Housing: Rethink were you live, dorms may not be the best option. College is a time were most want to live out of the house, but be honest with yourself you may be able to spend more time on your studies and with your friends if you could live with family. If living with family is out of the question think about living as a live in with a slightly disabled adult, instead of rent you would do work around the house. Do not forget to ad gas expenditures in the cost, depending on how far you live from the campus. To find a position as a live in care giver look through the classifieds or contact Independent living facilities in the campuses community for more information.
College campus meals: Many students automatically buy campus meal plans and barely use them. Before buying look at your eating habits, planned work schedule, and school schedule. You might find that you will not be able to use the campus meal plan.
Transportation: Determine if you really need a car. Cars are very expensive and they are not always needed in a college town. With insurance, gas and up keep this could save you over 500 a month. Bus passes could save hundreds.
Employment: While many college students have part-time jobs it is very important to pay attention to where you find work. Before accepting a job look at gas cost, time schedule, and time requirement. You do not want a job to cost more then it pays. Neither do you want to work so much, it gets in the way of your school work.