Quinn Wilson
In Motion Staff
Paying for a cheeseburger in dimes and quarters is commonplace amongst college students. Some people blame the millennial generation’s laziness for their money troubles, others blame it on the economy—but while they argue semantics and shout at small children to get off their lawn, the average college student doesn’t gain anything from their mutterings.
Phones: Prepaid phones used to be subpar, but in the past years, many mainstream providers have jumped on board the contract free train. Contracts are tempting when they offer phones for free, but many two year plans give you less for more. Even worse, early termination fees often cost more than what the phone was worth. AT&T’s Early Termination Fee for smartphones that require a data plan is $325. Even though they take off $10 for every full month a customer has paid, it’s a pretty steep price to pay. Along with a device access charge and a monthly charge for data, you’d be better off throwing your money into a furnace.
Popular alternatives are Boost Mobile and Virgin Mobile. Virgin Mobile is a cheap alternative with unlimited text and data. Although there are only 300 call minutes in the cheapest package, it’s a perfect choice for people that prefer texting and web surfing. For someone that isn’t willing to give up unlimited talk, Boost Mobile’s cheapest plan is $40. Along with unlimited talk, text and web the plan also includes 500 mb of 3G data. Although buying a no-contract phone can be expensive, both providers often have sales that put nice smartphones at about $100.
Television: While Hulu and Netflix have become the two prominent figures for saving money with tv shows and movies, there are other often overlooked options for those that are tired of the content the big two have to offer.
When Chromecast first came out, the channels it supported was minimal; but as the months have gone by its library is growing. The USB device is $35 and the setup is minimal—install the app, verify your Chromecast, then run the program. Paying for only the programs you want is the best thing about Chromecast—it even has HBO Go and PBS Kids.
If Chromecast’s limited amount of channels isn’t to your liking, the more widely known streaming platform called Roku may be preferable. The cheapest model is the HDMI stick which costs $49. The price is higher, but it gives the viewer access to over a thousand channels. For those that want a little bit of everything, Roku is perfect.
Computers: Some people are fine with still using floppy discs, but most college students need something with more than 4GB of RAM to keep their workflow smooth. Computer jargon aside, it’s often better to pay for what you need rather than getting shiny extras, especially since the technology will be outdated in a couple of years.
Photography and videography students often want an Apple product, but even the fanciest of Apple connoisseurs will admit that, for what you’re getting, the prices are steep. Macmall.com offers laptops and computer peripherals at discounted prices. Although their prices vary, the steepest discount as of August is 21% off a 15’’ Macbook Pro. It may take some searching, but these prices are definitely better than paying the out of pocket list price.
Users more comfortable with Windows can find plenty of deals online. Many brands such as HP and Lenovo offer student discounts, but there are often ways to get computers even cheaper. Assuming that a mid-range laptop is optimal for most college students—computers for animation are a different beast entirely—keeping prices on the low end is important without giving up functionality.
Tigerdirect.com and Newegg.com both offer huge savings for everything that has to do with computers. It can take some searching, but some laptops like the Lenovo Thinkpad are 25 percent off. For a little bit of searching and a lot of savings, taking some time to buy a computer on the net is well worth the effort.