Sleeping in cramped dorms, eating ramen 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!
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.
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.
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.
Luckily, most college cuisine doesn’t require a steak knife, so these geniuses are skipping dishes tonight thanks to their their plastic wrap protectors.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Too lazy to get up and use the microwave (or has it been weeks since someone cleaned it)? Bust out the hair dryer to warm up your leftovers. Just don’t blow rice all over your work.
The Japanese have made an art out of repairing broken pottery, but this isn’t quite up to their artistic standards. We think these students should invest in some paper (or even plastic) plates to avoid the inevitable disaster.
Need to fill a large vessel and don’t have the time to wait around? This eternal fountain even has a funnel feature to make it more accurate and efficient.
Sometimes you’re shopping in the store and it dawn on your that you already have what you need? It’s illegal to steal carts, but we’ll assume this one was returned, smelling wonderful.
It’s clear at this point that a coffee maker is one of the most integral tools in the college cooking arsenal. We’re just glad we’re not in charge of cleaning it out.
In your college years, you’re bound to get in a fender bender at least once. This person definitely did – and they “fixed” it with a bit of resourceful and creative thinking.
What happens if you want to drink a Manhattan or an Old Fashioned in a fancy cocktail glass but you’re broke? Just copy this savvy college student and use a soda bottle.
Let’s say you’re making a sandwich and would love to finish it off with some toasted bread, but you don’t have a toaster. That’s okay! Just use that space heater you have in the corner, throw it on its side, and crank it up!
40. When you need to iron your clothes but the iron is broken
If you go to plug in your iron only to find it has stopped working for some reason, don’t fret! Just crank up your oven instead. This clever person needed to iron their clothes in a pinch – voila!
Even though plastic kiddie pools literally only cost a few dollars – sometimes that’s even too much! But if you have a tarp, a pickup truck, and a hose that will reach – you can create your own kiddie pool. Specifically, Luke’s pool.