#university hack

Great! You've finally moved out. What do you need for sickness? There are so many meds out there, here are the basics I recommend

-pain killers, whatever kind you use but I recommend keeping aleve, ibuprofen, and Tylenol on hand (ibuprofen and Tylenol are great to rotate for fevers as well as pain killers, and aleve really helps with muscle pain) BUY GENERIC so naproxen sodium (aleve), acetaminophen (tylenol), and ibuprofen is already the generic one for advil

-pepto, either pills or the liquid (also can buy generic) great for any form of upset stomach

-cold meds, whichever kind you use/want to use. Buy small because I doubt you will use it that much

-cough drops, any kind, also buy small

-honey is great to keep on hand for sore throats and tastes great on bread/toast, buy small unless you will use regularly

-thermometer

-basic first aid supplies, a couple sized bandaids, neosporin (triple antibiotic ointment), and some hydrogen peroxide (SMALL bottle), maybe even toss in some gauze and gauze tape just in case

-if you have any kind of joint issue or joint pain MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A BRACE FOR THAT JOINT

-a small heating pad is also good to keep around

-soft ice pack or two

-reusable items like but not limited too: reusable ziplocs, rechargeable batteries, dryer balls, good Tupperware, makeup remover cloths, good water bottles

-gift cards for Walmart, fast food places, Barnes and noble for textbooks, etc

-expensive or unique school supplies like erasable highlighters, good quality pens in black and/or colors, etc

-solar panel phone charger IF they live somewhere with a window. This is always a hit with people I talk to on campus and I own one as well

-10 foot long phone charging cord, also always a hit

-plants, everyone I know loves plants to brighten up their dorms, also can be grown under LED lights. Bonus points if multi purpose plants like aloe vera, herbs, or specialty spices (I've heard ginger is surprisingly easy to grow)

-cash

-goodrx and mdsave are MUSTS for medical procedures/medications

-make your own spices, do you know how cheap it is to buy some sale onions and garlic and dry them (dehydrator or oven) and pop them in the blender until they're a powder? Also adds nutritional benefits to food like ramen

-make whatever supplements you can, right now I'm working on cranberry powder for UTIs, a bag of cranberries were only 99 cents compared to 10$ for a packet of cranberry pills

-grow some herbs, pop a little parsley or mint plant into a pot on a windowsill or LED light (most modern desk lamps) Mint also makes an excellent tea for sickness

-bulk shop, if you have a little extra money buy more of what you're buying. Like multivitamins, a 60 count is always cheaper per unit than a 30 count

-not an immediate savings but take care of your health, a 3$ thing of toothpaste is cheaper than a root canal

-make your own coffee, I know I'm a sucker for Starbucks too but a big bag of grounds and dollar store creamer stretch way farther

-use what you have, do you have a jar leftover from spaghetti sauce? Bam pencil holder bb don't waste money on that if you guys want more reused ideas let me know I have tons and have been told by many people that they are useful I just used a generic one here

-I cannot stress reusables enough for money saving abilities. Reusable ziplocs, Tupperware, period items, dryer balls, makeup remover cloths, etc will save you SO MUCH in the long run. Don't know what to ask for for christmas? Ask for rechargeable batteries and some dryer balls (5$ at Walmart for a 2 pack)

-side note you can make reusable pads out of 100% cotton flannels from thrift stores

-use 100% of what you buy. Literally EVERYTHING has a use. Did you splurge and buy a dozen eggs to put in your ramen? Dry the eggshells and crush into small pieces and use in your plants, other people bake them and brew them with coffee for calcium boost (never tried do at your own risk), also you can use the carton as seed starting pots for those herbs i mentioned in my previous money post. Literally everything has a use you just have to be creative, feel free to dm me if you have something you want to reuse but have no idea what to do with it. This also included food scraps, there are so many things you can do with food scraps

-make what you can, I've heard making laundry detergent out of washing soda and a bar of soap is only pennies per load (I haven't tried but it's on my list)

-frozen fruits and veggies are usually cheaper than their fresh counterparts, try to add some healthy variety to your food

-buy some reusable water bottles (walmart has some for 98cents) and fill them up with campus water fountains, don't waste money buying single use bottles (or reuse the single use bottles another time or two)

-bar soap is usually cheaper, but don't let it sit in water otherwise it will dissolve

-do you have to pay to use the dryer? If you have a spot and/or your room mate doesn't mind, air dry your clothes using a rack or hanging them up in your dorm/apartment (I found a clothes drying rack for FREE at a yardsale once)

-coupons, you can find coupons for so many things, even everyday things like toothpaste and mouth wash

-buy bulk in the summer when we are working full time for the school year. You can stock up during sales on stuff like toothpaste, mouthwash, multivitamins, spices, etc while you have extra money and reduce your overall monthly expenses while you are in classes

-make your own cleaning products. Vinegar is a great multi purpose cleaner and you can use citrus peels in it to make it smell better if vinegar smell bothers you. Vinegar is also way cheaper than other multi purpose cleaners.