The University of British Columbia
UBC - A Place of Mind
The University of British Columbia
Student Residence — Vancouver
  • Apply to Residence
  • My Account
  • Home
  • Getting Started
    • Prospective Students
    • Returning Students
    • Graduate Students
    • Parents/Guardians
    • Important Dates
    • Useful Resources
  • Residences
    • Residences Overview
    • Residences
      • Acadia Park
      • Brock Commons – Tallwood House
      • Exchange
      • Fairview Crescent
      • Fraser Hall
      • Graduate Colleges
      • Iona House
      • Marine Drive
      • Orchard Commons
      • Place Vanier
      • Ponderosa Commons
      • Ritsumeikan-UBC House
      • tÉ™ Å¡xÊ·hÉ™lelÉ™mÌ“s tÉ™ k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ
      • Thunderbird
      • Totem Park
      • Walter Gage
    • Rooms & Suites
      • Shared Room
      • Connected Single Room
      • Single Traditional Room
      • Six Bedroom Suite
      • Four Bedroom Suite
      • Three Bedroom Suite
      • Two Bedroom Suite
      • One Bedroom Suite
      • Studio Suite
      • Nano Suite
      • Townhouse
      • Student Families
    • Residence Map
  • Applications
    • Essential Application Facts
    • Important Dates
    • How To Apply
    • Fees & Payments
    • Eligibility
    • How We Assign Rooms
    • Residence Contracts
    • Cancellations & Refunds
    • Subletting
  • Dining
    • Meal Plans
      • Orchard Commons, Place Vanier & Totem Park
      • Suite-Style Residences
    • Where To Eat On Campus
  • Residence Life
    • Community Living
      • Rights and Responsibilities
      • Solving Problems
      • Living With Roommates
    • Residence Standards
    • Health & Safety
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Counsellor in Residence
      • Fitness in Residence
      • Emergency Preparedness
      • COVID-19 Residence Rules
    • Services & Amenities
    • Moving In
      • Before You Leave Home
      • What Should I Pack?
      • Move In Day
      • Move In Day Volunteer Registration
    • Get Involved
    • Grad Student Programs
    • Events
    • Student Family Housing
      • Get Involved at Acadia Park
      • Moving In & Out of Acadia Park
    • Mindful Move Out
      • Cleaning and departure checklists
  • Other Housing
    • Living Off Campus
    • More Campus Housing
    • Visitor Housing
    • Commuter Student Hostel
    • Self-Isolation Accommodation
  • Contact Us
  • Campus Tours
  • FAQ

Useful Resources

  • New here?
  • Work opportunities
  • How to live green
  • Shared Living
  • Living with a roommate: my first-year experience
  • Transit on campus
  • Reasons to live in residence
  • Take care of your health
  • Parent and guardian rights (and wrongs)
  • Making friends
  • Study Break Ideas
  • Managing stress
  • Money matters
  • Intercultural understanding
  • Spiritual fitness
  • Steps to success
  • Plagiarism
  • Mental health
  • Advice for parents
  • I’m Worried, My Student Hasn’t Returned My Calls
  • Feeling lonely?
  • Emergency preparedness
  • Busting bias
  • More Than A Game
  • Professor In Residence

Money matters

By Andy Gregory on January 22, 2014

Student making online purchase

By Sam Horton, UBC student

Money is a common concern for students. If you haven’t already felt the sting from paying tuition and student fees, you probably will. Consider these tips:

Categorize your expenses

1. The necessary

These are things that you’ll need to spend money on. They include food, clothing, textbooks, study materials, bedding and shower supplies and laundry supplies.

2. The helpful

These are things that you could consider buying, depending on your budget. They include a good umbrella, sturdy walking shoes, an alarm clock, basic cleaning supplies, a bicycle and a mini-fridge. Check for deals at UBC Bookstore.

3. The fun

These are expenses you might consider on weekends or your time off. They include AMS events, going to the movies, eating at restaurants, gym memberships, buying gifts for friends and family, or taking a trip to Whistler.

Ways to save

1. Get a job

I wanted the security of a steady income stream, so I got a part-time job. I worked at the Totem Park dining room in my first year, and it helped. Not only was I making money, I was working near home and the hours fit my academic schedule.

2. Track your meal plan

Many of my friends ran out of meal plan money before second term. I only just made it to February before I was tapped out. Use the Online Service Centre to track your balance regularly.

3. Use a drying rack

I recommend investing in an inexpensive rack to dry laundry in your room. You’ll avoid extra trips to the dryer and save some serious money, too.  Let’s face it, the more you save on laundry, the more you have to spend on things that make you happy.

4. Choose cheaper

Fun activities will probably draw most of your cash, so consider your options carefully. Instead of going to the movie theatre, you could rent or download movies, or buy a UBC Film Society membership for cheap movies all year. And you probably don’t need to eat at top-rated restaurants. There are plen­ty of cheap, decent eateries within walking distance of campus. As for the gym, there are residence fitness rooms and a little-known gym in the basement of the aquatic centre that don’t require a membership. UBC Bookstore offers exclusive student discounts and savings events.

  • Spiritual fitness
  • Managing stress
  • About Us
  • Jobs
  • Privacy
  • Contact Us
  • Website Feedback

We acknowledge that SHCS and UBC are located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. We thank the Musqueam Nation for its hospitality and support of our work.

  
The University of British Columbia
  • Emergency Procedures |
  • Terms of Use |
  • Copyright |
  • Accessibility

X

RSVP to Event Name

YesNo

Submit

Find my RSVP for Event Name

We have to look up your RSVP in order to change it

Find my RSVP

Successfully updated RSVP for Event Name

Thank You

We have email-ed you a confirmation to

Change my RSVP

{"codes":{"err":"Required fields missing","err2":"Invalid email address","err3":"Please select RSVP option","err4":"Could not update RSVP, please contact us.","err5":"Could not find RSVP, please try again.","err6":"Invalid Validation code.","err7":"Could not create a RSVP please try later.","err8":"You can only RSVP once for this event.","succ":"Thank you for submitting your rsvp","succ_n":"Sorry to hear you are not going to make it to our event.","succ_m":"Thank you for updating your rsvp","succ_c":"Great! we found your RSVP!"}}
d
  • Alert icon  Learn more about residence and COVID-19.Visit the FAQs
«
»
c
  • Home
  • Getting Started
    â–¼
    • Prospective Students
    • Returning Students
    • Graduate Students
    • Parents/Guardians
    • Important Dates
    • Useful Resources
  • Residences
    â–¼
    • Residences Overview
    • Residences
      â–¼
      • Acadia Park
      • Brock Commons – Tallwood House
      • Exchange
      • Fairview Crescent
      • Fraser Hall
      • Graduate Colleges
      • Iona House
      • Marine Drive
      • Orchard Commons
      • Place Vanier
      • Ponderosa Commons
      • Ritsumeikan-UBC House
      • tÉ™ Å¡xÊ·hÉ™lelÉ™mÌ“s tÉ™ k̓ʷaƛ̓kʷəʔaʔɬ
      • Thunderbird
      • Totem Park
      • Walter Gage
    • Rooms & Suites
      â–¼
      • Shared Room
      • Connected Single Room
      • Single Traditional Room
      • Six Bedroom Suite
      • Four Bedroom Suite
      • Three Bedroom Suite
      • Two Bedroom Suite
      • One Bedroom Suite
      • Studio Suite
      • Nano Suite
      • Townhouse
      • Student Families
    • Residence Map
  • Applications
    â–¼
    • Essential Application Facts
    • Important Dates
    • How To Apply
    • Fees & Payments
    • Eligibility
    • How We Assign Rooms
    • Residence Contracts
    • Cancellations & Refunds
    • Subletting
  • Dining
    â–¼
    • Meal Plans
      â–¼
      • Orchard Commons, Place Vanier & Totem Park
      • Suite-Style Residences
    • Where To Eat On Campus
  • Residence Life
    â–¼
    • Community Living
      â–¼
      • Rights and Responsibilities
      • Solving Problems
      • Living With Roommates
    • Residence Standards
    • Health & Safety
      â–¼
      • Safety & Security
      • Health & Wellness
      • Counsellor in Residence
      • Fitness in Residence
      • Emergency Preparedness
      • COVID-19 Residence Rules
    • Services & Amenities
    • Moving In
      â–¼
      • Before You Leave Home
      • What Should I Pack?
      • Move In Day
      • Move In Day Volunteer Registration
    • Get Involved
    • Grad Student Programs
    • Events
    • Student Family Housing
      â–¼
      • Get Involved at Acadia Park
      • Moving In & Out of Acadia Park
    • Mindful Move Out
      â–¼
      • Cleaning and departure checklists
  • Other Housing
    â–¼
    • Living Off Campus
    • More Campus Housing
    • Visitor Housing
    • Commuter Student Hostel
    • Self-Isolation Accommodation
X