It’s hard to be an adult. It’s even harder when we have to learn how to effectively manage our money when all we really want to do is blow it on new Nike kicks and Beyoncé concert tickets. At UC Berkeley, we’re all pretty much going through the struggles of broke college student life. But there’s lots of room for improvement. Here are some tips to help you manage your saving and spending, so you can end up with more of those dolla’-dolla’ bills.

Helpful Facebook groups

Check out Facebook pages such as Free & For Sale, Clothes! and Textbook Exchange if you’re looking to buy or sell clothes, books or pretty much anything. These are the primary ways your fellow students will sell items, and you won’t have to travel far to make a purchase.

Use the 5miles app

Speaking of travelling, the app 5miles is very convenient way to search for cheap items on the go. The app is like a new and improved Craiglist with modifications such as seller profiles.

Get paid to be a guinea pig

If you’re looking to make some quick cash in a legitimate and easy way, then sign up to be a paid research participant and contribute to the many research efforts of UC Berkeley! Click here and here to look for opportunities to be in paid research studies.

Sign up for loyalty cards and coupons

We love Sharetea and probably go more than we should (five times a week doesn’t mean we’re obsessed, right?), so hearing those magical words, “you’ve earned enough for a free drink,” makes our day! There are many local Berkeley shops and vendors who offer a loyalty reward, so if you don’t see one advertised, just ask.

Get a budget tracker

Mint is a widely popular app that lets you set and track your budget easily, keeping you mindful of your spending habits. If you don’t want to add your bank accounts, then try Pocket Expense, which lets you manually enter in your spending.

Sign up for student exclusive deals

Using your berkeley.edu email, you can sign up for services like Amazon Prime, ZipCar and AutoDesk software for a reduced cost. College is expensive, but these free perks almost make up for tuition. (Not really, we lied, sorry.) Here is an extensive list of nearly 100 student discounts you could be getting.
Image source: Josey, Carol Pyles and methodshop .com under Creative Commons