Students looking to save a buck often cut corners on commodities like cooking at home instead of getting fast food or pulling money from a beer fund to help pay bills.

One area where people can’t cut corners from, however, is housing. Simply using money meant for housing to buy something else isn’t wise. Finding the most cost-effective living space is the only way to save money on your abode.

Incoming freshmen are required to live on campus for at least one year. After a year, those looking to broaden their horizons typically opt to move either to an apartment, house or condo. Surprisingly, off-campus housing is marginally cheaper than living in the dorms.

“Students who move here from the dorms never return back there,” said Logan Johnson, property manager at Lincolnshire West. “If the tenants aren’t renewing their lease, they usually just move to another apartment.”

Living in the dorm can get pricey. For instance, according to Housing and Dining’s Web site, living one semester in Grant Towers with a roommate will cost $3,635 per person. That cost includes a food plan ($60 per week), electric, gas, water, cable, internet and laundry facilities.

Living off-campus offers other advantages.

Students have choices of housing groups instead of being assigned a specific location to live. Not to mention, apartments have their own separate bedrooms and bathrooms. That difference alone may be incentive enough to sign a lease.

Johnson said a basic two-bedroom apartment starts at $765 a month. That price includes gas, heat, water and sewage costs. Since one semester is roughly four months, a single person in the apartment scenario would be paying about $382 each a month. For a semester, the total equals $1,530 per semester. Factoring cable, internet and groceries into the bill still does not reach $4,000 per semester.

Students can also look into the pricier condos, renting a house, renting a room in a house or subleasing.

The possibility of living spaces for college students are endless. Don’t let the ball-and-chain of dorm living hold you back from really living on your own.