By Andrew Wierman
Staff Writer
Finding it hard to stick to a tight budget? You’re not alone. College is a new chapter in student lives, and buying food, gas and more on $20 a week can be a challenge.
Follow these three tips to earn a little extra money, and stretch your dollars
Finding REDEMPTION
At the Beverage Warehouse located just down route 15 in Winooski, you can trade cans for change. Of course that means scouring the townhouses and campus on weekend mornings to get there before maintenance cleans up. Every can you bring to the redemption center at Beverage Warehouse , gets you 5 cents, and every liquor bottle gets 15 cents. That doesn’t sound like much but it’s easy to pick up 200 cans on a Saturday morning, and walk away with $10 in your pocket. Although, redemption centers are in decline, thankfully, this one is right around the corner. “A man traveled 20 miles saying this is the best for your buck,” said clerk Marcello Shelzi ’16. He said he remembered waking up the morning after a party, and tripping over the cans scattered across the floors of his dorm room. At first, he couldn’t figure out where to put all of these cans. Finally, Shelzi realized that not only will the Beverage Warehouse take his cans, but also give him money in return.
Clippin’ Coupons
Nowadays, coupons are everywhere. You can find them in the Sunday newspaper, in magazines or online. Justin Gaudreault ’21 found apps to help him save money. Because Gaudreault does not eat at Alliot on a daily basis, he searches good deals through apps like Ibotta and UNiDAYS. “Ibotta includes so many stores like Price Chopper, Market 32, Stewards, Hannaford’s, Lowes, Adidas and many more. Each of these stores runs deals on specific items,” Gaudreault explained. “Then, when you make purchases, you get money back by using the app Ibotta.” To claim your money, you must have a redeemable amount of at least $20 dollars. The app UNiDAYS offers coupons to use at the stores listed above.
REWARDS, Rewards, Rewards
Some students are super enthusiastic about Hannafords Rewards, which takes two simple steps.
1. Sign up online using a phone number.
2. When checking out just type your member number in and you automatically save two percent on Hannaford products, fresh meat and produce. Hannafords Rewards sends their members online barcode coupons based on what they buy. No more worrying about remembering to bring paper coupons with you to the store. “I know it doesn’t sound like a huge savings, but it really does add up, ” said Caitlin Holmquist ’19.