House party night

 one of the greatest (if not primary!) perks of running away to University is the social aspect of the college experience. It's a pivotal opportunity for post-secondary students in their undergraduate program as it's a prime time for climbing the social ladder not only for the popularity benefits, but for nabbing study-buddies, joining social circles and forming long-lasting friendships, and most importantly - networking.

Now, networking may not matter to you until post-graduate job-hunting time, but is great to keep in mind when considering who you're shaking hands with in social situations!

Despite the above said benefits, there's an incessant, nagging question on most university/college students' minds - how the hell am I supposed to afford socializing while going to school?? The following list isn't necessarily going to make you a millionaire, but could certainly make the school/work/social life balancing act a bit cheaper - as long as you're cool with saving cash legally - all while growing your social circle.

1. Choose to eat in rather than eating out regularly.

Now, I know from experience what it's like to miss Mama's (or Dad's, Grandma's - whoever took care of you) home cookin' - and how much easier it is just to grab Subway or hit up Red Lobster every other night to fill that nasty void and fear of your own culinary skills. The reality is that if this becomes your habit, you'll be on the receiving end of a sweet slap from Mama rather than a hot plate of her sweet lasagna for your spending habits.

Make an effort to regularly grocery shop - whether it's by bus or catching a ride with a friend if you have to (I've seen people walking and cycling with their groceries)! Do your grocery shopping on a full stomach - you're more likely to over-spend or buy too much food (that will eventually go to waste) when you shop hungry. Having a few reasonable choices stocked in your kitchen at home will definitely make the choice to dine in a bit easier, rather than choosing between a bottle of ranch and going to Montana's due to some laziness in the grocery shopping department.

Make a promise with yourself (and fellow broke friends, if you have any) to save eating out for a once every week/two weeks/monthly - whatever works best for you - so that it's more of a treat or saved only for special occasions. Who do you tip? No one! You get a meal that probably cost you less than twenty bucks (unless you're bringing booze) and all of the social perks of dining out! This will definitely slow the flow of your hard-earned cash into restaurateurs' pockets and instead saves you a bit of money stress down the road.

If you're naturally a social eater, why not have friends over for meals? Host potlucks (or lean on a friend to host their own) or dinners as a great way to get to know your friends and to your friends' friends. Side benefits of this include the funny themes that you can run with (think "Bad Sweater", culture nights), creating your own dining atmosphere, getting to know your friends' food tastes, and the great fact that you can put your public dining manners to the side in favour of some inappropriate, obnoxious funnies.

2. Ditch the over-priced nightclubs in favour of some fab campus events.

Looking back on my early undergrad years, it pains me to think of all of my money spent bar hopping - cabbing it everywhere, hour-long line-ups, the ridiculous cover charges, costly beverages - all for some narsty, sweaty clubs playing music that you probably already have on your iPod (somewhere in Jersey there are some guidos and guidettes wanting to punch me for saying that...)! What I'm trying to say is that you can still have the bar-esque experience (drinks, dancing, and a solid ratio of guidos to guidettes) all while having par-tay experiences on slightly more collegial/interactive/personal levels. Most of these events are free for students or have cover charges and drink prices that are significantly less than city venues.

Campus bars and social centres continuously seem to host impressive entertainment events serving a wide variety of social and cultural groups. There are live shows to feed most music tastes - punk, indie, hip-hop, country, metal, you name it! If you prefer less of a party scene, do check out the campus-hosted pow-wows, drag shows, sitting in on guest speaker sessions, plays being put on by senior year drama students, career fairs, sporting events (football, hockey, whatever your sport is - always free for students at most schools), or jazz nights (most commonly put on by the university's music students' jazz band). Great way to meet fellow students and to mingle with faculty (depending on the event) - don't forget to network!

3. Seek out cheap movie nights!

Rather than paying $12.00 per person, plus your $3.00 bottle of water, plus $5.00-$10.00 in snacks...curb your spending a bit on movie nights by searching out a night at your local theatre that offers discount prices on certain nights of the week. Many cities do have theatres that are entirely discount-priced (I'm talkin' $2.00 to see whatever movie you want), but often includes waiting some time for your flick to trickle down the charts in popularity - but so worth it as long as you aren't a movie snob. Some university campuses host theatre nights as fundraisers for certain student organizations, so keep your eyes peeled for these as well as they are often at a cheap rate to attract as many supporters as possible.

4. FREE GYM PASSES!

No lie. Most - if not all - students receive free memberships to their university's central fitness complex (well, it's rolled in with your tuition) as well as free access to fitness classes (spin, boo camps, yoga, etc.). Consult your campus fitness complex's website or front desk .for more update