You can save for it before you even enroll, but it probably won’t be long before you’re contacting student loan lenders and contemplating selling your car. The simple fact is, college is expensive. Most people have a fairly relaxed attitude about borrowing tens of thousands of dollars at a time to finance each individual semester of school, thinking that the loans will be manageable on a full-time salary once repayment time arrives. The completion of criminal justice masters programs creates various new windows of opportunity for graduates, but having a significant debt that has to be repaid immediately can be a negative when you’re trying to plot out your financial future. Try these four ways to creatively finance your online masters in criminal justice degree and see yourself graduating without any debt.

1. Freelance Your Way Through School

Suggesting that someone work full time in order to afford college is simply not being realistic. Even with a good paying job, the total cost for attending an institution of higher education far exceeds what one would be able take out of a full time income. If you are paying your own way, expenses such as rent or mortgage, food, auto maintenance and health insurance are not going to be cheap, and they really can’t be avoided to any degree. To earn money that you can use toward your online criminal justice masters degree, research freelancing. Full time secretaries can work as virtual assistants in their off time, while musicians can record jingles, lease beats, or compose full arrangements for extra money. There’s pretty much a way to freelance no matter what you’re good at.

2. Live Off the Land

Have you ever had an interest in gardening or living in an RV? If not, developing a taste for free range chicken and the manager’s special department of the bakery is suggested. Everyday expenses tend to be high because consumers rarely find out how they can get the same products by taking a bare bones approach. Bread can be baked at home, laundry detergent can be made from scratch and clothing can be stitched together by hand. If you can deal with couch surfing for a couple of years, you may be able to earn your criminal justice masters program online without you needing to open several student loan accounts.

3. Donate Plasma

If you’re squeamish or have an illness that won’t allot you to have blood drawn on a regular basis, this next option is probably not for you. Everyone else can earn at least a few thousand dollars to help pay for school. No, you can’t sell blood and get financially compensated for it, but you can cash in on a variation of this infamous money making trick. There are a lot of medical companies that dole out financial rewards to those willing to sit still long enough to have their blood drawn. Payment amounts vary, but each cash redeemable gift card, check and gift certificate can help you get out of college without any debt.

4. Don’t Throw it Away – Sell it Instead

You might not have a habit of wearing certain clothes once they have gone out of style, but there’s probably a lot of people waiting to get their hands on what you don’t want anymore. Consignment shops and thrift stores will pay consumers for their unwanted and played out threads. You can sell everything from your old toaster to a pair of heels from last season, and get cash in return.

If you calculate the total cost of attending college on a full time schedule, there’s pretty much no way most people are going to have the cash needed to pay for it all at once. Student loans are convenient, but they lock you into a repayment schedule that’s usually slated to last for several decades. Going to school and paying for it while you’re actively taking classes means that you won’t have as much time for fun activities, but it will put you in a much better financial position.

With tuition fees, course costs, materials, text books, field trips, as well as the rising cost of living, being a student is expensive. While you can save some money by applying for grants, scholarships and loans, it probably won’t be enough. You could take a part-time job, but you don’t want to work so much that you neglect your studies. These are some simple ways you can save money while you study.

Studying online, such as an online MBA degree can be a great way to save money. You don’t have to move, or quit your job. It gives you much more flexible options. If you are interested in online MBA programs get in touch with Northeastern University for some great options. Part-time study would be another option.

Go Second Hand

When it comes to text books for university, second hand is a great option. Check sites like eBay, as many graduates sell their books on when they are finished with them.

Switch Off

This is an easy one that so few of us do. When you leave a room, turn your lights off. Turn your appliances off, instead of on to stand-by. Only have on what you need. It’s a small thing, but over a year it can end up saving you quite a lot of money.

Walk

Save money, and keep fit by walking instead of driving or using public transport. You save on petrol and parking or tickets. For longer distances, book tickets in advance to save money.

Food

Food is one of our biggest expenses, but there are easy ways to save money. Firstly, before you go shopping, plan your meals for the week ahead, and write a list, only buying what’s on the list. Consider buying own-brand, instead of more luxury products. Often, when you’re cooking from scratch, you won’t tell in the end product if the ingredients are cheaper. Lastly, cook in large batches, and freeze any extra. It’s much cheaper to cook like this.

Make Sure You’re Getting the Best Deals

Look at all of the options when it comes to utility and service providers, as you may get cheaper elsewhere. Alternately look at where you can cut back: do you really need all of those minutes on your cell phone contract?

Make Gifts and Cards

When it comes to birthdays and Christmas, get crafting! Homemade gifts can be wonderful and there’s nothing more thoughtful than taking the time to make something for someone. Great adult crafts can include bath products, candles, upcycled clothing and picture frames.

Have Nights In

As a student, it’s tempting to go out every night, but this can be ridiculously expensive. Have the odd night in to save money. Invite your friends round, cook a meal together. Alcohol from a shop is much cheaper than in a bar or restaurant.

Don’t let financial issues stop you studying for the job of your dreams. Just make some cut backs, and be careful. Many people find writing a budget down helps them stick to it.

It is never fun to be in debt, any kind of debt, but still you hear about good debt and bad debt and now you are wondering how any debt is good. Actually, you are with tens of millions of other Americans who feel the very same way and have the very same question in mind. Is there really such a thing as debt that is good? Is there really any difference between good and bad debt when at the end of the day you still owe both and both need to be paid? And, herein lies the answer. Good debt is theoretically supposed to pay for itself and bad debt leaves you holding the bag. Let’s look at a few examples and you will be able to answer for yourself if there really is any difference between good and bad debt.

Case in Point: Obamacare and What It Is Costing Hospitals

There is a growing body of legal professionals who are specializing in health law and policy simply because of the outcry from hospitals around the nation. They are extremely concerned over the turn of events resulting from the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, because instead of lowering ‘bad debt’ they are seeing a huge increase. But, you still may be wondering what the difference between good debt and bad debt is and how any debt for a hospital can be considered to be good.

A Basic Understanding of Good vs. Bad Debt

Since the simplistic definition of good debt is that which is intended to pay for itself, think of good debt as being a hospital’s investment in new technology that will not only improve diagnoses and patient care but will provide a broader reach, bringing in more patients. The revenue from those patients would pay for the technology and that is why it is considered ‘good debt.’ Unfortunately, with Obamacare, patients are still unable to pay the large deductibles and so their treatment still goes unpaid. That technology that should have been good debt is now seen as bad debt because a greater number of patients are unable to make their copays or meet their deductible and the hospital remains unpaid. That’s bad debt.

Bad Debt from a Patient’s Perspective

It doesn’t take a health law degree to see that patients under the ACA are subject to bad debt all the way around. They pay high insurance premiums that have been mandated by law, pay high deductibles before their insurance will kick in and if they can’t pay either, they are left with bad debt on their credit report. Altogether too often Obamacare has sent Americans into a credit crisis where it was supposed to have offered low cost health insurance to all. Obamacare is anything but affordable and so both hospitals and patients are seeing an increase in bad debt.

With a new administration on its way in come January, it is hoped that Obamacare will soon be repealed to be replaced by a truly affordable coverage. Advisors with a health care law degree are pouring over the current legislation and within a matter of weeks will be advising President Trump on ways to provide health insurance to everyone – a coverage that is affordable. That will be good debt. Once paid, there will be no more large deductibles or large co-pays. If you are paying for insurance with coverage, that’s good debt. Paying for insurance that doesn’t provide coverage is bad debt and that’s the difference in a nutshell.

Student debt is often at the top of the list of preoccupations for new students. As a matter of fact, it is estimated that American students owed a total of 1.3 trillion dollars in student debt in 2016 with no signs of slowing down on the horizon. But, are there simple ways students can reduce student debt or steer away from it altogether? Well, as a matter of fact, there are, and in this article, we’re going to explore three tips every student can apply to reduce student debt.

Choose the Right College

Many people make the mistake of going strictly for Ivy league schools thinking that they will ultimately be the best choice for them. However, not all of us may have the money to attend Ivy League schools and the advantage Ivy league schools offer in terms of prestige often has little impact on job prospects.

A better idea would be to go for a lower division school that is specialized in the area of study you’re interested in. This will give you the opportunity to save on tuition while getting an education that will be well respected by most institutions.

Better yet, go for an online education. George Washington University has a great online masters in political science program that is very affordable compared to many colleges. In addition, online political science masters are widely accepted by most organizations. In addition to political science, MBAs, Psychology and Healthcare Administration are all majors that are very popular among online students.

Consider Federal Loans

The federal government has tons of low interest financing options available to students. Direct subsidized loans are usually awarded based on needs while direct unsubsidized ones aren’t necessarily.

Even if you think you wouldn’t be eligible, it is always better to apply for these sort of loans. Every student should consider filing their Free Application for Federal Student Aid to see which type of loans is available to them. However, make sure that you are fully aware of the deadlines to submit your application. Deadlines vary on the State level while the deadline usually falls on June 30th at the federal level.

Try Scholarships and Grants

Again, many students believe that for some reason, scholarships are unavailable to them. However, it’s always better to consider applying for a few of them. Many organizations, such as the private organizations, state government, federal government and certain colleges offer tons of scholarships based on different criteria.

Note that grants are usually awarded based on need and scholarship on merit. However, you can apply for a grant even if you don’t feel you are in need and the notion of merit can vary from scholarship to scholarship. For instance, the David Letterman scholarship at Bell University doesn’t have any specific academic requirements and is awarded based on the student’s character, personality and a realistic expectation that the student will work in the telecommunications industry.

Reducing the cost of your tuition and student debt is easy if you take the proper steps. Whatever you do, make sure that you take advantage of all the financing options available to you, don’t stick to Ivy League schools only and consider applying for grants and scholarships even if you aren’t athletically inclined, academically gifted or in dire need.

Studying is now more expensive than ever. Unfortunately, this only looks set to get worse. Many people are now not going to university, or not carrying on their studies any further than an undergraduate degree, thus missing out on their dream job, because they simply cannot afford it. As a student, however, there are some easy ways for you to make some extra cash, without taking too much time away from your studies. This is especially important if you are studying an intense course such as a master of public health.

Start a Blog

A blog can be a great way to make some money while studying. While it may take some time before it makes any more than a few dollars here and there, in time it could earn you a decent income. Some people make a living from blogging alone, through affiliate marketing and other forms of advertising. A good tip for a student starting a blog is to write about what you know. In the case of a student studying for an MPH degree, a healthcare blog could be great.

Online Surveys

Online surveys won’t ever make you a fortune. But if you join enough sites, and take part consistently, you could earn a noticeable amount. Besides, it’s easy money. You could earn up to $5 for a few minutes answering questions from the comfort of your sofa.

Research

There are opportunities to be a paid volunteer in clinical research projects. Ask at your university if this is something you are interested in, as you know they are a trusted source that won’t put you in any danger. You could even end up being part of a study that saves lives, as well as being well paid for your time.

Freelance

The internet allows you to make money as a freelancer much more easily than ever before. If you can write, look to sites like Upwork, where you can apply for writing jobs. If you are a keen photographer, why not either advertise your skills, or sell your photographs to a stock website.

Craft

Do you have any crafting abilities? If so, consider setting up a store on Etsy, or even putting two money makers together and selling directly from a blog. This is easy to set up. Think of any hobbies you could use to make yourself money. Can you do anything someone would be willing to pay for?

Invest

You’ll need a little money for this one, but if you have got even a small amount saved up, consider making an investment. Speak to an expert and do a lot of research into the stock market before going forward, and never invest more than you can afford to lose. A small investment now might not seem a lot, but made as an undergraduate, it could potentially pay for further study later on.

Remember, scholarships, grants and loans are all options available to help you. Even if you are studying online, for example a public health degree online, you may still be eligible. With some careful planning, and as much saving as you can manage, there’s no reason a lack of money should stop you from following your dreams.