The Hip Pauper

 As a college student that takes an average of 5 courses a semester, I’m proud to say I’ve never spent more than a total of $100 a semester on books. Here are a few tips I personally use to spend the least money possible on books. Don’t buy the book till you need it!    I don’t buy my book until there’s an assignment or homework where the presence of a book is essential. There are some classes where the lecture is literally the book, and if you take good notes you’ll never need it. Check the library     Let’s say you followed the previous tip. Before purchasing the book, see if the library has a copy you can use or even check out if you need it in class. It's also a good idea to check early in the semester if the library has your textbook, so you know if you’ll be needing to buy books for certain classes ahead of time. Or if you can’t check out the book scan the few pages you’ll need for class. However, due to copyright laws, you can’t scan the entire book.

     Every summer I have a goal of getting the heck out of town. I don’t hate my hometown. My hometown is actually pretty great, I just like traveling. Here are some ways I have been able to travel affordably or even for free. How I’ve traveled for free.      Not everyone is a celebrity or media star with sponsors flying them around the globe. (Really wish I was, would be nice.) However, there are opportunities for us average people to travel for free. Maybe your school has a club or program wanting to take students to another city for a week or two. There are also outside things like leadership camps, internships, or residencies. Last year I did a month long artist residency in NYC and a few years before that a leadership camp in Chicago. Some work was required, but for the most part, I paid little to nothing. Flying      Maybe you’ve looked up the cost of traveling from one place to another just for funsies. Plane tickets can be pretty expensive. Layovers can shave