This is a guest post by Bronda Silvers, the CEO of Grown Up Me. Her team helps high school and college students determine what career and college is right for them. They frequently write blog posts and create resources to help students excel inside and outside of the classroom.

You’re in college, so chances are you’re just about ready to live the next few years of your life wallowing in tens of thousands of dollars in student loan debt. Try to save some money now to pay off your debts later with these money saving tips for your spring semester of college!

Sell/Return Christmas Presents

Yeah, this is pretty heartless, but if you’re not going to use the present anyways, sell it so that at least you get some benefit from the gift.

Cut the Cord

Have you seen the cost of cable TV lately? Yikes! Save $100 a month and go with a service like Netflix or Hulu Plus, or better yet, get 6 free months of Amazon Prime with your .edu email and a deep discount after that for free shipping and a vast library of movies and TV shows to stream. If you’re worried about missing live sports, get an antennae for your TV, or use a service like WatchESPN.

Furnish Wisely

College-aged kids can be terrors on par with toddlers when it comes to wrecking furniture. Resist the urge to get fancy, expensive furniture, and instead look for used furniture on Craigslist or in garage sales. After you have that first party, and your couch gets torn or spilled on, you definitely won’t regret saving money on cheaper furniture. You can beautify an old couch too with an inexpensive couch cover and some new pillows!

Stay in the Same Place

As long as you like your place, keep the moving costs down by staying put!

Slowly Move Out of Your Dorm

If you’re still in a dorm and need to move out after the semester, start thinking about moving out early. If you make regular trips home, bring a couple items from the dorm you don’t need along too. This will save big time on moving costs at the end of the semester!

Become an RA

Did you know that most RA’s get free housing and meals in the dorm? Being an RA isn’t for everybody, but that’s a big money saver!

Keep Filling out Scholarships

Enrolling in a college doesn’t mean scholarship opportunities just stop. There are loads of scholarships for upperclassmen, just go out and find them!

Don’t Flake out on Schoolwork

Failing classes means you’ll have to take them again, so pay attention to your studies, and you won’t have to pay for a class a second time. Good grades also tends to make it easier to get scholarships...

Rent Textbooks

Buying textbooks is amazingly expensive, so rent instead. Better yet, ask around before you do either to see if people who have taken the class before even used the book.

Eat Cheap

Use coupons! Most likely there's a cheaper alternative to buying your food. Check out popular couponing sites for discounts on your favorite groceries and restaurants. Things like pasta and rice last a long time in cupboards and you can always find coupons for them. Don’t confuse cheap with unhealthy though, keep a balanced meal and be sure to eat your fruits and veggies!

Image thanks to 401kcalculator.org via Flickr.