Savvy Money Saving Tips

5 Savvy Ways To Save Money On Education

Everyone deserves to have a great education. Sadly, being able to afford the best education for yourself is a luxury. It’s not something that should ever be that expensive, yet it is.

Luckily, it’s not all doom and gloom. If you’re savvy with your spending, you can manufacture an affordable education that gives you all the skills and knowledge you need. As it happens, I’ve got some excellent tips you can follow to achieve this! The advice in this guide is great as you can apply it to yourself or your children. If you’re an adult looking to improve your current education, there are plenty of ways to do so without going over budget. Likewise, if you’re a parent that wants what’s best for their kids, then some of these tips are perfect for you. 

Without wasting any more time, let’s get into the tips!

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Opt for online or distance learning programs

University seems to be the pinnacle of education. Everyone wants to go through the school system and go to college, then end up with a degree. Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy. University degrees can cost thousands of dollars – and that’s on top of the additional living costs you have to fork out as well. So, for an adult that perhaps wants to go back to college and get a Masters, this is financially not possible. The same goes for a parent who wants their child to get the best education possible – you may be unable to afford the degree. 

Still, where there’s a will, there’s a way. One simple tip is to look for online degrees or distance learning programs offered by colleges/universities. They’re harder to find than the normal option – particularly for undergraduates – but they do exist. You’ll have more success as an adult that already has a degree as many Masters’s programs can be done online. It all depends on the fields, but things like finance, business, marketing, etc. all have online options. If you find that you need finance homework help online there are plenty of resources for that as well. It’s well worth looking at the admissions info for online degree courses as it should tell you how much everything will cost. You still have to pay for university education, but you save a lot of money by not needing to physically attend the college. 

Look for online courses

Similarly, you could scrap the idea of university altogether. Instead, look for online courses that can provide qualifications similar to a degree. This is a smart way to save money if you or your child is interested in a specific career path

For example, if you wanted to be a journalist or a graphic designer/marketer, then degrees aren’t essential in these fields. They might help, but you can easily forge a successful career if you have the right training. Loads of online courses exist with detailed learning platforms that teach you everything you need in certain domains. The best thing is, they are a fraction of the cost of university degrees. It might not suit everyone’s career ambitions, but if you don’t technically need a degree, then this can help you save money while still learning.

Homeschool your kids

This is a tip that’s exclusive to parents with children. If you wanted to save money on their education, then you could school them from home when they’re young. Even if you sent them to a public school, there are plenty of ongoing educational costs to consider. These increase as your child gets older and older. 

Homeschooling has a lot of unique benefits that make it a great option. The main one is that you can manipulate the teaching methods to suit your child. They get 100% attention from the teacher (you), which allows for a more personal experience at school. If you go down this route – and it’s not always suitable for everyone – make sure you let your child be as sociable as possible outside of school hours. This ensures they can still make lots of friends and not feel left out.

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Borrow books from a library

It’s no secret that educational books are outrageously expensive. Even school-level books cost a lot, but the prices increase as you get to a more advanced level of education. Students studying at a degree level could spend hundreds of dollars on books every year. The worst part if, you probably never use them after that year, and will need to buy additional ones to replace them. 

The costs are ridiculous, but you can save yourself from them. My pro tip is to try and borrow books from a library. Your local library might have lots for you to borrow and use as you please. Similarly, there are some online librarieswhere you can find e-books or extracts from books. If you’re actually in university – or your child is – then take advantage of your institution’s campus or online libraries. The benefits of this are incredible as you get access to the resources you require without paying a penny. 

Teach yourself

Finally, you can save money by trying to teach yourself as much as you can. This idea won’t be able to cover all aspects of education. Still, it’s useful at refining specific ideas or learning new skills. Thanks to the internet, we have an abundance of free material to divulge in. Look at YouTube as an example. If you wanted to learn something new, you could type it into YouTube and find hundreds of free videos that help you out. 

Use this concept as much as possible to educate yourself and continue learning. I find this works best in adults that want to learn new skills to advance their careers. But, it’s also handy if your kids want some additional help with their education. 

The whole point of this post is to show you that education can be made more affordable. You may have to walk down a slightly trickier path, but you will get to your final destination in the end. So, if you want to improve your education or ensure your kids get the best education possible, then follow these tips to protect your budget. 

2 Comments

  • Tamra Phelps

    Remember the days when people learned through an apprenticeship? Young people would work for a certain number of years as an apprentice to, say, a plumber or a mechanic. Then, they would be considered knowledgeable enough to go out on their own. I wonder if that’s still done.