How to Save Cash During College

Attending college is an ideal investment in your future, but unless you've been lucky enough to earn a full scholarship, it is expensive – and it's getting more expensive with each passing year. However, by instituting some good habits, it is possible to save money during college and ease the financial burden of higher education.

Money-Saving Strategies for College Students 
Here are some proven tips, culled from personal finance experts, that can help college students save much-needed cash while in school:

• Cost-sharing and reselling. Are you finished with that calculus course? Sell your textbook. Do you need a literature anthology for your freshman-year English class? Buy it used. Have you found a perfect apartment but need to find a couch? Split the cost evenly among your roommates. Being sensible and frugal helps you trim costs bit by bit, and that adds up over time.

• Always look for deals. Is there an extra-curricular club you're interested in that offers free pizza? Can you get a Groupon rate to your local cinema if you go with friends? Does your neighborhood eatery offer a lunch special between noon and 2 PM? Take advantage of these types of offers whenever you can.

• Live with roommates. Your housing costs will be much higher if you shoulder the burden on your own. Share a house or apartment, get a roommate for your dorm, or join a sober living community—and tuck some cash back in your pocket.

• Walk or ride your bike to school. If you live close enough to campus, it's always a good idea to walk or ride your bicycle to class rather than drive or take public transit. This can save you hundreds of dollars over the course of the school year, to say nothing of the health benefits.

• Avoid borrowing to the greatest possible degree. Unscrupulous lenders are all too eager to tempt students with temporary solutions to their cash shortages. Don't be lured in. Only borrow if it's absolutely necessary and there is no other alternative, and even then—don't take out more than you really, truly need. It's a better idea to get a part-time job than take out a bigger loan to get you through the year.

How Good Money Habits Can Help the Addiction Recovery Process 
Developing good money habits goes a long way toward helping you get back on your feet after recovering from alcohol or drug addiction. Taking care of your finances teaches you self-discipline, which is vital for anyone hoping to overcome substance abuse. It also encourages a greater degree of self-responsibility, which creates a more positive and healthy overall mindset.

Hope Academy is an addiction recovery center focused on meeting the unique needs of young people struggling with substance abuse. We can help you with financing options for your addiction recovery process and your college education, and our young adult sobriety college program is one of the most unique in the nation. Contact our team today to learn more.

Life Coaching and Its Role in Addiction Recovery

While sobriety colleges like Hope Academy are known for helping students complete their college degree or embark upon vocational training, they also integrate life coaching into young adult drug and alcohol recovery programs. Life coaching is critical for addicts of all ages and walks of life. At some point after the early stages of rehab, you must begin to the transition back to relationships, jobs, leisure activities, and “normalcy.” Life skills workshops and life coaching offer practical ways to embrace a sober life, improve time management, find a work-life balance, and plan for a bright career future.

Benefits of Life Coaching
Life skills coaching is not the same as therapy and is not a substitute for group or individual addiction counseling. Instead, it is designed to help clients develop a healthy routine and provide them with strategic ways to tackle the activities of daily living—from getting finances in order to setting healthy relationship boundaries. Life coaching may also help participants:

• Build confidence & refine character
• Achieve specific goals in any life arena
• Feel more prepared for job interviews & career planning
• Stay motivated in your sobriety journey
• Develop methods for confronting challenges
• Find new hobbies & interests
• Communicate effectively
• Avoid relapse

Know Your Weaknesses
As you work your way through recovery, you will begin to understand yourself better. Pursue life coaching for your particular areas of weakness, and along the way, you may discover other areas that could use your attention, as well. Most importantly, remember that life after recovery is a big transition—and offer yourself grace as you learn new habits and reframe your life around sobriety. 

Life Skills Coaching at Sobriety College
Our sobriety college allows students to live in Hope by the Sea’s college home while enrolled in classes or vocational training. During the experience, students participate in life skills workshops designed to make “real life” more manageable, less scary, and more successful—without relying on drugs or alcohol. To learn more about Hope Academy and our life skills training opportunities, call our team at 866.930.4673 today.

Open a Journal and Turn a New Leaf

Do you keep a journal or diary? For centuries, journaling has been a way to record observations, thoughts, and happenings. Historical journals have given us insight into the lives of ordinary people and the minds of extraordinary men and women. Likewise, keeping a journal is a good way to better understand yourself and to make a positive change in your life.

Start Your Journal Now
The start of a new year is a great time to begin journaling. You may want to keep track of how you’re doing with the resolutions you made, or you may just need to record your thoughts and feelings. Whatever your motivation, you will be surprised by some unexpected benefits from keeping a written record of your thoughts.

Reasons to Journal 
Journaling is an activity that is completely personal. You are the author and editor, and your thoughts, feelings, and observations are the contents. Your journal may have a specific purpose, or it may simply be a record of your life. Here are some common reasons to keep a journal:

• To record your thoughts
• To vent your emotions
• To track your progress to a goal
• To record what is happening around you

Benefits of Journaling 
When you journal, you engage in a mental activity that can yield big results. That is why writing is often a part of therapy and recovery activities. Journaling helps you to:

• Vent your feelings and then look at them objectively.
• Gain perspective and recognize harmful patterns of behavior and thinking.
• Track your activities and check your progress toward achieving a goal.
• Keep you mentally disciplined.
• Engage your mind so that you become observant, mindful, and grateful.

Getting a Young Life Back on Track 
For young people who have been sidetracked by addiction to drugs or alcohol, Hope Academy is a way back: back to school, back to work, back to health. The programs at our CA treatment center are also a way forward to a full, productive, and sober life. We have the unique programs in place to take you from detox to sober living training and addiction aftercare. Call us today at 866-930-4673 to explore the possibilities for putting your life back on track.