A lot of what I’ve learned from living off-campus for the last three years has to do with finding different ways to save money, time, and stress as a student. Life can get very expensive living in Kingston—with rent, utilities, groceries, and just general life expenses. But if you’re about to live off-campus for the first time, don’t be intimidated by the expenses. It becomes much more manageable the more you budget and learn about the little things you can do to cut down on costs and make life easier.
I’ve realized that the best “life hacks” aren’t necessarily secret tricks-- they’re the small habits, systems, and shortcuts that you pick up from experience and that end up making a bigger difference than you might expect. After three years of living off-campus, here are some of the things that have saved me money, made my life easier, and helped me get the most out of living on my own. This is where I can help!
Student Discounts
First, and probably the most popular money-saving hack, is to take advantage of student discounts. Grocery stores like Metro and Food Basics both offer 10% student discounts when you present a valid student ID card. At Metro, this applies every day of the week, while Food Basics has specific days when the discount applies. Be aware of the days and use them to your advantage!
These aren’t the only places that offer discounts. Some coffee shops and other businesses do the same. Look for student discounts around Kingston and online-- Student Beans, for instance, is a great place to start. You’ll probably end up saving more than you might think.
Living with Roommates
Like many off-campus students, I live with roommates, and you may find yourself in the same boat. It’s fun to live with friends-- if that’s the case-- and it also tends to be cheaper when it comes to rent. However, there are other ways you and your roommates can cut down on costs as a house to make living off-campus cheaper for everyone.
A hack that my house and I really utilize is taking advantage of off-peak hours for utility usage. In the winter especially, utility bills can get quite high because of heating, increased hot water usage, and more time spent indoors. To help decrease our bills, my roommates and I have a chart showing the hours when using utilities is cheapest. We save as much of our usage for those times as we can. Things like the dishwasher and washing machine are usually only run during those hours-- with exceptions when needed-- to help keep costs low for everyone. Knowing and following these times really does help save money without having to be utterly and completely frugal.
Similarly, although this may not be considered a “hack” per se, splitting the cost of common household items and buying them in bulk is cheaper and easier. Things like paper towels, toilet paper, and dish soap are used by everyone, so it makes sense to share the cost. In my house, we usually do a big Costco order and split it evenly so that the items are available to everyone when needed, and no one is paying more or less. We’ve found this is cheaper than constantly sending a few dollars back and forth between roommates for items that are more expensive when bought in smaller quantities from stores around campus and downtown.
In that same vein, using the app Splitwise is really helpful for keeping track of who owes who. It’s easy to forget or mix up what you’ve paid for, especially when multiple people are sharing expenses. Splitwise keeps track of what everyone in the house owes and calculates the overall balance, making it much easier to transfer money and pay people back. It also sends reminders about what is still owed. Very useful tool overall!
Around the House
Although the following may seem obvious, I admit I made this mistake when I first started living off-campus. I recommend having a sealable metal or plastic garbage bin to put outside for garbage day. If you’re just putting out a garbage bag, it’s much easier for pests to get into it and make a mess in your front yard. A garbage bin can also help you avoid using as many garbage tags. I’ve found that as long as all the garbage is contained in one bin, it can count as one unit even if there are multiple garbage bags inside. Recycling also really helps reduce the amount of garbage you put out, and there’s no limit on how much you can recycle, so try to take advantage of that before throwing something in the garbage.
Additionally, and as you may have heard before, air fryers are your best friend while being a student living off-campus. If you don’t have one in your house, I would definitely suggest getting one. They make it so easy to cook quick meals, especially when you don’t feel like spending a lot of time in the kitchen.
And on a similar note, when cooking, I always suggest making the full package of whatever you’re preparing. This way, you unintentionally meal prep for a couple of days. For example, when I make chicken, I used to save half the package to cook later, but now I usually just cook it all at once and have it ready for the upcoming days. It saves me lots of time and is very convenient when you’re feeling lazy. It’s a super simple idea, but it’s worth mentioning. Anything that saves you time as a student is worth considering!
And my final life hack-- although I’d say it’s more of a tip-- is to invest in a foldable table for your house. I’m not sure why, but I’ve found myself needing one more often than I ever thought I would. It comes in handy for studying, hosting people, eating outside, and whatever else you might need it for. And when you move out, you can easily sell it or pass it along to another student.
Leaving the House
The last couple of life hacks/tips have to do with being away from your house. First, I really do suggest making an effort to go to campus and leave your house. It really does help with the mental toll that school can take. Take advantage of the fact that you live off-campus, get some fresh air on your walk to campus, and you’ll probably feel a lot more productive each day (even if you aren’t actually!). Try not to get stuck in your house. It’s very easy to do when you live off-campus, but I don’t find it beneficial to spend all your time there.
And if you want to get really far from your house and get that space that we all need sometimes, you don’t always have to take a bus to get to other places. While it’s great that we have Megabus and FlixBus picking up students near and on campus, I want you to know that these aren’t your only options for cheap transportation out of Kingston.
Poparide is a great alternative for getting to other cities close to Kingston, especially Ottawa and Toronto. The FlixBus and Megabus schedules don’t always work for everyone, and Poparide can be a cheap and easy option to book when you need a ride. It’s definitely worth considering if you want to get out of Kingston without spending a lot of money.