12 ways to beat the hidden costs of college

The damage. The average freshman spent $960 on a laptop last year, not including the printer, software, case, and other accoutrements.


The fix. For PCs, comparison-shop. Most colleges hawk laptop discounts that amount to 10% to 15% off the price; you may get a better deal at a site like TigerDirect.com. For Macs, you'll get the best price buying a refurbished unit (see Apple.com).

For software, buy from the student store, which discounts up to 75%.

Tap your 529. Tech stuff counts as education spending.

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