A Nomination

I nominate the Pita Pit in the NUSU entrance to the school, for being the best food for the best price for a University or College student. I do not care what people say about it being overpriced. Pita Pit is cheaper, healthier than many other food options and absolutely delicious.

So. I nominate you PITA PIT. Thank you for being open at 2 am for an after-party snack. Thank you for being full of fresh veggies. Thank you for accepting convenience cards. You rock.

Lets talk about smart ways to save some money and be successful in university. In previous blogs i have just spoken about what is going on in my life...well as interesting as the day in the life of a Nipissing student can be, how about some helpful hints.

1) Shop at NO FRILLS. Not SOBEYS. If you are on a restricted income, you will save money theres like no tomorrow. Also the bus ride down is worth it instead of buying your groceries at Pals. Pals is handy for a snack between classes if you are leaning towards a candy bar. But it has a monopoly on campus as far as groceries. Therefore its prices can be very high, and people will just buy things there anyways.

2) This is something that took me a while to figure out, but hopefully students coming in will see this first. Do not use a debit card in the Cafeteria, Pals, Euphoria, Pita Pit etc. There is a surcharge. Use cash or invest in a convenience card. It will pay off in the end. Those little surcharges will add up faster than you can say "begging Mom and Dad for money". And the ATM in the NUSU entrance has a surcharge too. Save yourself the trouble and go to the bank, withdraw what you need and use that for your on-campus snacking urges.

3) Free Money. FREE FREE FREE money. I don't know if there is really such a thing as free money. But there are lots of opportunities to get some things that are really close too it. Enter into contests (such as this lovely blogging contest) fill out surveys that can have your name drawn for prizes. Do whatever it takes, but as a Uni or College student, you will probably need the money at some point. Even if it is a gift card to Best Buy, you WILL need printer paper, you WILL loose your ruler, and you WILL run out of ink at some point.

4) Go to your classes. I know, I know. We are all guilty of skipping a lecture or two. But in the end the fact is you will want to track down the notes for the lecture you missed. If it is a small lecture or seminar your Prof will also notice. We look down at those Profs all the time, and amazingly they look back at us and notice we are there. Imagine that. They notice, and especially in a school where the classroom sizes are so small, they do know your name. I have noticed most profs make an effort to know your name actually. You will also see them at the grocery store, on the bus or just around town. So make the effort. (Editors Note: This has absolutely nothing to do with saving money, more to do with getting the most out of the money you spent on tuition)

and my last tip of the day...

5) Going Out. Lets talk about the type of going out everybody enjoys. Not all students will want to go to the bar, and not all students will want to go ice fishing or something. However I am pretty sure we all like movies. Cheap Tuesday movies to be precise. Go to the cheap Tuesday movies and enjoy a movie for 5 dollars. I usually bring a bottle of water in with me and maybe some sort of snack in my purse (breaking the rules can be a healthy choice.) Oh and there is a No Frills attached to the movie theater if you didn't plan ahead. Just putting that out there. That means if you ride the bus, bring a bottle of water, you are paying 5 dollars for a few hours of careless fun. Compared to a night at the bar...that is about one and a half drinks (depending on your drink of choice) and compared to ice fishing that is way less frostbite. Get a Scene Card and save up points and then get free movies too.