If there’s something that nearly everyone can agree on, it’s the fact that the cost of a college education is pretty expensive. Just the price of tuition alone can easily run you into the thousands and then when you add on fees like room and board or the cost of rent, it’s no wonder why the title of this article caught your attention.
It’s oftentimes assumed that a college student will either pay to live on campus or they will get an apartment of their own, but if the budget is very tight and you’re looking for some alternatives, there are some ways that your college student can actually live rent free. Are you curious to know what they are? If so, keep reading below:
Live with you (or some relatives). One obvious thing that you can do to keep living expenses down is to either have your child live with you or if they are going to school in another city or state, with some family members or friends within the area; at least until you (and your child) can save up some money for them to live on their own.
Apply for some grants. One way to get financial assistance for your child’s living expenses is to encourage them to apply for grants. One thing about grants is that while scholarships often have strict guidelines about how their monies can be used, grants are oftentimes designed to provide financial assistance regardless of someone’s grades or major in school and it can be used in a variety of ways.
Barter for rent. Something that you might not know about is that there are many cities that have what is known as local home-sharing programs. Basically, you can live somewhere rent free in exchange for providing some kind of service to the owner of the home. It might be cleaning up a senior’s house while staying in their converted apartment outback or babysitting a landlord’s child on the weekends while living in a room in their house. Craigslist will allow you to post ads if you are looking for this kind of opportunity.
Housesit. You might be surprised by how many people look for individuals to housesit throughout the year as they travel away on business or if they have a second home in another part of the country or abroad that they stay in for months at a time. House Sitters America is one website that lists homeowners all over the country who are in search of people to housesit and even watch over their pets.
Purchase a home. If you are on a tight budget, then this is probably not something that you can consider at this time, but if you can, it’s worth looking into. Call a real estate agency (like Katy Homes for Sale or a company within your area) and ask them to help you locate a suitable property near campus. As the real estate market is still striving to stabilize itself, this is the time when you can get a lot of properties for a reasonable price. For this reason, there are some parents who actually purchase homes near their children’s campus. That way, their kids have a place to stay while they’re in school and then once they graduate, the home can either be sold or rented out to tenants. It’s a smart way for your children to live rent free while in school and for you to make some extra income once they leave college.
Sign up as an RA. After freshman year, your student can sign up as a resident assistant in charge of a dormitory or just a floor in the dormitory. Most colleges let students have free room and board while they are serving in this capacity. The RA’s help with dorm questions, help resolve conflicts between roommates, and often schedule social time for the residents of the dorms to get to know one another.