Oh Lord, won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz?

Being an exchange student in US means that you gotta have your finances, your priorities and your self-discipline in order. You may be used to having part time jobs in your home country, but over here it is difficult to get a working permit and even if you do the competition for jobs is pretty high. Different students have different tips and tricks to manage in this crazy expensive city. Here are some tips for current and future exchange students in San Francisco:

 

Plan ahead

If you know about certain expenses as money for rent, plane tickets, phone plans, transportation card etc you should keep this in mind when budgeting for each month or semester. Put away some money for rent and safety deposits so that you will not have to calculate this in your budget.

 

Transportation

Figure out what means of transportation is most efficient and affordable for you. Do you need the monthly muni, bart or muni and bart subscription for your Clipper card or can you get by with just buying tickets every now and then? Perhaps you do not need a transportation card at all and you can simply ride a bike or walk to school instead.

 

Food 

Making food at home and bringing a lunch with you is much cheaper, if you shop wisely, than buying lunch and eating out all the time.

 

Credit cards

Be careful about using your credit card too much. That bill is always going to come around and bite your wallet in the ass.

 

Phone and exercise

Save money on getting cheaper phone plans or gym plans through doing some research and getting together with some friends to get family plans. When it comes to it, with this beautiful and hilly landscape who needs a gym after all? Being late for school and running after trams, buses or all the way to the University is also excellent and free exercise.

 

Look out for number one

Do not become the bank of your equally broke friends. You might ask for the money back a hundred times, but some of those dollars you think you lend out you are never seeing again. However, if you are too stingy, no one is going to help you out either when you did not bring enough cash places who practice “cash only”.

 

Pizza

Look out for all free food samples and meeting where free food will be provided for the participants. This is an old student life hack and will never get old.

 

Overpopulation aka “sild i tønne”

Get ridiculously many housemates and roommates per house and bedroom. This does at least seem to be the dominating trend in San Francisco. Who needs privacy anyways?

 

Get extra nerdy

Spend the weekend in the Library. You know you have a lot of homework to do and exams to prepare. And as long as you bring your own food, studying is free!

 

Phone home

Call home and beg. If you feel worried about your finances try to turn to your loved once back home. I am sure they feel the warm, fuzzy and generous feelings of Holiday cheer come up. And if not, oat meal, ramen noodles and single tacos are crazy cheap.

Marie Aadnesen
marieaadnesen@gmail.com
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