<p>i was trying to check prices for hotels for staying over the night before orientation[yes i'm a planner] and hotels are about 230 a night. i personally hated ucla when i went to visit my junior year because im not into the city scene... but is everything so overly-priced at ucla (ie clothes, groceries)????</p>
<p>well you don’t need a hotel for overnight before orientation because they give you that option to stay at ucla 
(assuming they still do, since i don’t think orientation signup begun yet) as for like clothes and groceries, i don’t think it is, i mean groceries is just regular ralphs price (maybe cheaper if you go to costco or something) as for cloth it depends on where you shop…</p>
<p>Yea, UCLA provide you dorms that you can stay at during orientation (it’s all included in the orientation fee). If you want to arrive earlier, you simply add $50 more to the fee.
But the dorms are crowded, so if you want to live along (or maybe with your family if they’re coming, then go with hotels). Use expedia.com or travelocity.com for checking hotels. There are buses that run to UCLA, so you can just get the cheapest hotel you can get and then ride the bus for a small fee.</p>
<p>oh okay thanks guys… so a public school poor chick can still buy things while living in ucla area? good</p>
<p>Really? Must be the area I live in because LA is actually a bit more inexpensive than the OC in some areas.</p>
<p>silvercross, do you go to ucla? if so how do you manage your budget?</p>
<p>Im poor too</p>
<p>Not yet. ^^; But I’ve been there a couple of times with friends. Sorry I can’t be of more help. </p>
<p>I do have some tips you could perhaps use:</p>
<p>-Buy used (books, clothes etc)
[ Make sure to check the product though. Like for clothes, you want to verify the zipper works properly, buttons actually button, pockets don’t have holes. For books, if possible, look if pages are torn. ]</p>
<p>-Take advantage of sales (with caution) and coupons
[ If an item on sale, do take notice, but only buy the item if you actually buy the item if it were not on sale. Coupons, while a little old fashioned, come a long way. Grocery stores tend to have coupons when they send you their ads in the mail. You can also search for coupons online. Some sites I’ve used before: fatwallet.com couponcabin.com (you can find others by a search engine with the store/product you want -just be aware that I have heard of some coupons found online are frauds, that may or may not include the sites I’ve listed. You could always just ask at the counter if the store takes a certain coupon, I suppose to make sure.) ]</p>
<p>-Call your billing company sometimes
[ I don’t know how applicable this is for dorm life, but some times you can get the certain companies to lower your rates. One time, I was actually told by this man to call the phone company and ask to have a certain portion of the bill’s rates lower. When I did, phone company told me that the person was right and that the rates of that area I was paying for had lowered since I signed up for service. They also told me I should call regularly for billing updates and special offers. I haven’t tried it with other companies, but you could always try.]</p>
<p>-Sign up for email newsletters
[ Use a email different from your main one though. I’ve subscribed to several different stores’ newsletters. Most of the time, they send you coupons in the email, notify you of special events and sale that are sometimes exclusive only to those who subscribe to their letters. Some I’m subscribed to: borders, barnes&noble, sephora]</p>
<p>-Shop around and buy online (and don’t be afraid to return anything)
[ Certain places have inflated prices over others. I remember one time I was shopping and bought this product. I went to another store and found that the item was $3 less. Basically I bought the lower priced item and went back to other store to return it. It’s also good if you know the general price of grocery products, so you know what’s expensive and what’s fairly cheap on the market. The only real way to know that is to pay attention to prices and especially take note if they rise or fall. ]</p>
<p>-Minimize shopping trips and have a list
[ The longer you stay in a store, the more likely you spend more. Have a list so that you know what you need and can go in and get out quickly. That way, you don’t forget something and have to come back and probably buy additional unneeded items in the process. ]</p>
<p>-If a store has a “savings card” program, just sign up
[ Watch out for the ones that are actually credit cards or have fees though, like Barnes & Noble for example. From what I last remember, their fee annually was $25. And although you get 10% off on practically everything (except certain “special” products), you would have to spend at least over $250 a year at Barnes & Noble to make paying that fee worth it. (This was several years ago, I don’t if they still do this anymore though. I only had the card for one year simply because it was not worth it.) Here are some stores I’ve sign up for: Albertsons (!! Must have if you shop there at all), CVS, Borders, Staples ]</p>
<p>-Bring a calculator while shopping
[ While not always necessary, it’s nice to know what you’re really paying for a product. I mean, who knows from the top of their head what 5 for $9.95 is? (1 for $1.99 BTW) What may appear as a sale at first may just a gimmick in labeling. You can also, for example, calculate how many cotton swabs you’re getting a box, and if it really is cheaper to buy 300 or 500. (I’ve had certain times where buying in bulk is not always the most inexpensive.) ] </p>
<p>-Buy groceries at ethnic stores
[ MOST of the time, fruits/veggies/meats are rather cheap at these stores as opposed to American stores, but not always, and sometimes, the products are at a “questionable” quality. You should always check for the overall cleanliness of the store. If the store seems to have flies/unclean area, be more cautious, and if you do buy, wash your products thoroughly just in case. In my experience, there isn’t much of a different in the produce of American and ethnic stores though. The main different is in their packaged items. American products in ethnic store do tend to be overpriced, so don’t buy them there. Furthermore, though you should always check the expiration date of all items you buy, be more especially careful in ethnic stores. (I have gotten sick. Once bitten, twice shy.) I think the reason why this occurs is because people who shop at ethnic stores rarely buy those products and so sometimes the store get a little negligent… But don’t worry too much. Nearly every store that I encountered that did this, eventually closed down. ]</p>
<p>sapphire_ocean,</p>
<p>You’re poor, I was poor, many of us were/are poor in undergrad. Somehow thousands make it through. Scholarships, part-time jobs, budgeting, deal seeking, and an iron will to not spend on fluff will get you through. </p>
<p>Oh, and if you don’t like the city scene, then maybe UCLA isn’t a good fit?</p>
<p>thanks for the tips! and UCLAri, i decided to bite the bulllet and go there instead of usc and cal cuz i want a hospital to do research in that is world reknown. plus it seems that it is a safer school for me for premed-everyone has told me if i go to cal or usc i’ll be fine but i dont want to risk it and i know i have to work equally hard but i dont want to screw myself over because i like cal’s atmosphere or usc’s student body better. I figure i’ll grow to like it, and if not, i’ll grin and bear it because even though it may not seem like it i try to be as optimistic as possible- i like how friendly people are and the pretty campus and the school spirit and traditions, so thats a start i guess</p>
<p>Sapphire,</p>
<p>For the record, it’s world reknowned. Reknown is a noun, and reknowned is an adjective. [Just</a> FYI.](<a href=“http://blogsap.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2006/10/nbc_the_more_you_know.jpg]Just”>Blog Sap: Image) :)</p>
![http://blogsap.files.■■■■■■■■■■■■■/2006/10/nbc_the_more_you_know.jpg]Just](http://blogsap.files.wordpress.com/2006/10/nbc_the_more_you_know.jpg%5DJust){kind=link}
<p>Anyway, you’ll be fine at any of those three schools. Honestly, all of them will serve you well when it comes to getting into med school, so I wouldn’t worry. Best of luck!</p>
<p>it’s renowned, not reknowned.</p>
<p>what is there to budget? you have a meal plan, so no need to worry about groceries.</p>
<p>on top of that, you might have to occasionally buy something from ackerman</p>
<p>i’ve spent around $20 this whole year total, so unless you go on crazy shopping sprees in westwood for some reason its really not that hard to budget your money…</p>
<p>Did you apply for financial aid at UCLA?</p>
<p>haha thanks for the grammar lesson everyone!
BTW-wallkill was right uclAri! </p>
<p>anyways i have applied for FA i was just wondering if the stereotype was true about just how ritzy the area is.</p>
<p>Its above average for LA, but by no means ritzy. Buildings are kind of old, some store fronts perpetually abandoned, increasingly more bums all over the place…</p>
<p>I think it’s pretty hard to even go on a shopping spree in Westwood unless the limited options here happen to suit your tastes.</p>
<p>If you want to go on a shopping spree, you should go to downtown LA or Hollywood, the options there are limitless.</p>
<p>thanks guys!</p>