Going to college can be an expensive process. Everyone knows that, for the first few months at least, money can be a little tight. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a great entertainment setup in your dorm room without having to shell out a whole bunch of cash that you don’t have. Obviously, you don’t want your friends to come over and see that you’ve got a television that looks like it belongs in the dark ages, or even worse, no television at all, but there are other methods of entertainment that you can make use of that will make your dorm room seem totally cool without costing an arm and a leg.
First off, the internet is normally provided for free in college dormitories. So, if you are living on campus, you do not have to worry about paying a monthly bill. If you are living off-campus in an apartment, usually there are student deals offered by local internet and cable companies. Definitely make sure that everyone you talk to from every company knows that you’re a student. Companies like Clear make it so that you can get monthly internet for around 35 dollars a month after purchasing one of their devices, but if you shop around for student deals near you, you may be able to get something cheaper. The benefit of clear is that the device travels with you, so you are able to use the internet even on vacation. Cable internet is rooted in your home or apartment.
Another great source of cheap entertainment is based on the internet. There are tons of websites that enable people to watch videos, or movies online. Some of the best-known ones are Youtube, Netflix, Hulu, and Vimeo. Youtube, Vimeo, and Hulu all have free versions of their sites that are free for consumer use. If you are interested in having more access to full movies, and seasons of television shows Netflix might be a better option for you. Netflix Instant Stream costs $9.99 a month, and you have unlimited access and streaming to thousands of videos. Why spend money on costly DVDs that will just clutter up your space when you can stream shows and movies live right online.
Television, as I already mentioned, is also a feasible means of entertainment. If you don’t have a television already you can get one for cheap in local thrift stores like Savers, Salvation Army, or other second-hand shops that might be in the same town that your college is in. Used goods are great because usually they have the same quality of new products, but are significantly less expensive. It doesn’t matter what kind of TV you have as long as it plays movies and can have cable, right?
Cable is usually a little bit more expensive. Just like the internet, if you are going to be living in a dorm, cable TV will be provided for you and you will not have to buy it. Most first-year students are required by their colleges to live in dorms to make sure they are acclimating well to college life, so you (if you are just starting) will probably already have your entertainment amenities taken care of for you. If you are living in an apartment or house off-campus, though, you will be on your own to figure out the best deals. As I previously said: make sure you tell every single representative that you are a college student. Doing so will assure that they are giving you the best discounts possible on their services. Cable usually ranges anywhere from 40-100 dollars a month, but make sure you read the fine print because often the prices will jack up after the first 12 months. You can also get satellite dish service pretty cheap, nowadays, so you might want to look into that. Satellite service (which offers more channels than cable) usually starts at around 20 dollars a month and doesn’t usually have a lot of fine print to read unless you are looking into buying premium channels.
Overall, getting entertainment in your dorm or apartment isn’t always expensive, it’s just a matter of knowing where your resources are.
Author Bio: This guest post was written by the team at Connectyourhome.com, an authorized retailer of home communication, security, and entertainment services. Connect Your Home offers a full range of products and services, such as satellite TV, home phone, internet, TV cable service, and many more. Get a list of the top phone service providers at connectyourhome.com
