Finding Food with Little to No Money

SNAP (EBT) / Food Stamp Benefits. Eligibility for these benefits is based on a monthly income. Many students attending college at least half time don’t qualify for these benefits, but there are exemptions that apply to many non-traditional and low-income students. One of these exemptions includes being eligible for work study here at Cornish. Here’s a good resource if you have more questions specifically related to being a student and trying to get these benefits. To learn more and to apply, visit the DSHS official website. (This process can take a little while, so if you're looking for something immediate, check out some of the options below - but to try and apply to help yourself in the future!)

Best foods to buy. When you’re tight on money and looking for the best things to get for cheap, use your best judgement. But here are some recommends: potatoes, lentils, eggs, produce, rice, oatmeal, peanut butter, beans, protein bars. Here’s a free ebook by Leanne Brown about how to Eat Well on $4/Day which includes simple but tasty recipes, as well as a resource for eating from your pantry from The Organic Prepper.

Food Banks. << Click the link to see the which food bank is closest to you. You may end up having to wait in line for a couple of hours, but food banks are free and made specifically for people who are having a hard time paying for food. Check out FreeFood.org for food banks and some other free food resources.

Asking. If it comes down to it, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Places to do this would be restaurants, farmers markets, neighborhood supermarkets, or community gardens. This won’t work every time, but even if it works once - it’s free food. Be honest, offer bartering if it seems like an option, be understanding if the answer is no.

Seed Swaps. If you’re interested in growing your own food, there are local events where people swap seeds! You don’t have to bring seeds to get them.

How to Earn Some Extra Cash

Sell some of your books/textbooks! There are multiple bookstores around the city who are more than happy to take those books off your hands and even give you some money for them! If you live on Capitol Hill or are willing to transport your books up there, Twice Sold Tales is a great place to sell to. Make sure you call ahead and see if they’re buying that day! They accept walk-ins but will be much happier and pleasant if you call ahead. They will take a look at your books and give you cash or write you a check! Of course they also do in-store credit, but this is a post about earning cash after all. You can always check out some online resources for selling books as well, such as My Book Buyer, Cash4Books, Amazon's Trade-In Program, Half.com & Textbooks.com.

Have too many clothes? Clothes you don’t wear anymore but that are still in pretty good shape? Head to Crossroads, Buffalo Exchange, or any other consignment shop that buys clothes! You’ll have the option of in store credit or cash.

Save your coins! If you ever start getting a buildup of coins, try putting them into a jar or piggy bank! Try not to touch them once you put them in and then once it’s full head to the bank or to the closest Coinstar Kiosk to get cash for your coins! Then it’s your choice if you want to deposit and save the money or treat yourself to something!

Get a part time job! Apply for a job somewhere around the city or apply for a work-study position if you’re eligible! Keep an eye out for odd jobs too! The money you earn from this can help you pay for your necessities and if you have some leftovers you can add to your savings or have some extra spending money!

Start an Etsy site! If you make art or any kind of crafty things that you think you might be able to sell, it might be worth deciding to open an Etsy shop to try and sell some of your work and earn some money. Of course, Etsy isn’t the only option, there are many other sites where you can start selling your work too!

Fill out some surveys. You’re not going to make a ton of money doing this, but there are some sites out there who are willing to pay you for taking surveys. If you’re willing to do this and stay committed you could definitely earn a bit here and there. Check out this post from The Peaceful Mom for some of the best survey sites that are out there: http://thepeacefulmom.com/best-online-survey-sites/. You can take a look at this link too for some other sites that will pay for certain types of work from you: http://christianpf.com/real-companies-that-will-pay-you-to-work-from-home/.

Good luck out there!

Cheap Date Ideas: Winter Edition

Farmers Markets. Each weekend there are farmers markets all over the city. Pick one and explore!

Ice Cream Cruise. Every Sunday between 11am & 5pm, the Seattle Ferry Service offers an hour long tour that takes you by the “Sleepless in Seattle” houseboat, Dale Chihuly’s glass blowing studio, and Gas Works Park. Tickets are $11.  Ice cream treats, coffee, hot chocolate, and soft drinks, $2 to $4.

Tour the Theo Chocolate Factory in Fremont. Tours are held daily and are $10 per person.

Pike Place Market. Though the market can be expensive if you’re not careful, there are definitely some budget friendly things you can do. Check out this guide for Pike’s on a budget.

First Thursday of each month is free admission days for multiple museums around the city.

Ice Skating. Highland Ice Arena is a great place to go for that classic ice skating experience. Admission is $7.50 for adults, skate rental is $4. Another option is Winterfest held annually at the Fisher Pavilion in Seattle Center from Nov 25th - Jan 2nd.

Cooking Classes. If you want to splurge, you could buy a series of classes or do a one-time class and learn the art of a new cuisine. You can also do this for free at home. Just use or get a cookbook or recipe and make some food together!

Watch Cartoons. Or anything really. Gather up some snacks, blankets and have fun watching some telly together.

Go to an Arcade. While it can definitely add up, you can definitely have a couple of hours of fun on the cheap if you’re careful with how you spend your money/points in the arcade.

Used Bookstore Adventure. If you’re into books, head to some bookstores and see what you find. You can always play that game where you open random books and read the best passage or sentence you come across.

See a movie at the Central Cinema. General admission is $8 but you can get even cheaper tickets if you buy them more than 24 hrs ahead of time. They also have occasional 99 cent movie nights. Check out their calendar.

Share cheap, delicious wine on the street. $20 will cover the bottle, tax, and a generous tip atList Restaurant, where Italian bottles go on sale every afternoon.

Drink some free whiskey at the Westland Whiskey Distillery. Take the tour and learn how they make the single-malt, then head to the tasting bar to sample the wars.

Head to the Conservatory in Volunteer Park.

Taco Tuesday. The Tin Hat offers $0.69 tacos on tuesdays, see how many you can eat.

Have fun!

Start an Emergency Fund!

It happens, sometimes we have emergencies in our lives and they’re always unexpected. Start an emergency fund so you can be prepared for any unforeseen event that might happen. Things like getting in a car accident, losing your job, an illness, natural disaster etc. You’ll be happy you saved up even just a little bit!

Start out small and work your way up. Ideally you would want to set up a separate bank account, but you could also have a jar/envelope in your home. You can start as small or as big as you’d like, just start saving! One method would be putting as little as $10 a month aside, or anytime you have extra change or cash in your wallet, stick it in your fund!

Make it automatic. If you’re having troubles letting go of the money, treat it like a bill and set up an automatic transfer on payday. That way you won’t even notice that the money is gone and you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll have in the emergency account!

Only use it for emergencies. Make sure you don’t dip into the fun unless it’s an emergency - since that’s what this is for. You’ll thank yourself later!

Good luck out there!

Holiday Shopping & Saving Tips

Find a seasonal job. This could last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. It’s a great way to

earn some extra money in a short period of time with no long-term commitments, plus you don’t need to have much experience for most seasonal jobs. A good time to start looking is September-November.

Make a budget and keep to it.

Start early. The holidays will sneak up on you fast, so start early if you’re able. You’ll thank yourself

later!

Go Handmade. Be creative!

Trade! If you’ve got some kind of art or craft thing that you make, find other people who also do and

trade with them. Suddenly you both have a gift worth giving without having to pay for it!

Check out thrift and consignment shops. Sometimes you can find the perfect gift!

Black Friday. If you’re good with crowds, hit up the Black Friday sales. You can check out

BlackFriday.com for tips and deals for the day. If you’re not good with crowds, there are still many

Black Friday deals online! Make sure you know what you’re looking for and don’t get sucked into

buying unneeded things.

Cyber Monday. The Monday after Black Friday is Cyber Monday. Check out CyberMonday.com for

more details and deals. Some are even offered now!

Good luck!

Student Discounts: Travel & Transportation

Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before we know it. Here are some resources we’ve pulled together to find the cheapest flights, bus tickets, hotel prices, etc. for your journeys.

First of all, and we’ll say this over and over again, always ask if there’s a student discount! Even if it’s not advertised, it doesn’t mean there isn’t one. The worst that’ll happen is they’ll say no!

Choice Hotels - offers a Student Advantage card with which you can get 15% off at certain hotels.

StudentRate - Find discounts for hotels, car rentals, flights, and even cruises!

STA Travel - Find deals on flights, hotels, travel insurance and more.

StudentUniverse - Offers discounts on flights, hotels, tours, groups and more.

BookingBuddy - Find discounts for flights, hotels, vacation packages, cars, cruises, vacation rentals, etc.

CheapOair - Discounts for flights, hotels, cars, vacations, etc.

One Travel - Deals on flights, hotels, cars, vacations & cruises.

Hotwire - deals for hotels, cars & flights

Orbitz - Deals for flights, hotels, cars, activities, etc.

GenerationFly - Specifically for students travelling internationally. Register for free to get started.

BoltBus - Depending on where you need to go, you can get super cheap tickets through Boltbus.

Greyhound - offers a Student Advantage card with which you can save 20% on tickts. With the card you can also save 40% on package shipments sent through Greyhound Package Xpress.

Amtrak - offers a Student Advantage card with which you can save 10% off tickets. You can also earn travel points.

Rail Europe - If you’re between the ages of 16 & 25 you can get discounted tickets! You don’t even have to be a student.

There are many more resources out there, so do some of your own research if these aren’t working out for you.

Good luck!

Finding Cheaper Tickets for Theater

Some of us aren’t able to use the wonderful TeenTix anymore, and it can be a hard thing to realize you’re expected to pay much more per ticket whenever you want to see a show around town. Luckily, there are many theaters that still offer student discount prices. There are also a few resources to look into for some cheaper tickets for the shows you want to see!

To make theater more accessible, some theaters offer student rush tickets 30-45 minutes before each performance. These tickets can only be purchased in person at the box office and you must have proof of enrollment to obtain the discount. Local theaters that are offering this discount include Paramount, 5th Avenue Theater, The Moore, Neptune

Seattle Repertory Theater offers a student discount for $18 tickets for all shows, a 50% military discount for those in active duty, veterans and other immediate families, and discounts for those 65 years and older.

Seattle Repertory Theater also offers 1/2 price rush tickets 30 minutes before each performance, these aren't just for students, they're for anybody. They also offer "Pay What You Can" tickets sold day-of-show only, based on availability.

5th Avenue Theater also offers $20 Day-of-Show tickets for students and patrons under 25 years old, as well as for theater arts industry employees.

Seattle Arts Crush - presented by Theatre Puget Sound - features free and discount theater tickets during October. Check out Artscrush.org to find free or reduced tickets.

If you’re a AAA Member, check out this list of places you can get discounts in Seattle!

At ArtsWest, student tickets are always $17 - discounted from the regular $37.50

Free tours!

Paramount Theater offers free tours on the first Saturday of every month.

Moore Theatre offers free tours on the on the second Saturday of every month.

Neptune Theatre offers free tours on the third Saturday of every month.

Other resources for discounted tickets:

StubHub

Theater Mania

CheapTickets.com

GoldStar

Theatre in Seattle

Many other theaters such as the ones at UW, ACT, Theater Puget Sound, and many more offer student/senior/military/under 25/etc. discounts to make seeing theater as accessible as possible. Always do some research and check out the theater's website to see what discounts you might be eligible for.   

Go see some theater! Good luck!