Sleeping in cramped dorms, eating Pancit Canton noodles, “grocery shopping” in the dining hall — college years are a time for being frugal.
And while college students might be broke, that gives them the opportunity to be wildly creative.
These 50 photos prove that students are putting their educations to work when it comes to improvising.
Some of these ideas are totally genius!
1. Blizzard fridge
These students made the most out of being trapped in a blizzard. Good thing they stocked up on provisions before it hit. We’re particularly impressed by the shelf!
2. No trash can? No problem.
Did you know a bar stool turned upside down will hold a garbage bag? Now you do. Sometimes cleanliness is more important than extra seating. Hats off to these creative young people.
3. No one will suspect a thing
Why break out the needle and thread when you can just find the nearest marker? If you can’t fix your sock, fix your foot.
4. You work with what you got
Unless you really like your noodles al dente (and the other half crunchy) we don’t see this innovation working out, but it’s certainly a valiant effort.
5. Porch furniture of champions
Well, it ain’t pretty, but we have to admit that chilling on this porch looks kind of cozy. We just hope there’s not a bus or train out there missing those seats.
6. When lazy meets genius
Moving off campus can bring a whole new set of responsibilities, like yard maintenance. We’re just glad they have a helmet for this contraption.
7. When you hate doing the dishes
Luckily, most college cuisine doesn’t require a steak knife, so these geniuses are skipping dishes tonight thanks to their their plastic wrap protectors.
8. Makeshift cups
Can’t afford new cups or don’t want to go out to the store? Reuse your plastic bottles as cups before you toss them into the recycling bin. Bonus: if you cut your lip, the alcohol will sterilize the wound.
9. Wait, what happened to the couch in the first place?!
These students clearly can’t be trusted with nice things. This couch might not be a good place to nap anymore, but it does the very minimum of what it needs to do, thanks to this hack.
10. Let me guess, engineering major?
A knife would also work, but where’s the fun in that?
11. Curtain hanger win or fail? We’re not sure.
Sometimes you get home from a long day of running errands only to find you forgot something important. If you’re a college student, chances are most of your clothes are dirty anyway, so there are always some spare hangers lying around.
12. College ingenuity at its finest
Who has room for a colander in a tiny dorm room or communal kitchen? If you can find someone on the tennis team, pasta night is on!
13. Milk is expensive, okay?
We’ve all seen students walk out of the dining hall a little bulkier than when they came in and it’s because of all the calories. We just want to know where this student is going to hide a whole gallon of milk this as she saunters out innocently.
14. That’s actually pretty clever
Not a bad security system if you live in the kind of neighborhood where people take the whole car and not just its contents.
15. From a distance, you can’t even tell
Not a bad hack, unless the officer pulling you over takes a closer look and starts asking questions about that giant pill bottle.
16. Who needs candles?
You’ll need to blow them out fast, but at least you don’t run the risk of getting wax on your cake.
17. Why don’t college kids own a proper pot?
The coffee maker has been drafted into many different dorm duties over the years. These eggs might take a little longer to cook, but at least you can forget about them for a while without starting the kitchen on fire.
18. A bookshelf made of books
As long as you never need one of the bottom books, this is a great way to save some money on shelving.
19. Sweeping the floor: college edition
Who needs a dustpan when you have a pizza box? You’re going to throw it away anyway, so why not make it do double duty?
20. Those nickles add up
Talk about passive income streams. If your neighbors are the type to litter, you might ask well benefit from their bad manners.
21. Get a grip
It’s a bit of a risk, but but razor handles can be expensive. These pliers provide a cheap, albiet less safe alternative.
22. Seems safe
Need to burn the evidence? Add some mood lighting to your college party without things getting out of hand? Just add a kiddy pool to prevent disaster.
23. Writing utensils
Missing forks, spoons, or chopsticks? Grab some pens and get your ramen on.
24. Dorm room hot tub
We’re pretty sure renters insurance doesn’t cover this makeshift hottub, but sometimes you just need a little luxury.
25. Pop goes the fire alarm
You should really let someone know if your fire alarm is broken, but in a pinch, you can grab a snack as you run to safety by using a popcorn alarm.
