Keeping a budget, saving money, and fulfilling your entertainment needs are all important parts of managing stress in a difficult time of your life. Below is a variety of resources we recommend using to make your life at Temple and in Philadelphia a little easier.
Budgeting
Mobile apps:
Being aware of your budget throughout the month helps you stay in control.
Budgeting apps come in different forms: manual input and automatic updates. Automatically updating apps require you to link them directly to your bank account. If you are unsure, you should always look up the details of how the app protects your banking information.
Some of the apps you may like: Buddy (iOS only), Mint, Goodbudget, YNAB. YNAB is the only app on the list that is not free to use, but it provides a free account to students for a year.
Temple resources:
If you visit TUportal's "Costs and Aid" page, you will find a useful resource called iGrad. iGrad is a tool that helps you assess your financial situation and plan saving and spending strategies.
Textbooks
Textbooks can be a huge expense at the beginning of the year. Here are some suggestions to lower these expenses:
- Don't forget to use Charles Library, it often has digital copies of textbooks. Check free online libraries and databases too!
- Use SlugBooks to compare textbook prices across multiple sites. Find used books at Thriftbooks and other second-hand bookstores like The Book Trader.
- Free Library of Philadelphia can not only provide you with books, but even allow you to borrow musical instruments and more.
Thrift Stores
There is a special value in buying previously used clothes and items. First, it saves you money. Second, you can find vintage or retro items with history behind them — it is fun. Thrift-shopping takes time, so make sure you can dedicate a couple hours to going through the shelves at the store or pages of a website. Here are some suggestions:
- Philly AIDS Thrift — a well-known Philadelphia thrift store that donates proceeds to AIDS charities. Here you can find anything from clothes to decoration to kitchen items.
- Retrospect Vintage — a thrift store focused on vintage fashion and unique vintage aesthetic items. Good if you are looking to renew your wardrobe with something fancy and long-lasting but reasonably priced. Not a cheap place.
- Circle Thrift — an all-purpose thrift store similar to Philly AIDS Thrift. They might even have bed frames and other major household items that would be helpful for someone living in an unfurnished apartment.
- The Wardrobe — a place to get free or discounted second-hand formal clothing for a job interview or a formal event. The Wardrobe works in collaboration with Temple University to support students who experience clothing insecurity. Use the information at the link to make an appointment.
You can find more thrift stores and discount stores by looking through your phone's maps app or looking it up in a search engine. Don't underestimate the power of thrifting!
Cultural Events
While you are trying to budget and spend as little money as possible, it is important to keep in touch with others and entertain yourself. We gathered a list of accounts and websites you can follow to find something fun to do, something tasty to eat, or both!
- Visit Philly (@visitphilly) — a guide for all major Philadelphia events and places to visit.
- Discover Philly (@discover_phl) — the official source for city events. Will keep you up to date with local and U.S. history and tours and events dedicated to it.
- @phillyfoodbabe — an Instagram account about Philadelphia food. You can see what food really is like at many places and learn about happy hours (time slot when the food is cheaper than usual at a place).
- Philadelphia Magic Gardens — a museum and art environment you can visit for around $12 with a student ID (your OwlCard on your phone). An excellent introduction to Philly art scene.
- Campus Philly (@campusphilly) — a project dedicated specifically to students in Philadelphia, ready to connect you with events, discounts, and even job and internship opportunities.