Since the dawn of time, college students have always been poor. And in the present, it’s still no exception. With the rising costs of gas and food, college kids around the country are feeling the burn of getting less bang for their buck (especially the students lucky enough to be living it up in the glamorous world of unpaid internships). There are, however, tons of creative and common-sense little ways for the academic entrepreneur to cut corners when it comes to basic, day-to-day living if you’re up to the challenge of being thrifty.

For example, sewing is a pretty effective way to save money, either by stitching up a hole in the seam of a dress, or even shopping the clearance rack and finding damaged items. Speaking from personal experience, I’ve saved literally hundreds of dollars over the span of my lucrative shopping career by buying clearance tops for $4 because they had a ripped seam or a missing button. People seem to have a phobia of sewing that I don’t really understand – if you can thread a shoelace, you can stitch a busted seam, the principle is basically the same. Or, like so many other poor college kids, you’ve probably forgone or forgotten the whole eating thing a couple of times either due to time constraints or monetary constraints… Well, if you’ve shed the pounds, don’t be afraid to buy those XXL tops sitting there on clearance that would be SO cute if they were your size… grab some scissors, a thread and needle, and make it so. Turn the shirt inside out, lay it flat, mark up how slim you want the shirt to fit (starting at the arm pit down to the bottom), cut, and thread. You’ll be really proud of yourself!

If thread and needle are two things you want to avoid (understandably, pricking your finger hurts!), you can still be smart and thrifty with a little creativity and vision. To save you the hassle of being creative on your own, here’s a list of some clever ways to reuse some old things around the house.

Bathroom Chic

For Valentine’s Day, did you ever get one of those huge vases with long-stemmed roses? The flowers eventually fade, but that big vase doesn’t go anywhere. Why not use it? Stick it in the bathroom and stack a few rolls of toilet paper in it. That way, you’ll have a trendy-looking TP holder in a convenient place, and you’ll always know when the supplies are getting low. It’s fashion and function!

Getting a Handle on Things

Plastic wrap can be used for more than just storing food and playing pranks by wrapping your roommate’s car. As a college kid, you’re going to be prone to, umm, carrying things. You move from time to time, maybe give some presents, whatever oblong-shaped thing you have to carry. Try this: you can use plastic wrap as a cute and incredibly strong tie or handle. Just pull out the length of wrap you need and twist it until it makes a rope, then ribbon it around the object to make a tie.

Picture This!

Young adults are at the age where the interviews are really starting to pour on. Interviews for jobs, for internships, for any opportunity really. At any of these interviews, you’re probably going to receive a business card of some sort. A lot of the time, business cards can get lost in the abyss of the dark corners of your wallet, the washer or dryer, or anywhere else you can think of. Well, an easy way to keep track of these small, but important bits of contact info is to store them all in a small photo album. In the age of Facebook and Myspace, most of our photographing has made the transition to the digital realm, leaving many of our photo albums unused. But no more! Show your photo album you still care, by letting it look after some small pieces of cardboard that may eventually shape your life in a very big way.

Up Against the Wall

You may or mat not have a coat rack. It is Florida after all. If you do have a coat rack, but not many coats to garnish it, then good news! That coat rack can and should be used to hang some of your most-worn jewelry. That way, all of your necklaces can avoid getting tangled, lost and knotted on top of the dresser. Also, you’ll be giving your wall a cute makeover, especially if you wear chunky or bohemian jewelry.

Rack Your Brain

I know many students who have one, but few (if any) who use one. With the advent of the dishwasher, I can’t fathom too many reasons for anyone to still use a dish rack, for dishes anyway. Face it, if you’re in college, you’re probably a slob like the rest of us and you probably throw your books and notes wherever you feel like it. It’s okay, you’re allowed to act like a college kid. But, if you’re tired of tripping over your books and slipping on your papers, considering using a dish rack to organize your school supplies. Just stash all your books, notebooks, calculator, or whatever else in the rack, and if you have the kind with a cup for silverware, take advantage of it by using it to store your pens, pencils, scissors, and Sharpies. That way, all your school stuff will be in one place, and you’ll save your feet some punishment.