Everyone knows there hundreds of ways to save money—changing the way we drive, where we eat, how we use credit cards, and habits around the house. But there is still more to do. Some of these penny-pinching procedures may seem a little extreme, but face it—so is the economy.

When it comes to food and personal habits, a few suggestions can save a couple bucks. How many times a week do you grab a bite to eat after classes or before work? Try and plan next time, how long you are going to be away from home and maybe make it a point to back a classic bagged lunch. Many college students tend to spend anywhere between 10 to 15 dollars a week on a quick meal to fit in between their schedule. Buying 10 dollars worth of bread, peanut butter, and a jar of jelly will last nearly a month depending on your schedule. Now cooking for home is an act that many would consider nearly impossible and a nightmare to say the least, but there are so many easy meals out there that are both quick and delicious. For example, the classic macaroni and cheese meal: water, milk, and butter are the only ingredients that you need to provide in order to have a delicious meal. With most brands of “mac n’ cheese”, the cheese mixture is already in the box ready to be added. Another easy meal is pancakes or waffles. With this food, if you a pan, you have a delicious meal. The brand of mixture that I use to make my pancakes and waffles with is called “Krusteaz”. Now this has to be the easiest one of breakfast on the planet next to cold cereal. It’s literally a simple case of “just add water”. Simply add water to the measured amount of mixture and pour the batter into your pan or waffle-iron. Only taking about 2 minutes to cook, this is probably my favorite way to start my day. The last food tip I have is one that I used to hate doing when I was younger but now I think it’s one of the best ways to save your hard earned money. Generic brand foods in grocery stores like Safeway are often times much lower in their price but equal in quality. Many people may argue that “you get what you pay for”, but the fact of the matter is that many of these generic products come out of the same production factories where some of the name brand items are produced. So buying a couple generic products every time you shop will save you a couple bucks at the register.

Nearing the end of the semester, most college students are getting rid of their textbooks and needing to buy ones for new classes. At the bookstore on campus, you can sell your books back but often time for less than 50 percent of what their worth, even if their nearly fresh out of the wrapping. Here’s a suggestion, many online sources, such as half.com, can help you sell your books, and often times for more than the campus bookstore will offer you. Another technique is print out flyers of the classes you took and list the books that you are selling. There are many places both on and off campus where you can place flyers and advertise the books you are selling.

We all know there are a ton of ways to save money with our cars and where we go. But sometimes it helps just seeing those tips over again. Probably the most obvious one is car-pooling. In most cars, a minimum of 4 people can get to school for the price of one. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Another thing to help save money in the long run is keeping up on car maintenance. Frequently checking the oil can save you thousands of dollars in the case where your engine is blown or something like that. Another habit is to fill your tires to the proper pounds per square inch (PSI). Having lower filled tires causes more friction and lowers your mileage by about 2 or 3 miles per gallon. Other easy tips are to avoid stop-and-go traffic, shop around for lowest gas prices, and avoid using the air conditioning and heating in you car as much as possible.

As far as the entertainment section of your life goes, well, there are still tips and ideas for that too. If you watch a lot of movies and DVDs, subscribing to an online video rental, such as Netflix, can save you not only rental and membership fees but also money on the gas you would be spending to go to the video store. Another idea is to subscribe to Pandora. Pandora is an online radio station that plays music that you want it to play. It’s free and it’s a great way to discover other bands similar to the ones you may already enjoy.

Finally, if you are looking for a good time to spend with your friends, host a barbeque or potluck. Organize board games and card games. Also you can ask everyone to bring their favorite movie and then you can all vote on which one you all want to watch. All these ideas sound simple, but it’s up to you to make them fun and enjoyable, regardless of the fact that they are incredibly cheep.