Dear freshmen, welcome to Saint Anselm College!  Freshmen year is always fun at Saint Anselm, but as with any school, it could potentially be expensive.  Here are some tips on how to be fiscally responsible.

1. Stick with Davison Hall and stay on campus for meals

Eating off campus at Chipotle or Panera will add up eventually. Fortunately, as Saint Anselm students, we are lucky enough to have an amazing cafeteria.  Davison Hall was featured as the eighth best dining hall in the country, according to the Princeton Review. Now, while we do have a wonderful cafeteria, it can itself be challenging to our wallets.  My next tip will solve that.

2. If you eat 3 meals a day, get the “Meal Plan Plus”

Davison Hall cafeteria is great, but even that is expensive for me, a guy that eats 3 meals a day.  That is why I get the “Meal Plan Plus” every semester.  Now, it is $500 more expensive than the regular meal plan, but you receive $125 FREE meal plan money.  If you run low near the end of the semester and you just add money then instead, you do not receive any free meal plan money.  This may seem minor, but it has saved me $500 in my 2 years in the residence halls on campus. If you wish to purchase the Meal Plan Plus, please contact the Dining Services office at (603) 641-7750.

3. If you eat off-campus, stick with Panera, Chipotle or Red Arrow

Hanover Street Chophouse, The Copper Door, and The Bedford Village Inn, while delicious, are all extremely expensive on a college kid’s budget. I try to stick with Panera and Chipotle as my go to off-campus meals.  College kids’ budgets do not, normally, allow for 4 or 5 star meals once a week.

4. For dorm room move-in needs, stick with Wal-Mart over Target

While we are lucky enough to have both stores just a few miles from our campus, it is abundantly clear that Wal-Mart beats out Target for prices on most dorm room needs.

5. Get an on-campus job

There are many opportunities on campus for students to earn some extra money.  You can work in the library, in Davison, in the Coffee Shop, or for catering.

6. Have a car on-campus? Need cheap gas? Budget Gas is your answer.

It is always smart to try to find cheap gas near your residence.  According to the app “GasBuddy”, the cheapest gas station near Saint Anselm’s campus is Budget Gas at 696 Mast Road in Goffstown.

7. Need a TV or headphones but can’t afford either? CABingo could solve that.

CABingo is not only an entertaining night, but it could also be extremely lucrative. With prizes such as a TV or a pair of Beats headphones, CABingo is always a can’t miss event each time it is held.

8. Always try renting your textbooks instead of buying

Renting textbooks could save you up to 80% as opposed to buying them. This is always a fiscally responsible decision.

9. If you are going to buy textbooks, buy them used

Now, if you must buy your textbooks and the bookstore offers them used; it would be wise to buy the used version. This could potentially save you a couple hundred dollars each semester.