<p>Hi guys! I'm an incoming frosh into Cal. And so far I've heard being a student in Cali can be an expensive affair. You could say I'm quite a frugal person, but maybe because I'm always on a tight budget so I don't have much of a choice. I'm sure there are people on the same boat as me on this.</p>
<p>Hence, I would love to know ways of how students save money in Cal. </p>
<p>I'm not talking about the typical guides you can find online but rather those that only a Cal student would know such as where to shop for cheap dorm supplies, get cheap textbooks etc. </p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>For lower cost textbooks, check on-line to see if the book is available for less than at the campus bookstores. Check the ISBN if you are not sure if it is the same book.</p>
<p>for books go to half.com or craigslist. people go to ned’s but online is cheaper. I guess you’ll be living in dorms so you don’t need to know about groceries and such but you’ll hear about berkeley bowl for produce. cheap dorm supplies…don’t think theres any berkeley secrets. just a general known fact that ikea has cheap stuff haha</p>
<p>I tried to be frugal… but I ate out way too much due to the crappiness of the dining common… this happens like 1-2x a week… Though if you are determined enough, I doubt you’ll have to eat out a much.</p>
<p>Live off-campus after the first year and learn to cook. Lower your recurring (internet/cable/cell phone/car) expenses as much as possible.</p>
<p>Turn in the SHIP insurance plan waiver by tonight which will save you $1200 if you don’t get sick during the semester.</p>
<p>Probably learning to cook and living off campus is where you’ll save the most money. Not much you can do about that when living in dorms and eating at the dc. But that’s part of the experience. Honestly I’d say just enjoy your year in the dorms and save on books and small things best you can. It’s a once in a lifetime experience.</p>
<p>When you move out of the dorms, do NOT go to Safeway, Berkeley Bowl, etc for your groceries. Find someone with a car and head to 99 Ranch. The groceries are so much cheaper there. 99 cents for a carton of eggs and $1 for a bag of 5 garlic bulbs at 99 Ranch versus $3 for eggs and 50 cents per bulb of garlic Safeway? You can also buy a giant bag of Jasmine rice that will last you until graduation for less than $20. The only expensive things there are American items (like cereal, chips, etc).</p>
<p>I grew up in a city where 4/5 supermarkets were similar to 99 Ranch, so paying the prices at Safeway (even with the club member discounts) is preposterous to me.</p>
<p>Graduate early. Plan out your schedule now, so that you can see what you can take in fall, spring, and summer courses. Summer courses will be your best bet, since you’ll get to pay the same as instate kids. </p>
<p>Sent from my Triumph using CC</p>
<p>Go to Ross for dorm stuff. I believe the closest one is in Emeryville which is around a 10-15 minute drive from Berkeley. It’s a discounted items store but it’s all new, just overstocked/out of season items from different stores. I got my entire bedding set (including pillows, two sets of sheets, comforter, and mattress topper) for around $25. They also sell everything from clothes to kitchen necessities.
Ross is also right next to Barnes and Noble, Trader Joes (for the more expensive but organic items), DB Shoes (discounted shoes), two movie theatres, and a nice but somewhat expensive shopping center. Sometimes it’s just nice to walk around that area even if you don’t buy anything. Oh, they also have the closest Apple store to Cal if you have a mac that needs fixing. </p>
<p>I’ve heard that off campus housing right around Cal is still pretty expensive (although I can’t say for sure, I don’t go to Cal, I’m just a local…). If you have some form of transportation (scooters are relatively cheap) and you don’t mind the drive then you might want to look into housing in Oakland. Just check out the neighborhood first…</p>