It’s hard enough to save money while at school, but have you ever noticed how you seem to fly through money when you leave for break? It’s not an unusual phenomenon, especially when all of your buddies from home want to get together every single night.  Don’t even get me started on the holidays; how could you possibly save money with all of those presents you have to buy? And your Aunt Cindy never seems to just give you cash on the big day…instead you’re stuck with a pair of pajamas with little penguins on them. With my help, you can see your friends, pretend to be happy with your less-than-mediocre presents, and manage to save a few bucks for your bar tab on syllabus week.

• First off, don’t let your friends bully you into some extravagant welcome back dinner or outing. “Let’s do Hibachi!” Actually… let’s not. Just go to McDonald’s. It’s cheaper and much more fun to watch TV than some guy throwing onions in his hat. This “dinner” will only set you back about $4.
• Try to ask everyone for money for Christmas, or whatever holiday you might celebrate. Nothing is better than having nothing to unwrap on Christmas morning other than cold, hard cash.
• Don’t drive. If your friends want to go out somewhere, especially somewhere far from home, say you can’t drive. It’s so unfortunate that your car happened to break down just as you arrived home.
• Only go to bars that don’t have cover. No explanation necessary.
• If someone asks you on a date, accept no matter what. That’s a free meal, maybe even a movie!
• Offer up your house as the hangout spot. You won’t have to pay a dime to eat, watch movies, or drive anywhere.
• Get everyone’s presents from TJ Maxx, or somewhere that gave you a plethora of coupons.

Hopefully these tips will help you out over break. If not, there’s no shame in begging your parents for money!