By  JENNA MEAD

STAFF WRITER

Maybe you fell asleep in Econ 101, or possibly you were not able to budget your time properly to even get into the class on APR?

Regardless of your financial background, picking up Brokenomics by Dina Gachamn is worth the investment. This read can assist you in ways beyond balancing your bank account.

Gachamn offers her take on… well just about everything. From the fostering  of your relationship with your grandmother, to deciding if graduate school is right for you (while offering some particular advice on paying for it), to instructions on breaking into a hotel for free lounging.

Gachamn uses her own story to give the valuable advice in an “I’m not any one to judge you for spending $6 on a coffee” type of way, but offers tips on how to rid yourself of costly habits.

The book is directed for a young audience with guidance for handling unpaid internships with diligence, but a sense of humor about making copies.

I tweeted Gachamn and asked her advice for being a poor college student. She replied, “Try not to take out private loans if you can help it, the interest rates are way worse!” Note taken.

Inspired by Brokenomics, I have put together a few of my own suggestions for living the dream on the dime right here at SLU:

Pick up spare change– Okay, this may sound like a bit crazy, but I have made a heavy pocket here on campus picking up lucky pennies and other forgotten coinage. If picking up grimy nickels from the ground is not your thing, then at least start a piggy bank of your own with your daily change. Coins add up! A hundred pennies can buy you a scratch off ticket and a gambling addiction all at once! (Note: never grab a tails up penny off the ground, that $0.01 is not worth the hex to ensue)

Do not save your credit card information digitally– This tip is BOGO. First, this protects you from online fraud and identity theft, we all know that, but ignore it. But on the  other hand, having to retype your card info in for every purchase can stop you from ordering that Amazon Deal of the Day when have a little extra time to reflect on your life choice to order a shake weight.

Get more involved on campus– Another two for one deal here. Obviously more resume lines filled here and valuable experiences of course, but more essentially FREE FOOD. Clubs and other events on campus are always offering up something to nibble on, and as the semester draws to a close I know that Flex-Fuel is looking more and more like the US budget. Hit up club meetings and school functions; just make sure you don’t get caught leaving with their box of munchkins. 

Be a secret saver– You want to lose your bills, not your friends. This means becoming “the cheap one” in your circle is not the idea here. Always pony up the gas money, and your friends will (more likely) do the same. Suggest free activities, like Bananagrams and coupon cutting, rather than diamond shopping and you will not have to be the wet blanket who cries poor when concert tickets enter the picture.

Following these tips and making the pledge to pinch your pennies before summer break will be beneficial in the long run.

In the mean time, it might feel a little like trying to be on a diet at the dessert buffet. But hold on, the best things in life are free (or well included in your tuition at least, here is looking at you Folk Fest).

Pick up Dina Gachamn’s Brokenomics for more tips like these to apply to your campus life today!