With the economy in a slump, new challenges have presented themselves to the college student. Not only has it been difficult for many to find employment, but it has become tremendously difficult to save money—job or not, bills have to be paid.

But have no fear! There are numerous ways to pool your cash for the upcoming school year.

1. Save your change: I am a firm believer in saving your change. Believe me, it will take you places. When you receive that useless change, put it in a jar and keep adding to it. After awhile, you will have saved up oodles of money. Just a tip: take your change to a bank that doesn’t charge a fee to count it such as TD Bank, because Coinstar takes a certain amount from every dollar.

2. Plato’s Closet: We all have those clothes that just do not seem to fit anymore or we just don’t like. Instead of allowing them to take up precious space, trade them in for money! If your clothes do not have rips and are somewhat recent, you may be eligible to sell them for money. Ladies, do not spend ridiculous amounts of money on back-to-school clothes; Plato’s Closet has designer items for half the cost! With labels like Seven, True Religion, Armani Exhange, Abercrombie and American Eagle, pay what you should be paying at Plato’s Closet!

3. Cut the gym membership: We have all made those promises to ourselves how we are going to get back into shape after eating excessively at college. There are a select few who are dedicated and great for them. But if you signed up at a gym and are not active at least twice a week, switch to watching the fitness channel on cable. Most fitness stations on cable have great workouts of all varieties for free. Go purchase weights at Target for $5 a pop and save yourself the hundreds on a gym membership.

4. Do not go out to eat: Going out to eat is a weak spot for many young people; not having to cook is a plus. But when you receive the $15 bill for pizza, it becomes a big deal. People tend not to realize how much they spend on food and how fast it adds up. Don’t blow up the kitchen, but maybe try and make dinner yourself for a change.

5. Ride your bike: If you only use your car for absolute necessities, you will be saving money on gas and benefitting from a great form of exercise. If you bike instead of take public transit, you are also helping the environment while at the same time saving money by not buying that monthly transpass.

Saving money is every college student’s challenge. Now, with a little thought, you can do it creatively.