| Smart spending tips for cash-strapped students Kent State graduate Dan Simon, an accountant at Associated Estates Realty Corp. in Cleveland, offered tips on how students can shop for the holidays without draining their bank accounts. Start saving early Simon said one way he saved money through college was by checking for the best sales at grocery stores. "The dollar went a lot further when I bought my own groceries and cooked my own food for the majority of my meals." He said he saved about $25 a week by staying alert to his food expenses. Check the Internet Using the Internet for holiday shopping can help for different reasons, he said. Browsing Web sites allows shoppers to get gift ideas, compare prices and determine what their budgets allow. Simon said shoppers can find lower prices online because businesses want to promote online shopping. "They can now bring in revenue from another method, and they don't even have to ship products to the store," he said. "They come from giant warehouses." Keep an eye on your account Most banks have online banking features that allow customers to check their balances from their computer chairs. "You can see exactly what you're spending money on and for how much with very little lag from real-time spending," he said. Simon said that analyzing online bank statements can also help students prepare budgets for the future. -Bo Gemmell |