Saving Money As A Grad Student At Penn

As a graduate student, I generally do not have a lot of extra money lying around, so it is helpful to be smart about how, where and how much I spend. before I came to Penn, I was ridiculously worried about money and having enough of it to get by and not miss out on everything. Over the year here, I have relaxed about that much more and I think that I am now in a position where I can share some insider tips about how you, as an incoming student, might begin to think about ways to save money or spend less when you do spend, rather. This short list is just a beginning, but I think it might be useful, so enjoy!

FOOD

• Bring small amounts of cash to school 
• At first, this may seem a little counter intuitive. Bring money to school in order to save money. I will explain. On and around campus, there are a multitude of ways to get cheap food if you have a few bucks in cash. Right at GSE, there is a snack bar on the ground floor. They serve up muffins, yogurt, waters, sports drinks, soda, coffee, espresso, soups, chips and granola bars. Then, there are tons of food trucks. One, near 37th and Spruce  sells the best custom fresh fruit bowls for $3.50. They're humongous, delicious, cheap and healthy. Some students go for vegetarian (but super flavor rich) Mediterranean food at the infamous Magic Carpet truck at 34th and Walnut. There are a couple other trucks there too. There's also three trucks right across the street. I have only tried George's. It is pretty good and offers sandwiches, burgers and such.
• if you don't bring cash, there are a couple other ways to get food while you are on the go without having to spend ten bucks on lunch
• Fresh Grocer (40th and Walnut, three blocks up on the same street as GSE)
• Never underestimate the power of buying your lunch at the grocery store. There's a microwave at GSE, so you can always heat something up a little. Fresh Grocer (40th and Walnut, three blocks up on the same street as GSE)
• Dunkin Donuts (between 34th and 35th on Walnut, a couple blocks from GSE)
• Maybe I am biased, but Dunkin Donuts is a great place to refuel for a super reasonable price. You can grab a coffee and a bagel with cream cheese for under $4.
• GrubHub (http://www.grubhub.com/)
• Grub Hub aggregates the menus of nearby restaurants, most of which will even deliver right to GSE for super cheap! I once got Chinese food for a fellow student and for myself for $11 including delivery!  

•  Bring a coffee mug to school
• If you find yourself tired at GSE, just stroll on over to the Graduate Student Center at 3615 Locust Walk and get yourself some free coffee (http://www.gsc.upenn.edu/)! This is a perk only available to graduate students!
•  Bring food from home
• This seems obvious, but remember that there is a microwave available for student use in the GSE building, so yesterday's pasta can actually taste like it was made today! 

SOCIAL

• Cohort Happy Hours
• This too may seem like a pretty counter intuitive way to save money, but hear me out. If you go to cohort happy hours, you are networking, getting in some social time and probably enjoying awesome drink specials. The higher ed happy hour has 75 cent Miller High Lifes. There simply is no beating that! 

•  Find Free activities
• There is a lot to do in Philadelphia and you do not always have to spend money fto have a good time. there are all kinds of great things going on all the time. Two of the best websites for fun and free or cheap activities in the city are (http://www.uwishunu.com/) and (http://www.phillyfunguide.com/). I am sure you have already heard that the spectacular Art Museum is free on the first Sunday of every month.
• GAPSA events
• One of the major purposes of the The Graduate And Professional Student Assembly is to help graduate students have fun, and they know that grad. students do not always have a lot of money. GAPSA seeks out opportunities for grad. students to have happy hours, enjoy sports games, go to karaoke or enjoy dinner together at a rate that is reasonable because a large group of people are attending. So, look out for the many GAPSA events that happen throughout the year.

SHOPPING

• Shop Sales
• As far as stores that are right near GSE, there is  a Gap, Loft, Urban Outfitters and American Apparel literally within a two or three minute walk of the school. They have sales very frequently, so there is plenty of opportunity to save.
• Check for your books in the library first
• A lot of people do not do this, but I have been able to save quite a bit by checking out the books that I need at the library! You get to keep the books for the whole term. What's not to love! 

TRAVEL

• MegaBus/Bolt Bus
• If you are going to New York City, DC or another major American city, definitely check out Bolt and MegaBus options. I once had a round trip DC ticket for under $25! Both buses leave from 30th Street Train Station, a short walk from GSE!
• Semester Pass
• If you live somewhere far enough away that you will be using public transit daily, it is worth it to get the semester or year long SEPTA pass. There are a variety of passes available depending on your needs, so check out your options if this applies to you!