Avoid buying notebooks and journals every year. You will not end up using the entire thing. Instead, buy a binder with dividers and paper. Recycle the binder and just buy new paper every year.
Avoid buying from the Book Store when possible since it is expensive. Instead, go to Walmart using the CAT Bus or by asking a friend with a car for a ride. Another good alternative is to buy supplies from Amazon and get them delivered straight to your dorm. As a student you get a free 6 month subscription to Amazon Prime, so take advantage of this.
Textbooks & iClickers: Again, avoid buying from the bookstore.
Join UVA Student to Student Textbooks on Facebook. Here, you can buy used textbooks and iclickers for much cheaper than online or the bookstore. Make sure that you get the right edition of everything.
Go online and look for a PDF version of your textbook. Often times you will find an older edition that still works for your class. Make sure to check the syllabus and to ask the professor to make sure.
At times, a class will “require” you to buy new textbooks in order to get a code that you will use for the class. You do not necessarily have to buy a new textbook for the code, but you can go to the bookstore and buy the code separately for much cheaper.
Renting textbooks from Amazon and Chegg can also be a cheaper alternative.
Another tip you can try is to borrow a friends book and scan it for free at the Alderman Library. You can scan up to 20 pages in one PDF and then email it to yourself.
Laptops
There are big discounts at the beginning of the school year for laptops if you use your student email. Just Google student deals.
You can get a free single computer license to all Microsoft Word programs (Word, Powerpoint, Excel, etc.) and a free antivirus through the university
If you need to purchase a computer for the new school year and do not have the funds you can request the financial aid office to increase the cost of attendance to include the cost of a computer and some other related devices such as printers. The max that they will award is up to $3,000. Visit the website and find the related form for your school year. You can also increase the cost of attendance to include health insurance. https://sfs.virginia.edu/forms/2019
Travel
Best way to find cheap flights is to check out Google flights in incognito mode. This also lets you play with the dates easily to find what’s cheaper.
If you need to fly back home, Tuesdays and Thursdays are the cheapest to fly. Always try and buy you tickets as far up in advance.
Fly from BWI, Dulles or Richmond Airport if you can. Tickets tend to be cheaper there than the Charlottesville airport. You can get there by carpooling with someone who lives in that area, take a train/bus or, find a ride in the Facebook group Hoo’s driving? Hoo’s riding?
Summer Storage
If you are out of state and need a place to keep your things for the summer, you can ask a friend who will have a lease to store your things at their place.
Organize with other out of state students and split a storage unit for the summer and the cost of a Uhaul to get your things to storage.
Food
Uva has multiple food pantries around grounds.
McIntire School of Commerce- Rouss & Robertson Halls, Room 144 M-F 8a-5p
Women’s Center 1400 University Ave. Open all year-round M-F 8:30-5p
Nursing School 225 Jeanette Lancaster Way : Open year-round, not fully stocked during the summer months
Engineering School Thorton A-121 M-F 8:30-5p
UVA Community Food Pantry- Runk Green Room- Limited Hours,
Make a budget on how much money you want to spend each month on food. Be careful because little things add up.
If you don’t like the food in the dining hall then take advantage of meal exchanges and free food around grounds. Carry tupperware around if you are really dedicated. There is also a groupme that sends updates about free things/food that are being given around grounds. Ask an upperclassman to add you!
The Parents Rainy Day Fund provides financial assistance to students facing hardships due to unforeseen circumstances. These funds cover expenses that are not otherwise met by University funding, including the following:
Travel costs to address a family emergency
An unexpected shortage in tuition funds
Student experience and growth opportunities such as a suit for job interviews or extracurricular program fees
Programmatic needs identified by the Parents Fund and/or the Office of the President
Peer Financial Counseling offers all UVA students one-on-one help from trained peer counselors on a variety of topics, including budgeting, student loans, managing personal credit, and preparing a financial plan for an internship or when you transition to the workforce.
One-on-one counseling sessions are available Monday – Thursday, from 2pm – 6pm, in Room 245 of the Georges Student Center on the 2nd floor of Clemons Library or at another time mutually agreed upon.
ROSE Program
The ROSE Program (Reusable Office Supply Exchange) collects gently or never used office supplies from departments throughout U.Va. and makes these materials available to the community. Stop by the recycling warehouse to drop off or take whatever supplies you like, for free! The ROSE Program is located in the Recycling building at the end of Leake Drive.