Save Money While Living in Off-Campus Housing

Finding off-campus housing while attending college enables you to live on a limited budget, while introducing more freedom in the way you live. Residing in an apartment not far from a university ultimately gives you living options you can’t find in a college dorm. While those options depend on your personality and goals, you can live peacefully and normally without having to spend extra money.

Even if you have to share your off-campus apartment or house with roommates, you have ways of living comfortably without stress. You can do this by looking for good deals in your housing hunt. Also, scope out particular amenities and issues as you inspect prospective living quarters.

Before making the jump to off-campus housing, use this financial quiz to check and see if you’re ready for the potential financial ramifications of off-campus living.

Here are some tips to help you save money while living in off-campus housing:

Look Out for Maintenance Issues

Saving money should not come at the expense of living in a substandard apartment that’s in major disrepair. If you want to live normally, you need quality in your amenities so you’re fully functional at all times. This includes workable sinks and other appliances. It also means general safety of the floorboards, as well as gas and electrical lines.

Along with potential injuries, these issues could cause you to lose money on your future security deposit. Sometimes landlords ignore maintenance at first, then blame any disrepair on you once you move out.

The best way to solve this is to simply tell the landlord about any issues you find when doing your first inspection. Be sure to check thoroughly, including signs of mold, dry rot and appliance condition. When the landlord fixes those problems, you’ll also have the peace of mind knowing that your future security deposit is there for you in full.

Insect Infestations Disrupting Your Health or Life

We all know that bedbugs are the biggest concern for those moving into college housing. A bedbug infestation could easily disrupt your life once the insects get inside your living space. Once they do, your apartment manager or owner will obviously have to hire a professional exterminator. When this happens, you could be forced out of your apartment for days during the bedbug elimination process.

While bedbugs don’t cause extreme health problems, they do cause allergies and rashes. Also, chemicals from bedbug bombs could cause health issues, according to a recent report from Huffington Post.

If you detect any signs of insect problems (including mice) during your initial inspection, tell the manager or owner. You want this eradicated now so you’re not chased out of your apartment temporarily during critical moments of finals study.

Save Money by Finding Furniture 

You want comfortable furniture in your off-campus housing, and you don’t have to pay big bucks to get it. The best option is using the existing furniture left by previous tenants. A common secret is finding used furniture near dumpsters and sidewalks after spring finals end. While this obviously shouldn’t include mattresses, abandoned hardwood furniture is very safe.

Sometimes going on Craigslist enables you to find used furniture for little money. You’ll be amazed at what you’ll find, including comfortable couches and chairs that will remind you a little of home.

Make Your Own Meals

If you’ve ever lived in a college dorm, you know that you don’t always have kitchens there. This means being forced to go out for meals or eating meals elsewhere on campus. You might find this a nightmare after years of living with your parents’ tasty home-cooked meals or even creating your own dinners before starting college.

If you know how to prepare hearty meals from scratch, you should look out for a fully functional kitchen in your apartment. Yes, this could make rent a little more expensive. Regardless, an option might be available where you can sacrifice something else (like an extra bedroom) for the sake of having a kitchen.

Just be sure you and your roommates have rules when it comes to kitchen organization. This area of your apartment could become chaotic without proper labeling of dishes and storage of utensils.

Do you have any tips on how to save money while living in off-campus housing? Share your tips with us below in the comment section!