FREE Sample of Garnier Shampoo

Source: Cesar/Flickr

As a broke college student, you know I am always looking for a good deal. There is no deal better than getting something for free. We all use some brand of shampoo, am I right? Well, Garnier is giving away a free sample their Full and Plus shampoo and conditioner! Yes, you read that right, sign up here today to get yours for free!

Movie Time: 9 Tips for Cheap Movies

Ah, summer is here, school is out, and the sun is hot! You are trying to catch some movies and popcorn on a hot, humid summer afternoon.

However, going to the movies can cost you an arm and a leg these days. When you think about it, it can cost $12 to $15 a person, before you even buy your popcorn, candy, etc. Did you know you can easily cut down your movie ticket cost with coupons and also buying matinee tickets? However, what if I told you that there were numerous ways to see new releases for free?

Take a look at the following free movie options below, then start planning to save money on your movie budget this summer.

Get on your theaters mailing list

Alright, first thing is it is 100% worth signing up for all your local theater’s mailing list, because you will be surprised to know that sometimes they will give out free screening information. However, you never know, your local theater may have a variety of different coupons, promotions, so signing up can be beneficial.

Online promotions

If you take advantage of the internet, you will find that some companies offer movie tickets in exchange for participating in promotions. For example, in June, Minute Maid announced their promotion that you can get a free movie ticket for every six bottles you purchased.

Fandango

Now, this is kind of my go-to site. Fandango is a movie ticket site that has an entire section just for free movie tickets or special offers. It is a must if you are looking to snag a few free tickets this summer.

Klout

Klout is a little bit different, which I will further explain in another blog post. However, Klout offers you free items all based on your social media use. Sometimes Klout will offer free movie tickets, so it is vital to sign up for them to see if they may have any tickets coming your way.

Mystery shopping

Mystery shopping is great for a lot of products, but I will go over that in another blog post. However, they are great to score some free movie tickets, in exchange for you to rate and observe your experience while at the movie theater.

Work for the movie theater

When you are employed by a movie theater, most of the time you get to see all the new releases for free! Yes, you read that right, for free! It is just one of the many perks of the job. Not to mention, you get to come home smelling like buttery delicious popcorn.

Movie in the park

Does your town of movie in the park? I know my town holds movie in the park usually during the summer and spring months. You will want to check out your local newspaper, or even your local radio station will know when and where the movie in the park will be held.

The movie in the park has been always free, at least in my town. It is a fun family-friendly movie for the entire family to enjoy.

Stream it

We all know getting a subscription of our favorite streaming service is beyond worth it. However, the main streaming services that most of us utilize is Amazon Prime Instant Video, Hulu, and of course, Netflix. They all offer an overabundance of movies to choose from. However, did you know there are ways you can watch movies from each of these services for free?

Well, first off, Hulu offers a limited selection of movies that anyone can watch. These movies, at least what I have seen are normally older movies, which is perfectly fine if you are looking to find something interesting. Also, if you are not up to watching some of their free movie selections, you can get your free seven-day Hulu Plus trial and spend those days watching all the free movies and television shows you want.

Next up, Netflix, which happens to be my life when I am not working; offers a free month! Yes, a free month to stream all the movies and television shows you want. You can start your free trial anytime.

Last but certainly not least, there is Amazon Prime Instant Video. They offer a 30-day free trial, which has both television shows and movies for free. Personally, it is a great deal because they normally have new hit television shows and movies on.

Trade movies

We’ve all done this plenty of times as children. When you are tired of your boring old movies, you ask your best friends to trade, or you decide to have your own movie night. Chances are you will have a much better time watching movies with your friends, than watching movies along. Who knows, you may end up seeing a flick that you’ve been dying to see.

Also, movie swap is always a great idea. I know I did this as a child. This is where you bring your old DVDs or back in the day VHS’s to your friends swap them out and you have some new movies to watch. This always worked so wonderfully as you always had movies your friends wanted and you wanted movies that your friends had.

Now it is your turn: Now that I gave you my ways of saving on movie tickets, what is your ways you save on movie tickets?

Deal of a lifetime: Prime Day

If you are like me, you are counting down the days until July 15; however, if you been under a rock (which is perfectly okay), you missed out on some big news. On July 15, Amazon will be holding a big, global, one-day shopping event to celebrate their twentieth anniversary! Amazon is promising us that Prime Day will out do Black Friday, but they have been pretty quiet on the specifics. However, I managed to find a few deals for you.

Source: Amazon/Wiki Commons

First is first, there is one small catch, which many people seem to overlook. The name of the event is Prime Day, well; you have to be a Prime member to take advantage of these awesome Prime Day deals.

However, for most of us, that is not really a catch or even a deal breaker. I know the majority of people are already Prime members. I know I shop on Amazon for literally everything because I can snag a lot of great deals on there.  Not to mention, the Amazon Prime includes unlimited streaming of TV shows, movies, books, music, and unlimited secure photo storage.

All in all, I believe that Amazon Prime is well worth it, at least to me. However, with this Prime Day, it might make the deal even sweeter to be able to snag up some better bargains than any old day. The deals begin at midnight, with new deals posted as often as every ten or so minutes. Along with those deals, they will have thousands upon thousands Lightning Deals with seven Deals of the Day. What really sweetens the deal is you will get the deals with fast, free shipping.

Try 6-month Amazon Prime for student click here.

Try 30-day free trial click here.

Broke College Student Benefits

I won’t say every college student is broke because that is a cliché. However, most college students don’t have much money waiting to be spent or any money at all. With that being said, you and I both know college isn’t cheap and can cause student debt and much more.

I do not by any means, want to scare anyone or change their minds about going to college. I will admit, going to college can be quite fun because you will be in a pool full of people from different walks of life. It is not only a place where you will be attending classes 24/7, but you will learn a lot about different cultures, how to budget your own money, and eventually gain a great education.

But, here is the entire point to this post, being a broke college student does have its advantages. Let me tell you why.

Source: 401(K) 2012/Flickr

If you learn to live on less for your daily expenses, then while you’re in college and for the rest of your life you’ll be able to prioritize the things that are actually important to you. There are a million ways to learn to budget, and I am no expert. But here’s something to keep in mind:

For starters, if you are a broke college student like myself with no family to dig you out of any financial holes you may put yourself in, you learn to live on less money for your daily expenses. While you are living as a broke college student, you will learn how important it is to prioritize things that a) are important to you b) need to be paid ASAP and c) budgeting.

Number one rule to being a broke college student is it is a valid excuse. Yes, you heard it from me. It can be used as a valid excuse.

Now, as a college student, you probably think your goals need to only deal with a self-improvement, education, and experiences. However, not knocking on them and saying anything negative about it, but you have to think; you are investing your hard earned money and time to reach your academic goals. Yes, this does benefit you in a variety of ways, but why spend all your money on just that?

I decided early into my college life, that I would only spend money on things that I needed to live my daily life, neither nothing more nor nothing less. Everyone has an experience that they want to finally experience, am I right? Well, by doing this, you can not only learn to save a dollar, but you also will get to do things that you want to do. You are not necessarily making yourself unhappy because overall you have a goal and you are working towards that.

Basically, what I am trying to get at is, being a broke college student has its advantages. You will soon learn to be great with money and you will be savvy earning your hard earned cash too. Sometimes, you just need a goal in mind to help you along the way.

Question: Do you believe there are benefits for being a broke college student?