Cal Life on a Budget
When I was accepted into UC Berkeley, I felt two emotions back to back: first, immense joy, and second, immense dread. As an out-of-state student, I knew that money would likely be my greatest challenge and stressor during my college years. But having the opportunity to receive an education is a gift, so I brushed up on my financial aid basics, worked a part-time job the summer after my senior year of high school, and headed into my first semester at Cal with eyes peeled for services that might make my life easier.
I quickly learned that UC Berkeley offers a variety of free and discounted resources to help students from all walks of life manage their finances. This article compiles a select few, and includes my personal input on those I’ve used myself.
Dining
Meal Plans
UC Berkeley meal plans are a low-stress way to maintain a well-balanced diet. Their affordability depends on which plan you choose as well as your personal finances, but they’re generally a bang for your buck, especially considering that you can get seconds and thirds at dining commons like Crossroads. Having a meal plan also means you don’t have to budget time for meal prepping and cooking—an added bonus for busy college students.
All meal plans come with flex dollars, which function like cash or meal swipe equivalencies at select campus dining locations. Flex dollars allow you to treat yourself to food outside of designated dining facility meal periods, and to stock your residence with snacks. The most basic on-campus meal plan comes with 300 flex dollars per semester, which is quite a bit of spending money. I didn’t start purchasing things with my flex dollars until my second semester, and I barely managed to use them all up before the year ended!
Flex dollars from any meal plan can now also be used on Grubhub at select locations, diversifying your dining options. Follow along with one student’s experience ordering from Ladle and Leaf.
One of my personal favorite meals from Brown’s Cafe on campus, where you can use Flex Dollars or a meal swipe: tri-tip with chimichurri sauce, garlic fries, and salad. Photo by Kristin Loken.
CalFresh
Through the California Department of Social Services, the CalFresh program provides eligible students with food assistance, giving them up to $250 per month to purchase nutritious groceries. The application is online and free, and you can reach out to the Basic Needs Center if you’d like assistance.
Here’s my number one tip when it comes to CalFresh: Apply. I was unconfident that my application would be accepted, but it was, and this service ended up being a lifesaver. Having allocated grocery money allowed me to maintain a healthy diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables, and to experiment with new recipes!
Though the application was straightforward, I did have trouble actually receiving my CalFresh EBT card because it was automatically mailed to the Alameda County City Hall for pick-up rather than delivered to my apartment. My EBT card was reissued after I contacted my caseworker, and from there, it was smooth sailing with CalFresh.
Basic Needs Center Pantry
Located in bNorth, the lower level of MLK Jr. Student Union, the Basic Needs Center Pantry is a resource for UC Berkeley students who have short-term, immediate food needs. You can shop the pantry once a week by simply showing your Cal ID or presenting your Cal ID number. The Basic Needs Pantry is run by members of the UC Berkeley community, so if you feel like giving back, consider volunteering to work a shift.
Bear Pantry
The Bear Pantry is an emergency food supply free to all residents of the University Village Albany (UVA), so it’s particularly helpful for student parents and the UVA community. In addition to offering fresh produce and shelf-stable options weekly, the Bear Pantry also provides hygiene supplies and baby products once per month. Just like the Basic Needs Pantry, all you have to do to use this resource is present your Cal ID (or the ID of the student or staff you live with). You can find the Bear Pantry at 1050 Monroe St, right next door to the Community Center.
UHS Nutrition Services
Fancy an apricot quinoa salad or chard cheddar omelet? Check out Nutrition Services with University Health Services (UHS) to discover delicious recipes, nutrition events, and other free resources.
Health & Wellness
Mental Health
Being a Golden Bear can get stressful. Luckily, you don’t have to break the bank to get help. UC Berkeley offers several free mental health resources, including drop-in Let’s Talk appointments for quick consultations, UHS’s Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) for individual and group counseling, and PATH to Care confidential support for survivors of intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual harassment, or sexual assault.
If you’re interested in bettering your mental health but are a bit unsure of where to start, I have you covered with my first-hand student experience on counseling at Cal.
Athletics
When I need to clear my head, I walk over to the Recreational Sports Facility. It’s free to all UC Berkeley students, and with its 100,000 square feet of activity space, state-of-the-art weight-lifting rooms, and Olympic-sized swimming pools, it goes above and beyond your average gym membership.
I prefer exercising solo, and there’s nothing I love more than popping in my earbuds after a good weight-lifting session and cooling down in one of the stretching rooms. If working out with other people keeps you motivated though, take advantage of the free group fitness classes.
Personal trainers are available to help you get the best workout possible at the Recreational Sports Facility. Photo by Student Affairs Communications.
Financial Wellness
Managing your financial health goes hand in hand with managing your mental and physical health. Housed within UC Berkeley’s Financial Aid & Scholarships Office, the Center for Financial Wellness (CFW) is a peer-to-peer service dedicated to helping students better budget, invest, and manage their money. Ready to dip your toes in? Book an online 30-minute session with a Financial Wellness Coach, or read about one student’s experience coaching with the CFW.
Academics
Free Printing
The one academic resource I use nearly every day is the Open Computing Facility (OCF). Managed by dedicated volunteers, the OCF permits students to print up to 200 pages a semester, or 20 pages per day, free of charge.
As a Japanese minor, many of my classes require me to write my assignments by hand to encourage proper learning of the kanji alphabet. I print my kanji homework at the OCF every week.
Free EBooks & Textbooks
If you’re hoping to lower that “books and supplies” number in the Estimated Cost of Attendance section in your CalCentral, be sure to peruse UC Berkeley’s library guides to Freely Available Resources for Research and Open, Free Affordable Course Materials: eBooks. Ebooks can help you save tens of dollars on books and supplies per semester.
Course supplies in general can eat up a ridiculous amount of your budget, so think smarter, not harder. Ask upperclassmen and friends of friends if they have textbooks from previous semesters; most of the time, someone is trying to get their old books off their hands and will be more than welcome to donate to your personal library. This is also a great way for you to connect with new people and grow your network of students who share your major or general area of study.
Free Software
Feeling creative? You’re in luck. UC Berkeley students receive a free subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud, meaning we have access to softwares such as Acrobat Pro, Photoshop, and Illustrator.
As a film & media major with a minor in creative writing, getting to edit short films on Premiere and draw up chapbooks in InDesign free of charge is a real treat. I’ve made a dozen projects since starting at Cal in 2022.
The best part of having access to Adobe Creative Cloud is that you can use the programs for school projects and personal projects.
Fun!
Student Discounts
Prices can get high in the Bay Area. Sometimes it’s far cheaper to order an item online than it is to buy it in stores. When this is the case, I turn to the Amazon Prime Student discount, which is available to all UC Berkeley students. I also take advantage of the Amazon Lockers on campus in the MLK Jr. Student Union building, ordering my packages for pick-up. (I’ve learned my lesson after one too many stolen packages from the lobby of my apartment building!)
Aside from Amazon, several streaming services also offer discounts. Apple Music and Spotify Premium Student are available for 50% off their original price, and Kanopy boasts an impressive inventory of classic films, academic documentaries, and the latest box office successes. If you log in with your CalNet ID, you can also enjoy a free subscription to major publications such as The New York Times.
Free Cal Events
Almost every week, I seem to hear about a new activity available to UC Berkeley students for a reasonable price. More often than not, that price is free!
Tucked within Doe Library is Morrison Library, which hosts poetry readings at noon about once a month. Walk farther East and you’ll find Hertz Hall and its weekly noon concerts. Bus back to the other end of campus and you’re at the Berkeley Art & Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), which always has something new to offer: a film premiere, an experimental visual art exhibition, or a free arts and crafts workshop, just to give a few examples.
Take advantage of your UC Berkeley student status! The BAMPFA is a movie theater, art gallery, and archive all in one—completely free of charge. Photo by Sarah Bellal.
Low-Cost Local Activities
Thrifting is the perfect, sustainable way to upgrade your style while living on a budget. There are several popular second-hand clothing stores around Berkeley, but you can also find hidden gems at estate sales, flea markets, and antique furniture stores. I’m also a huge fan of So-so Vintage, an outdoor vintage pop-up market that comes to Cal annually. Many of the vendors there will let you bargain, and I’ve bought some of my favorite dresses and jewelry pieces from it.
To learn more about the local second-hand scene, check out one student’s tips on and experience with thrifting around Berkeley.
Financial Advice from Students
Every person has different spending habits and money management systems. (Case in point: I let myself splurge on boba once a week or so, but my roommate will buy herself a sweet treat once a month at most!) To round out all of my own experiences I’ve shared up to this point, I asked a couple of my fellow students to share one thing that’s helped them manage their finances while studying at Cal.
Here’s what they said:
Consider a Part-Time Job: “I’ve been working as a library preservation assistant since April of 2024. I searched for on-campus part-time jobs through Handshake and that’s how I found the position. I really enjoy working for the UC Berkeley library system, and my paychecks are deposited directly into my bank account which helps with my weekly income for things like groceries.” – Hannah Eastman, Class of 2026, art practice and media studies
Save, Save, Save: “Once I receive my paycheck, I transfer a percentage of it to my savings account. Doing this has given me a ‘budget’ of how much I can spend before my next paycheck and has prevented impulse buying.” – Isabel Banayad, Class of 2026, integrative biology and microbial biology
My last piece of personal advice is to utilize work-study if it’s given to you as part of your financial aid package! Work-study can help you pay your way through school and support your campus and community at the same time.
Concluding Thoughts
I hope this article gave you some insight into how you might go about managing your finances in college. Budgeting, spending, and saving can be nerve-racking, especially if you’re living on your own or working for the first time, but you don’t have to navigate them alone. The Center for Financial Wellness was created to make finances accessible to students, so don’t hesitate to reach out if you need assistance.
Good luck out there, Golden Bears.
Nina Takahashi, Class of 2026, is majoring in film & media and minoring in Japanese and creative writing.
Want More?
- Take charge of your health with UC Berkeley Recreation & Well-Being.
- Learn about one student’s experience with free coaching from the Center for Financial Wellness.
- Discover work-study opportunities.