I think that not everyone's family owns a company or have parents who are doctors, lawyers, or business moguls that can afford the full college tuition. Even for people like me who qualifies for financial aid, I still need to save up for housing and food. I believe that every little thing that you can save on counts towards college, the less you spend = the more your parents can save up, unless you don't spend their money and have a job yourself (a job that I don't have a time for) you should also consider these tips that I find useful. It's never too early to start or too late to start saving... Without further ado... LET'S start this week's Q&A Thursday!! DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are for entertainment purposes only and shall not be considered as advice in any way. Neither ahandherbeans, nor its author shall be held liable for the content in this post. I encourage you to seek professional advice or care for any problem which you may have. 

1. Shop from Department Stores:
   
   This is personally my favorite tip because I love shopping but I can't necessarily afford to shop from my favorite stores. Take Marshalls and TJMaxx for example, if you look hard enough in the clearance section or the juniors section you will find some article of clothing from either Hollister or Abercrombie. There isn't necessarily any Brandy Meville but there is American Eagle. Close enough? Most of the things at department stores are less than $30 from my experiences (tops, pants, and jackets). If you want to buy DESIGNER brands however which is like BCBG, Steve Madden it's around $30-50 but it's still a lot cheaper than buying it from the store. My fav department stores: Marshalls, TJMaxx, Ross, Burlington
2. Shop in the Clearance Section:
   
   If you were to go into your favorite boutiques, I suggest you to shop in the clearance section. It might be embarrassing to you because you normally shop throughout the store, you might actually find some shirts and pants that are not necessarily on the racks anymore. Most of the times at Hollister or Abercrombie, their clearance section only has certain sizes and styles, which makes your shirts/tops/pants even more unique than the full priced shirts since there is only a limited quantity. Loads of times Hollister and Abercrombie has shirts that are less than $10 but are equal in quality when compared to their full priced shirts. The best clearance sections: Marshalls, Hollister, Ross, FOREVER21, H&M. 
3. Online Shopping rather than in Person Shopping:
   
   I think this tip controls the amount of money that I spend because normally online shopping has a certain amount that you have to reach to be able to get the free shipping, so I would limit myself to be a few dollars more than the amount needed for free shipping. Unlike in person shopping where I just pick up anything that I like, most of the time ending up to be around $100, online shopping forces me to find cheaper things for less to be able to buy more. 
4. Before Buying Anything, Ask Yourself: "Is this a need or a want?":
   
   I think this will only apply to those of you already in college but I want to suggest it non the less because if it is a want, it is not a necessity so if you don't have it, nothing will happen. You'll just miss out on something. It's no big deal.  
5. Try to DIY:
   
   I know for YouTube videos most of the time the DIYs are pretty expensive like buying spray paint and brushes and the materials in general but try to do some simple DIYs that looks cute so you can recycle the stuff that you were going to throw away. I'm not talking about plastic bottles and trash but more like dirty earphones and notebooks. Recently I bought a stack of cardstock/scrapbooking paper for 50 cents at a yard sale, and I just glued a page to my spiraled notebook that has the 70 pages sign on it, and now it's super cute, plus the cover won't bend. I spend 15 cents on the notebook at Big Lots and 50 cents on the paper, yea the cute notebook was less than $1. I also wrapped my old earphones with friendship bracelet string, and recycled that.  
6. Freeload or Share:
   
   I'M NOT TELLING YOU TO ASK EVERYONE TO BUY YOU EVERYTHING!! It's more like take use of opportunities that offers you free stuff. For example, a lot of libraries have teen programs where there are tons of DIYs that you will be able to take home. The library where I volunteer at had a bracelet making class, a succulent planting session, and a butter making class. Don't feel bad for going to them because the library gets funded about $2,000-3,000 every year to plan for these events so the library wants you to go to these events because if no one shows up, in the following years, the government will no longer fund these programs, SO GO!! It will be a fun experience, plus you will be able to take home FREE stuff!! The sharing part is basically sharing something when you're going out with your friends. My best friend and I went to Knotts for our 8th grade field trip and the food there was $20 for a meal, ridiculous pricing for fast food, since I wasn't that hungry, I paid half and she paid half and we even got onion rings after that. It's a perfect way to safe money, unless your friends don't wanna share, then you have to just pay the full price. It's not that bad. 
7. Coupons are Your Best Friend:
   
   I use coupons all the time. Fast food coupons, coupons for $5 off with a purchase of $20 or more... etc. It's not being cheap but it's using your resources wisely, it's not easy to make money, so you should be careful when you spend it. I sign up for emails at my favorite stores because they notify me when there are any sales going on. Promotion codes are always a plus when checking out your items online. Always check if there is another way to save money. 
8. Don't Spend All of your Chinese New Year Money:
   
   This tip won't work unless it's long terms but my parents refuse to let me spend any of my Chinese New Year money so in the end, I have over $20,000 saved up in the bank because of this.