit score in the background.

College is actually a good time to get your first credit card because you can put all your monthly bills and purchases on it to start building credit early.

Check your report

It’s crucial that you check your report is accurate through credit reference agencies and identify any discrepancies. Check all your details are correct, including your current address, and be sure to cancel any unused cards. This type of inquiry is considered to be a soft credit check, meaning it won’t affect your score.

Ideally, you’ll want to monitor your credit score on a regular basis. Consider doing quarterly check-ins to make sure that everything looks good.

YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: 22 Things I Bought & Loved As A College Student

Conclusion

Building a credit score is unlikely to be top of your list of priorities during your time away at college.

But as we’ve explored, improving your financial health doesn’t necessarily take too much time or effort – just a little bit of consideration and careful planning can go a long way. Keep credit in mind during your student years, and your future self will thank you.

College is the perfect time to start building good credit, and it’s not hard at all.

Thanks for reading, and check out these recent posts if you’d like to read more:

• 16 Legit Ways To Make Money Online
• The Millionaire Morning Routine: Student Edition
• Ultimate High School Senior Summer Bucket List

The post Effective Steps To Build Credit As A College Student appeared first on Sincerely Students.

In this post, I’ll show you 16 legit ways to make money online as a student. Some will produce results quickly, while others will require time and long-term effort. Check them all out below!

Do Online Surveys

Completing online surveys for money might sound too good to be true, but it’s an actual way to earn quick cash! Companies use surveys to look for user input and improve their products, and they pay you for your time.

There are two important things to note:

1) These surveys will probably ask some personal questions to better categorize you as a user. Don’t do the surveys if they ask for sensitive information.

2) It should be free for you to do the surveys– you should be the one getting paid.

With these things in mind, here are a few credible websites to find paid online surveys:

• Google Opinion Rewards
• BrandedSurveys
• Survey Junkie
• Swagbucks
• LifePoints
• InboxDollars

Test Websites/Games/Apps

Many companies that are in development will ask real users to test their products before they officially launch, as this helps them find bugs and other problems before officially releasing them into the world.

Some tests will require more time for you to complete (anywhere from 30-90 minutes), while others can be as short as just a few minutes. Here are some popular testing sites:

• UserTesting
• Respondent
• UserFeel
• IntelliZoom
• UserLytics
• BetaTesting

Note that most testing websites pay through PayPal, so if you don’t have an account, consider making one (you must be 18 years old to use Paypal, so if you are a minor, you could ask a parent or another trusted adult to use theirs).

Become A Freelancer

To freelance essentially means to work individual jobs– often individual projects rather than a full job. Freelancing is a popular choice among younger adults, as it guarantees much more freedom and flexibility than the regular 9-5 desk job. 

There are many freelance jobs out there, such as writing blog posts for others, copywriting for advertisers, transcribing audio recordings, designing logos, editing pictures, and more. There are many niche jobs that require specific skills.

Here are some websites you can hop on to advertise your skills and land your first freelancing job:

• Fiverr
• Upwork
• FlexJobs
• Freelancer
• LinkedIn
• Craigslist

YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: The Millionaire Morning Routine: Student Edition

Sell Old Clothes

If you’re like me, you might have a pile of clothing that you never seem to wear. Whether you’ve outgrown them or they’ve outgrown the fashion trends, it’s a good idea to try to donate or sell them.

Many thrift shops are always looking for secondhand clothing to buy and sell to people who need them for low prices. You can bring in your old clothes or send them to the shop, and make some money off of them!

Here are some of my favorite thrift shops you can sell your clothes to (the shops with asterisks are online thrift shops):

• Savers
• Goodwill
• Salvation Army
• thredUP*
• Depop*
• Poshmark*

Sell Handmade Products

If you have a knack for arts and crafts, why not make a gig out of it? Trinkets and items like handmade jewelry, keychains, charms, and pins have large numbers of customers.

You can set up a store on Etsy, or create your own platform completely. Joining Etsy as a seller is free, but there are small fees for each product you list and every transaction you make.

Shopify is a popular service for making your own website; you can set up a personalized online store super quickly and sell items, track analytics, and more. Shopify is not free (the basic plan is $29 a month), but it’s one of the most powerful and intuitive platforms out there. 

You can also create your own website (on Squarespace, WordPress, etc) and turn it into an online store, but it will take more effort and energy to make it perfect. I would warn against this option if you don’t have much experience with web design, website maintenance, etc.

Once you start your shop and drive enough traffic and customers, you’ll be able to sell your own products (physical or digital) and start making money. Driving traffic is much too complicated to explain in this section, but you can visit this post to learn how I drive traffic to my blog – the process is similar!

Sell Digital Products

You can sell digital products as easily (if not more easily) as physical products. They can be listed in the same places as mentioned before (Etsy, Shopify, even social media), and promoted in the same ways.

If you think you’d have fun creating and selling any of the following digital products, starting an online store might be for you. Some of these require skill and equipment to make (at least in a quality good enough for sale), while others simply require some time and interest:

• Commissioned drawings
• Commissioned logos/designs
• Planner designs
• Journal designs
• Website templates
• Notion templates
• Font packages

Online Tutoring

If you’re strong in a certain area of academics– like geometry, chemistry, writing essays, or doing the SAT– you could offer your tutoring services to other students or younger kids.

Many parents look for tutors for their children around the neighborhood or school, so if you’d like to tutor for some extra money, ask around! You could even advertise yourself and create a poster, asking parents to come to you.

You could also promote yourself on social media or online marketplaces such as Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. However, the most effective method might be word-of-mouth; simply start tutoring someone (maybe a younger cousin or a friend’s sibling), and if you do a good job, more customers will appear after hearing about you.

Online tutoring is easily achievable with Zoom, Skype, FaceTime, or even Discord. Just make sure you are communicating with the student (and their parents, if necessary) and establishing rules about attendance/tardiness, etc.

Sell Your Notes

After each school year, you may be wondering: what do I do with my notes? Here’s an easy solution: sell them!

A prerequisite for this option is that your notes are comprehensive, neat, legible, and informational. If you can understand them but no one else can, they’re unlikely to be popular as a product.

If you believe your notes are up to par, you can consider selling them. I especially recommend this option for those who take online notes for the following two reasons:

• If you take notes in a notebook and end up selling the notebook, you’ll have no way to access your notes again if you ever need them.
• Digital notes are easy to export and upload online to sell and share.

On those notes, here are a few reliable places to sell your notes online (almost all of them have a fee of some sort, but some are cheaper than others):

• Stuvia
• Nexus Notes
• Notesgen

Enter Scholarships

Scholarships ask for your hard work and effort (and some research the find the perfect scholarship to enter!). There are many scholarships out there for all kinds of students; whether you’re a graduating high schooler or a college student, whether you’re STEM-inclined or artistic, there’s a scholarship for you.

If you’ve been admitted to college, don’t stop looking for scholarships! It’s a common myth that scholarship season is the same as college application season– scholarships are always in season.

You can search for scholarships at the following resources:

• Your school’s counselor or your own counselor
• This Scholarship Finder
• The reference section at your library
• Local businesses, organizations, and foundations
• Your employers
• Other schools and universities

It’s important to remember that scholarships are not guaranteed. But it never hurts to try, as they serve as a recognition of your abilities and efforts and, of course, might get you some money!

Transcribe Audio

Transcription is a specific type of freelance work, but it’s one of the larger and easier job options, so I’ve created a separate section for it.

Transcription jobs are usually paid by the word or by the minute, and the rate often depends on the difficulty of the job and the formality of it. Some jobs also require captioning as a supplement, which means that you caption the transcribed text at the right time in the audio/video.

Here are a few sites where you can find online transcription work:

• Rev.com
• GoTranscript
• TranscribeMe
• Fiverr
• Upwork

Start A Blog

Starting a blog is relatively simple and quick, but maintaining it and building it to be profitable is a long process. Unfortunately, bloggers don’t usually earn money just by writing posts; instead, they use the traffic they get to these posts to earn money through ads, affiliate marketing, and selling products.

If there’s something you’re passionate about and believe that you could create content based on it, blogging is a great choice. You can start a blog for less than $5 a month, and it could grow to make you over thousands of dollars a month.

I have a complete, step-by-step guide here: How to Start a Successful Blog; I recommend you to check it out and read it carefully if you’d like to learn how to start a profitable blog. I’ve included everything you need to know and do in the first 6 months of starting a blog to help you maximize success.

Start A YouTube Channel

The YouTube market is extremely competitive, but nothing’s stopping you from trying. There are so many options for you on YouTube, and you can start a channel about anything you want.

If you feel very knowledgeable in one area, you can create a YouTube channel dedicated to teaching others about it. Or you can be more personal on your channel and create videos that show all about your life.

YouTubers, like bloggers, earn money through ads, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and selling your own products. And the more subscribers you have, the easier it will be to earn money through these methods.

Here’s an important reminder: you do not need expensive equipment and perfect editing to become a successful YouTuber. You need creativity, honesty, passion, and effort. If you’re willing to put in the time to learn and produce good content, you’re already halfway there.

Start A Podcast

Earning money from a podcast is probably one of the hardest options from this post, even more so than from a YouTube channel since there is a smaller audience for podcasts. I would recommend this option only for those who 1) are passionate about podcasting or 2) already have an established presence on social media.

Again, podcasters earn money not just through talking. Instead, income comes from ads, sponsorships, and selling products; the more listeners you have, the more income you earn.

It’s relatively easy to start a podcast. There are some programs made just for podcasts, such as the ones below. All require you to record your audio with an external microphone except the first one:

• Anchor.fm by Spotify
• Libsyn
• Podbean
• SoundCloud

Stream On Twitch

If you love to play video games, are relatively good at the games, and have a decent gaming and streaming setup, try becoming a Twitch streamer! Becoming popular on Twitch is difficult, but if you genuinely enjoy playing games, it can be a fun experience for you.

Twitch streamers make money not through the number of viewers (though a larger number helps), but rather through ads, paid subscriptions, donations, sponsorships, and affiliate marketing.

It can be a long time before you get a few viewers on your stream, much less income. So if you’d like to become a Twitch streamer, be super patient and persistent! And don’t be shy to promote yourself amongst your friends and on social media– we all have to start somewhere.

Sell Stock Photos

If you’re a good photographer with a passion for taking photos of anything and everything, you could sell the photos you take! This income cannot be guaranteed to be large or consistent, but it’s a fun and easy way to make extra money.

Before you try to sell your photos, make sure to check the requirements of your market. Some have very strict guidelines for the quality of your photo, while others don’t. Here are some places you can sell your photos online:

• Alamy
• iStock Photo
• Shutterstock
• Stocksy
• Crestock

Become An Influencer

The title “influencer” is becoming more common. You could become an influencer on Instagram, on a YouTube channel, on a blog, through a small business… there are many options.

Being an influencer is just like starting your own business, except that you are your product. You have to choose the right niche, attract the right audience, and give the right content. 

If you’d like to try your hand at becoming an influencer, start on Instagram. Choose your niche (popular ones include fashion, food, and lifestyle), post consistently, and be sure to give what your audience wants (whether it be advice or entertaining content). 

If you are a student, you could focus completely on student lifestyle, and post about your study schedule, your daily schedule, your diet, your workout, your favorite campus spots, etc. Over time, those who are interested in your content will become potential customers, and you can earn money from companies whose target audience are the customers on your page.

As an influencer, you’ll need a strong mindset and a positive attitude, as well as the willingness to work hard and long without rewards. This may sound cliché, but as you gain more fans, you will gain haters too. If you’re serious about being an “influencer,” you will have to adjust your mindset to stay focused on what you’re doing.

This tip goes towards almost all the jobs and gigs listed in this post. If you really want to make money, be consistent, persistent, and don’t give up easily.

If you’re looking for more recent posts, here are a few I recommend:

• 9 Crucial Lessons I Learned In My Senior Year Of High School
• Ultimate High School Senior Summer Bucket List
• My Full Productive Daily Routine In High School

The post 16 Legit Ways To Make Money Online appeared first on Sincerely Students.

This post reveals 55 top student discounts you can use today! Make sure to save this post so you can reference it later, as it includes various categories that you may find useful at different times.

These 55 discounts are divided into Clothing, Beauty & Health, Electronics, and Miscellaneous (food, department stores, insurance, etc). Let’s get started.

Clothing

Adidas: 15% off and free shipping on the website.

Aeropostale: 15% off any order.

American Eagle: 20% off any order.

Aerie: 20% off any order.

ASOS: 10% off any order.

Calvin Klein: 10% off any order.

Champion: 10% off any order.

Cotton On: 15% off any order.

Forever 21: 15% off any order.

Hollister: 10% off any order.

J. Crew: 15% off any order.

Levi’s: 15% off any order.

Lulu’s: 10% off any order.

Madewell: 15% off any order.

Nike: 10% off any order.

PacSun: 10% off any order.

PrettyLittleThing: 20% off any order.

Princess Polly: 10% off any order.

PUMA: 10% off any order.

UGG: 10% off any order.

Under Armour: 10% off any order.

Urban Outfitters: 10% off any order.

Beauty & Health

Benefit Cosmetics: 10% off any order.

Clinique: 15% off any order.

E.L.F. Cosmetics: 15% off any order.

MAC Makeup: 10% off any order.

MakeUp Eraser: 15% off any order.

MILK Makeup: 10% off any order.

PureFormulas: 10% off any order.

Tarte: 15% off any order.

Too Faced: 10% off any order.

Vitacost: 15% off any order.

YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: 20 Legit Ways To Make Money As A Student

Electronics

Adobe Creative Cloud: 60% off.

Amazon Prime: 6-month free trial then 50% off.

Apple: Discounted pricing on Macs and iPads.

Apple Music: 50% off for up to 48 months.

Audible: 33% off Premium Plus membership.

Best Buy: Discounted pricing on select products.

Dell: Discounted pricing on select products.

Evernote: 50% off a year of Evernote Premium.

GoPro: 20% off cameras and accessories.

Office365: Free for students and educators.

Spotify: 1-month free trial then $4.99 a month.

Squarespace: 50% off first full year.

Miscellaneous

Allstate Insurance: Discounted pricing for students with good grades.

Cinemark: Discounted pricing for students with a valid ID.

Costco: College students get a $20 Costco Shop Card when they become a Gold Star Member.

Eurail: 25% off a Europe train pass.

Geico Insurance: Discounted pricing for students with certain qualifications. 

Grubhub: Grubhub+ Student Membership provides free delivery on orders $12+.

JanSport: Up to 20% off your order.

Kate Spade: 15% off any order.

Regal Cinemas: Discounted pricing at select locations for students with a valid student ID.

Soundcloud: 3 months of Soundcloud Go+ for $0.99, then $4.99 a month.

State Farm Insurance: Discounted pricing for students with a 3.0+ GPA.

Conclusion

And there you go, 55 student discounts you can take advantage of this semester to get what you want and save money! Leave a comment below with the name of your favorite store!

If you’re looking for more posts like this, check these out:

• 10 Powerful & Free Productivity Tools You Should Be Using
• 7 Better Monthly Habits Of The Smartest Students
• 12 Things I Stopped Buying To Save Money As A College Student

The post 55 Best Discounts For College Students appeared first on Sincerely Students.

But there’s a “shortcut” to earning money, even as a student. And that “shortcut” is passive income. In this post, I’ll be teaching you all about passive income and how to earn it. 

If you’d like to learn how to make money while you sleep and keep earning money from the same source as you grow older, this guide is for you. Let’s get right into the post!

What is passive income?

First, what even is passive income? 

You may have heard the phrase, “making money while you sleep” (in fact, I just mentioned it above!). Passive income is exactly that.

Passive income is a type of income that requires little to no regular effort to maintain. This means that once you’ve established your source of income and has it running (on its own), you’ll be able to completely ignore it for the most part, yet still earn money from it.

Passive vs. Active Income

Many students have part-time jobs as baristas, tutors, waiters, cashiers, etc. These are all sources of active income, in which you have to actually do stuff before you earn money. And if you stop working, you stop earning money.

Even though active income is usually easier to earn (usually requiring some repetitive physical labor), it is not a practical choice if you prefer freedom and– well– less work.

In addition, as a student, you have plenty of time available to invest in a source of passive income and let it grow over time. Passive income usually takes over a year to actually become profitable, and now is the perfect time to start.

Why should I earn passive income?

Even if you love your job in which you’re earning active income, it never hurts to have another source of income that brings in money on its own.

Building a source of passive income can help you save up to pay off debts, prepare to retire early (I know, retirement seems super far), and have a backup plan if your active-income job doesn’t work out for some reason.

“But I’m still a student…”

Do not limit yourself because of your age. Building passive income takes time, and it’s better to start early than late. Even if you have absolutely no experience with money-making, this is the perfect opportunity to learn. 

Everyone starts from 0, so you might as well start early!

You may also be struggling with a busy schedule. But if you’re serious about building passive income, you’ll be able to find time to invest in it. In the beginning, the process will seem long and fruitless. But little by little, your income will grow and accumulate, and the work you have to do will decrease.

YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: 20 Legit Ways To Make Money As A Student

How much money will I earn?

This varies from source to source, as well as from person to person. A blogger could make a lot more than an author, while also earning less than another blogger. 

In addition, passive income will take time to build and earn. Unfortunately, it will likely take more than 6 months, and often more than a year, before you start seeing the amount of income you want to see.

If you’re not willing to put in the time and effort to work on a long-term project like this, then passive income is not the route for you.

Though passive income takes time to build, it can be rewarding in the long run. As a blogger, I’ve read numerous income reports from other bigger bloggers, and they’ve proven that it is possible to make over 6 figures in a single month, just from a blog.

Therefore, as long as you put in a lot of time and effort into growing your income source, it will eventually bring you income and even start growing on its own.

How do I earn passive income?

There are many, many ways to earn passive income. Some are easier than others, and others are more interesting or fun. Here is a big list of all the sources of passive income I can think of:

• Start a blog
• Start an affiliate marketing website
• Start a YouTube channel
• Sell digital planners
• Sell sheet music
• Sell digital icons
• Sell fonts
• Write and publish a book
• Create an online course
• Produce a song
• Investing in dividends (stocks)
• Create an app
• Sell stock photos
• Sell designs
• Sell licensing rights

Below, I’ll cover the 2 most popular choices (and the ones I am building myself!). I have experience with these, and I can give you first-hand tips that I know are effective.

Start a blog

Starting a blog in the modern day is incredibly easy and cheap. All you need to invest in is hosting and a domain, which are your blog’s “home on the internet” and its name. 

I use Bluehost as the hosting service for my blog, and it is less than $4 a month– definitely the best choice for all the beginning bloggers out there. Bluehost also offers a free domain for the first year, so you don’t even have to worry about purchasing one.

Bloggers make money, not through writing, but through other sources like affiliate marketing, display advertising, selling products, and more. All these are made possible due to the amount of traffic a blog has (more traffic = more customers = more money).

Although starting a blog is easy, maintaining it and growing your traffic will take a lot of time and energy. A blogger has to post consistently, market it online, and it often takes many months before a blog starts gaining traffic. But once it does, it’s an easy source of money. 

Display advertising can bring a surprisingly large amount of income. A blog with over 50,000 monthly sessions can earn over $600 a month. So once a blog’s traffic starts growing, its income (given the blog has ads) is guaranteed to grow with it.

If blogging sounds like your thing, check out this guide: How To Start A Profitable Blog As A Student. This is an extremely extensive post that covers everything from setting up your blog to marketing it online. If you plan to start a blog, this is the only post you’ll need to reference.

Sell digital products

Selling digital products is a whole category on its own. There are so many different things you can sell, and many of the things I listed above are part of it: digital planners, sheet music, stock photos, online courses, digital icons, fonts, eBooks, designs…

Since you don’t have to physically manufacture digital products over and over again and ship them to your customer, digital products are a great source of passive income.

The easiest things to produce and sell are likely digital planners, and designs. You can create digital planners on almost any design service– like Canva, Goodnotes, and Procreate– and sell them on Etsy. I used Canva to create this Ultimate 3-in-1 Student Planner (go check it out!), and still earn money from it today!

If you’re an artist, you can sell your digital designs online as well; the most popular platforms are RedBubble and Etsy. You can sell your designs as is (which is almost like selling licensing rights), or make them into prints for tote bags, mugs, etc.

There are many other things you can produce and sell super easily. Online courses come in as a close third on my list. If you have a skill you can teach (such as starting a blog, calligraphy, marketing on Instagram, drawing…), you can create a course on Teachable and sell it for money!

Before you start selling, be sure to check the terms and conditions, rates, seller agreements, etc on the platform you’re planning to use. Though you’re unlikely to come across scams, you should get an idea of how much you’ll earn if you sell through their platform (most keep a certain percentage of every sale you make).

Bonus: Budgeting Tips!

Now that you know what passive income is and how you can build it, it’s time to learn some actual budgeting practices. No matter how much money you’ve made, you want to be able to manage it responsibly!

Track your income and expenses

Just like how you track your habits and plans in order to be productive, you should track your income and expenses to always stay within your budget.

Your tracking system does not have to be complex. I use the table function in Notion to track my money flow, but it can also just be a notebook or a note on your phone. 

Create a table or chart that includes columns for the date, amount, and other helpful information like purpose. Here’s what a sample tracker looks like:

Create a budgeting system

Create a system that you can (and will) follow in terms of spending and saving. For example, my system can be summarized in the following sentence:

• For every paycheck, I will the hundreds into savings and allow myself to spend the rest on other necessities and things I really.

Following this system, I save around $500 every month and have around $100 to spend. I usually end up spending less than that anyway, but it’s a great way to keep myself accountable and avoid spending too much.

Wait before you buy

I’ve found that sometimes, even with my budgeting system in mind, I can buy things too impulsively. As necessary as the item seems at the time, I could turn out to regret it later.

If this sounds like you, simply force yourself to wait before you buy. Think logically– not emotionally– about the necessity of the item and whether this is the best time and price to buy it at.

The best method is to wait at least 2 days before you buy something (that’s not an essential item like food). Ask your friends for their opinions, check the reviews on the item, and even list out the pros and cons of buying it if you feel the need to.

Simply waiting before you click buy can save you a lot of money and regret.

Conclusion

I hope this post helped you understand passive income and get an idea of what sort of project you can take on to start building it! Leave a comment with what you’re going to do with the information you learned from this post!

If you liked this post and would like to read more, check out these recent posts:

• How To Set Up Your Planner For Maximum Productivity
• 8 Daily Habits Of Highly Successful Students
• 9 Free Apps Every Online Student Needs In 2021

The post The Complete Student Guide To Passive Income appeared first on Sincerely Students.