Written by Trini Nguyen
Becoming a graduate student is both an accomplishment and a great opportunity for many, but it’s no secret that it’s not the most glamorous lifestyle! I think the best description of grad student life that I have heard is that it’s like being a monk: you invest so much of yourself, yet there’s not a lot of financial return! This type of lifestyle isn’t for everyone though, so if you’re like me and like the prettier things in life, I got you.
Saving Money at Work
Academic Books and Supplies
When you need to purchase textbooks for your classes, don’t just stick with the bookstore! Websites like SlugBooks will show you price comparisons from many sellers and renters, such as Amazon, Chegg, AbeBooks.com, all on one page so you can know where to get the best deal without too much searching!
Some faculty members will have PDF copies of the textbooks that you will need, so if you’re looking to save paper and are ok with reading from your computer screen, ask your instructors if they’re willing to share their PDF copy with you. Now you’re helping the earth out and yourself!
If you need certain books to help you out with your research projects, ask your PI! If it’s for your research, your PI can use money from their grants to purchase the books for you, since the books are considered to be research supplies. The books just have to be shared in the lab, though.
If you’re in need of a laptop, some graduate programs will help you out. I’ve seen some programs loan out laptops, although the laptops may be in older condition. If you need a powerful machine for your research, keep a look out for awards both within and outside of your graduate program. Often, these awards fund new projects, so they may require a research proposal, but if you get these awards, you can use the money to purchase a new computer (with written justification). Just like the books though, the computer needs to stay at the lab once you leave.
Any other school supplies, like notebooks, pens, etc., wait until the Back-to-School sales, which are usually in August. Target, Walmart, Staples, and Office Depot usually participate in these sales.
Academic Conferences
Attending conferences can take a hit on your bank account. Usually, your department will pay for lodging, travel and conference registration. Some conferences will also offer travel scholarships to cover these costs. Often, you will have to pay using your own credit card first, and once the conference is over, the paying department will reimburse you. Remember: keep ALL receipts and your conference badge (this is proof that you attended the conference!). Travel includes any gas mileage, Lyft/Uber rides (to and from airports and hotel), and airport parking, so you can get all these expenses reimbursed as well.
Something that may or may not be covered are meals. Eating out for every single meal, every single day during the conference can be expensive, especially if the conference is located in an expensive area! To save money, I try not to eat out for breakfast. Instead, I would pack a couple breakfast bars and a couple juice boxes in my luggage. I also pack some sort of snack to eat every day, so that I have energy to keep going throughout the day and I won’t overspend during lunch and dinner. Lunch is usually cheaper than dinner, so, if you want, you can order a bigger lunch and take the leftovers to-go for dinner. Don’t forget to bring a reusable water bottle too, so you don’t have to spend extra money on water (and you’ll be doing the earth a favor)!
As you can see, you’ll be using your credit card a lot for conferences. It is a good idea to have a credit card that has good rewards, especially on travel. The Wells Fargo Propel American Express card will give you 3 points for every dollar spent on travel, dining, gas, and select streaming services, and there’s no annual fee. Another popular credit card is the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card. Basically, you want a card that will reward you for spending, especially on travel. That way, your department will reimburse you AND you get a little extra credit too.
While you’re at it, why not join some airline membership clubs? You can rack up the miles you’re going to fly! Save your flight ticket number and enter them onto your membership account to accrue miles that can be used towards any future travel, hotels, or merchandise.
Saving Money at Home
The Graduate Housing Apartments on campus provides very affordable rent, for the very expensive area that is Irvine, CA. However, if you find that the housing coordinators have given you an apartment that wasn’t on your housing application, you can try switching to a different apartment by being on the waitlist. It may take a very long time (like, years) for the coordinators to have a preferable apartment for you, but keep in mind that your graduate study will take at least 4-5 years anyway. Any year that you can save on rent will be hundreds of dollars saved. The waitlist can be found on the UCI housing website.
When grocery shopping, make sure to check the weekly ads. These ads are mailed to your mailbox each week, and they come from local grocery stores (among other types of local stores as well). You can also find these ads in the grocery store (they are located near the entrance). I also like to use online coupons. For example, Albertsons’ Just for U is an online program that allows you to save coupons onto your account. Then, when you check out, you just enter the phone number that is associated with your account, and you save some cash! These online coupons can be in addition to the discounts you find in the weekly ads.
Getting the Finer Things in Life…..On a Grad Student Paycheck
Love to online shop? Then you better have Honey and Ibotta installed! Honey is a browser extension, and Ibotta is a phone app, and they both get you credit back on the items you spend. These credits will often be in the form of a gift card. Honey will also search for promo codes so that you can get discounts on your purchases.
Before going out, be sure to check out ASUCI Discounts on campus. ASUCI offers discount tickets to movies, amusement parks, mini golfing, and more! You just have to purchase the tickets beforehand at the ASUCI office.
For those live-play lovers, UCI has affordable tickets for you too. The Irvine Barclay Theatre and Claire Trevor School of the Arts offers student prices on shows that are playing at UCI. UCI Illuminations offers creative arts events for students that are either free or at a student price.
Basically, there are a lot of ways to save money as a grad student, and I think these ways are very do-able! So, even though the graduate student pay isn’t the greatest, you can make the best of it. I hope this blog has inspired other ways for you to save money!