In less than a week, Marquette students will be traveling all over and out of the country for spring break. Whether to visit family and friends or to go on a new adventure, it is easy for costs to quickly pile up. Three students give ideas for making the most of spring break while on a budget.
Maddi Sanchez Hernandez, a first-year student in the College of Health Sciences, said she plans on going back to her hometown in Texas for a few days and then taking a trip to New Orleans with family and friends.
Because Sanchez Hernandez lives farther from home than many students, she tries to cut down costs so she can travel back for breaks. She shared some tips that have helped her save money in college.
“I buy used textbooks or PDFs (of the textbooks), and I try to make it a point to only go out to eat about two to three times a month,” Sanchez Hernandez said.
She particularly tries to cut down on things she does not really need.
“I try not to shop online too much either or impulsively spend my money on things … I cut out boba and Starbucks so that has been a huge help to my wallet,” Sanchez Hernandez said. “I also keep receipts if I do go out and add up everything I bought that month and try to decrease the costs by $20.”
While Sanchez Hernandez’s tips have helped her save money before traveling, Callan Papineau, a junior in the College of Engineering, shared his advice for saving money while traveling.
“Housing is definitely the hardest, but staying with family and friends is the cheapest and easiest option to me,” Papineau said.
He will be going to Long Island, New York, with some family and friends to watch the BIG EAST men’s basketball games over break. He said he will be staying at his friend’s grandparents’ house in Long Island.
Papineau’s advice also includes carpooling or taking public transportation, splitting fares and ordering larger meals that can be shared.
“Coordinating plans and sharing things is a lot easier,” Papineau said. “It’s like buying a large pizza and sharing. It is so much cheaper than buying individual slices for everyone.”
For his trip in particular, Papineau plans to take the train into New York City for the BIG EAST games.
“There are probably a lot of people who do this too, but (my friends and I) decided to buy the week pass for taking the train,” Papineau said. “We are also flying out on a Tuesday. … The flights were cheaper on the weekdays than on the weekend.”
Ivan Rojo, a first-year student in the College of Arts & Sciences, will be staying in his hometown in Wisconsin with friends and family over spring break, but shared some ways people can save money in their everyday lives.
He said it’s important to have fun and go out over spring break, but make sure that what you spend money on is benefiting yourself.
“I think you should prioritize what’s important and not important in your everyday life,” Rojo said. “If you get coffee every morning for every class … that adds up as the days go by. Don’t make habit of what feels good over what is actually good. Instead, go a month without buying things that aren’t a must.”
As a commuter to Marquette, Rojo said transportation is another big factor concerning costs. He said it is sometimes hard to manage time, go out with friends and save money all at the same time. However, Rojo said public transportation is a great solution that comes with an environmentally friendly benefit.
“The fossil fuels emitted by every personal car harms the atmosphere more than the city buses,” Rojo said. “Carpooling is fun — you get to be with friends and have a good time, but you save more gas by taking the bus.”
This story was written by Skyler Chun. She can be reached at [email protected].
