How to Increase Your Spending Money at TAC

(Bote: This was originally going to be "How to Survive College on a Shoestring Budget, but I'm not exactly doing that, because I've worked a fair amount, and also because of the generous donations of many relatives and friends. Thank you very much.)

The main characteristic of a frugal student at That Anonymous College is the adoption of a scavenging mentality. This is because one can avoid superflous spending by using the waste of others.

1. Always, always be the first to get to the Lost and Found to get books. Every month or so, there will be a sign which says "The Lost and Found has been moved to the Ping Pong room, where the items will be up for grabs in X days." If the day is a Saturday or Sunday, one can start absconding with books at midnight, when it is technically Saturday or Sunday. If it is a weekday, one can usually get very good picking right before Mass. If you do this, you should be able to get a fair amount of books, and even if you don't need them, you can always sell them at a discount rate to people who do, making a tidy little profit.
Porism: Always be up-to-date on the length of time useful items have spent in the dorm's lost-and-found, the two week rule is well-known and respected on campus.

2. The grab bag is your friend. The grab bag is a location in each dorm where people put their clothes they don't want anymore. This means they're free, which is a frugal college student's favorite word. (besides "Liber" in Latin. ;) ) I personally have gotten several nice button-up shirts, a few t-shirts, and some slacks for nothing from these repositories of free clothing.
Porism: The Thrift Store is also your friend. Although it does require a driver, car, and some small amount of money, one can get great buys at the thrift store; I've gotten a good coat and a nice blazer for only a few dollars. (Note: this may also be a good source of inexpensive sofas, if you are not able to get one for free.)

3. The cafeteria food is free. If you want a snack, don't go to the overpriced dorm store (although it is highly reccommended that you make money off of other people's ignorance by starting your own if you have a car). Go to the commons and get a glass of milk, or a bowl of cereal, or a peice of toast. Also, it's a good practice to make friends with workers in the kitchen, because then they bring food back to your dorm to eat after curfew. (John Cunningham is awesome, yesterday he brought back 75 racks of ribs to St. Peter and Paul's. John, we love you.)

4. The procuring of furniture. There are three ways one can procur furniture:
A. Find it in the lost and found. My rooommate and I have had our collection enhanced by a small bookshelf and a folding chair which we found in the "up-for-grabs" lost and found.
B. Take a look in the garbage. My roommate and I found a reclining chair that was about to be carted away merely because the leather was cracked. All we had to do was drag it in and throw a sheet over it and we had a perfectly good relaxing chair.
C. When it is not possible to use one of the above methods, one can get furniture for a reduced price from thrift stores or upperclassmen.
i. Thrift stores are more difficult, as one must arrange transportation, and usually their prices are higher than upperclassman will charge.
ii. However, if you become friends with Seniors, you can usually get sofas, refrigerators, or such stuff when they move out, either for a small price, or (if you're really good friends) for free. That's how me and my roommate got our minifridge.

5. Roommate. In case you didn't notice, I mentioned my roomate frequently. It's basic math, if you share stuff with your roomate, it only costs half. That's why we split things like the fridge and furniture. Also, sharing technology works well too; I borrow his iPod, and he borrows my laptop. It works out very well, and saves alot of money. So get a good roommate, and make your motto, "Mi casa es su casa, y su casa es mi casa."

Note: This was inspired by Tommy's Caddy Tactics