30 Insanely Easy Ways to Save Money at Pitt

1. Keep a budget and keep track of what you spend. You’ll be surprised how much taking a minute to think before you buy and realizing how much money you might be wasting can change your habits.

   

   You're not this rich, so don't act like you are.

2. Check our free Student Discount Map to find businesses that offer discounts in Pittsburgh. Not sure if there’s a student discount? Just ask! The worst a cashier can say is no.
3. You know those survey links on the bottom your receipts? Fill them out! You can get coupons or even free food and other prizes for 2 minutes of your time.
4. There are many ways to save money on textbooks so you should never pay full price. Buy used books, shop around online, and remember to check the library. Read our article “10 Ways to Save on Textbooks” to learn more ways to save.
5. If you buy your own groceries, plan out your meals ahead of time to avoid buying things that will just end up spoiling. Learn to cook so you can cut back on takeout, invest in a lunchbox to avoid restaurant lunches, and adopt "Meatless Mondays" - meat is usually the most expensive ingredient in a meal.
6. Ditch bottled water! A bottle a day can cost you over $600 per year, and Pitt has free water bottle fill-up fountains around campus to quench your thirst. 
7. Do you use coupons? How about Groupons, LivingSocial, or Amazon Local? You can try new things for cheap or buy half price gifts certificates to your favorite restaurants.
8. Websites like Cardpool sell slightly used gift cards for up to 30% off what they’re worth. Buy them for stores and restaurants you already love and use them yourself. If you buy from Giant Eagle, you can save big on gas.
9. Attend Pitt Arts events. Not only do you get to see amazing free shows, but these events also usually include a free restaurant meal!

   

   Since you get a free meal this (probably) won't be necessary.

10. Sign up for updates from Campus Connect, Pitt Arts, Pitt Program Council, clubs you’re interested in (even if you don’t have time to join), and other community organizations and follow them on social media so you get information about fun free events.
11. Pick up a copy of the Pitt News every day to stay up to date on events and get valuable coupons. They include a page of Arby’s coupons every month - why wouldn't you want free curly fries?
12. Don’t limit yourself to free events put on by Pitt. Community organizations like the Carnegie Library and Pittsburgh Cultural Trust offer free concerts, lectures, classes and more.
13. Attend large events like activity fairs, career fairs, music festivals, parades and orientation events to pick up free swag such as tote bags, water bottles, sunglasses, and shirts.

    

    You too can have this much swag.

14. Sign up for rewards cards at your favorite stores to qualify for special sales and earn cash back. The CVS ExtraCare card gives you 2% back on everything you buy and the Qdoba card gives you every fifth meal free.
15. Want to give a thoughtful last minute gift but short on cash? Make one, regift something you already have, or surprise your friend with a new app.
16. If you live off campus, saving the planet can save you money! Unplug "vampire devices", turn off lights, take shorter showers, and watch your bills shrink.
17. Earn money referring your friends with affiliate programs for companies like Amazon and Uber.
18. Never see a movie without getting a discount. Discounted AMC tickets are sold in the William Pitt Union ticket office and other theatres offer student discounts at the door, sometimes only on certain days. Do the research before you go.

    

    They got the student discount.

19. You go to a research university! Sign up for paid research studies to earn easy money. You can find them on flyers posted around campus and on the Volunteer section of Craigslist.
20. Respect your stuff and the stuff of others. You’re an adult now, so if you break things you have to pay for them!
21. Check to see if you can get a student discount for subscriptions you already use. If you tell Spotify, Amazon, the New York Times and other companies you’re a student, you can save 50%.
22. Take advantage of Pitt’s Healthy U program. They offer 10 week classes in dance, fitness, yoga, zumba, pilates, swimming, and more for only $15-$30, as well as free one-time classes throughout the year.
23. Take advantage of free public transportation with your Pitt ID and know how to use it. Use Google Maps Transit for help. If you do get stuck, at least take Uber instead of Yellowcab. Pittsburgh taxis are ridiculous.

    

    Have fun exploring London Pittsburgh.

24. Do well in your classes and don’t be afraid to get help if you need it. Failing a class will cost you when you have to retake it, and raising a B to an A can result in a higher-paying job once you graduate.
25. Don’t pay for tutors. Free academic help is available through the Academic Resource Center, Math Assistance Center, and Writing Center.
26. Thrift shop. Macklemore made it cool. Many thrift shops, especially the new Pitt student-run store Thriftsburgh, sell the same clothes you would buy at normal stores. You save money and help the environment, plus many shops use their profits to help others.

    

    One man's trash, that's another man's come-up.

27. Repurpose items instead of throwing them away. Check Pinterest for cool ideas on how to make something out of nothing.
28. Don’t start any new costly addictions and kick the ones you have. Alcohol, cigarettes, and even coffee can really add up.
29. Don’t do something crazy that can end up costing you fines. This includes torrenting and getting parking tickets as well as more serious crimes.
30. Join the Pitt Pennysavers to learn more! If you’re too busy to attend our events, you can still follow us on social media and sign up for our email lists for updates and more tips like these.

    

    We're cool, you're cool, let's be cool together.

Do you have any other tips to share? Write them in the comments below!

This post was written by Angelica Walker, 2015 VP of the Pitt Pennysavers.

10 Student Discounts Every Pitt Student Needs to Take Advantage Of

One of the main reasons I chose the University of Pittsburgh was because I wanted a school in the middle of a city that would always have something to do. As a Pitt student, you have access to over 400 student clubs and organizations (including the Pitt Pennysavers, please sign up!) that are constantly hosting fun events and your Panther Card ID gives you access to tons of Pittsburgh museums and discounts for plays and concerts through Pitt Arts. Student discounts are also offered in lots of places you might not expect - check out our list of the top 10 below!

1. Museums, plays, concerts, dance performances and more through Pitt Arts. Pitt Arts is a program that is funded with tons of money, yet surprisingly few students actually take advantage of it. Their most utilized program is Free Visits, which includes free admission to local museums and the Conservatory. Those are all great places to check out, but the best Pitt Arts programs are only advertised through their Weekly Newsletter. Signing up for the Newsletter gives you access to free trips to plays and concerts, which also include free meals at some of the hottest Pittsburgh restaurants! These events are often worth over $50, but as a Pitt student you get to go for free. Pitt Arts also gives you discounts to other events through their Cheap Seats program.
   
2. Free bus, train, and incline rides through Port Authority. Afraid of riding the bus for the first time? Google Maps is your friend, and it can tell you what bus or train you need to take just by knowing your destination. Port Authority busses are now equipped with sensors that feed real-time tracking data to the web, so you can find out exactly when your bus will arrive. 
   
   
3. Discounted movie tickets at almost every theater. $7 tickets to AMC Waterfront are available in the William Pitt Union Ticket Office. Harris Theatre also offers $5 vintage, indie, and foreign films in its intimate Downtown location (also be sure to check out live comedy at the Arcade Comedy Theatre next door for $5). In Squirrel Hill, you can see similar films at Harris' sister theatre, the Reagent Square Theatre, for $5 as well. Also in Squirrel Hill, you can see blockbusters for $6.50 during matinee times or $8 at primetime in the historic Manor Theatre. 
   
4. Free software through Pitt's Software Download Service and discounts for online subscriptions, including Spotify and Amazon. Free software is available through your My Pitt Portal. This includes Microsoft Word, Windows 8, Lojack anti-theft, Mathematica, Minitab and more. They will also try to fix your computer for free if you have any problems. Being a student also entitles you to a half-price Spotify Premium subscription, discounts on Adobe products (Photoshop and more), and 6 months of free 2 day shipping through Amazon Student. Also, if you're buying a new computer, showing your student ID can save you hundreds of dollars.
   
5. Free and discounted fitness classes, plus access to gyms, swimming pools, and awesome massage chairs in the Stress Free Zone. Pitt's Healthy U program offers 10 week classes in dance, fitness, yoga, zumba, pilates, swimming, and more for only $15-$30, as well as free one-time classes throughout the year. You can also join free teams for intramural sports, as well as club sports if you're serious about it. The Stress Free Zone got a brand new facility in 2014 with massage chairs and mindful meditation tapes. It's a great place to check out, even if you only have 20 minutes between classes. They also offer free Yoga and Meditation classes in the Zone.
   
6. Free academic help through the Academic Resource Center, Math Assistance Center, and the Writing Center. People spend tons of money on private tutors, but as a Pitt student, you have access to one-on-one tutoring sessions for free. Even if you're doing well in your classes, it's always great to meet with somebody to get your A up to an A+. The Academic Resource Center also offers workshops in goal-setting, time management, and other things every student needs to know. The Writing Center offers help not only with papers for class, but also essays for scholarships and other publications. There are also various other tutoring services within individual departments, such as Chemistry, that your professors can tell you about. Also be sure to check out Pitt's Career Center for help with resume, cover letter, and personal statement writing, as well as free mock interviews and help finding internships. 
   
7. Discounts on restaurants including Chipotle, Qdoba, Subway, Arby's, and more. Student discounts are offered at tons of restaurants both on and off campus. Chipotle and Qdoba both offer free drinks with the purchase on an entre, and many other places offer 10% discounts. Even though it may not seem like much, it adds up. You can check our Student Discount Map to find more food discounts. If you're not sure if there's a discount, don't be afraid to ask! 
   
   
8. Discounts at clothing stores including Goodwill, H&M, and Forever 21. Goodwill offers a 10% discount at every store, and many other stores offer student discounts on certain days - be sure to sign up for their email lists to know when. If you're new to the thrift game and weary about buying from Goodwill, be sure to check out Pitt's own thrift shop, Thriftsburgh. Although they don't technically offer a discount, the store is open only to Pitt students and you can find fashionable clothes for up to 90% off retail - and they take Panther Funds! 
   
   
   
9. Discounts on tickets for Pitt sports, as well as Steelers, Penguins, and Pirates games. Student tickets to Panthers football and basketball games are a fraction of the price than tickets for normal fans. You can get season tickets football tickets for only $25, which includes a free shirt. All of the Pittsburgh sports teams also offer some sort of discount for students, and Pitt Program Council usually hosts trips to a few games every year for less than $10 or even free. 
   
10. Amazing events hosted by Pitt Program Council and other clubs, either steeply discounted or free. Pitt Program Council receives about a third of the Student Activity Fee, which comes out to hundreds of thousands of dollars, so be sure to attend as many of their events as possible. In my freshman year, I got to see Keenan Thompson, Hoodie Allen, and American Authors absolutely free. I also saw the Rainbow Alliance bring in OITNB's Laverne Cox and Campus Women's Organization bring in SNL's Sasheer Zamata, attended Black Action Society's Annual Step Show for $5, made a free bouquet on V-Day, got free food from the Vegan Carnival, went to talks by world renowned professors, saw free movies, got an airbrush tattoo and rode a zipline at Fall Fest, and got free massages and manicures at PPC's Day at the Spa. There is ALWAYS something going on! We publicize all the free events we hear about in our weekly newsletter, "What's Free This Week at Pitt?" Also be sure to pick up a copy of the Pitt News every day and follow clubs (including us!) on social media to see what's up - or just walk through the Union and there's a decent chance you'll find something cool.
    

This post was written by Angelica Walker, 2015 VP of the Pitt Pennysavers.