Renting textbooks. Walking to campus. Shopping second-hand. In this economy, if it will save a dollar, students are open to the idea.

Students returned to campus this fall in the midst of the worst economic downturn to face the American economy since the Great Depression. For many, the sour economy has meant a crash course in frugality as they look for ways to conserve, make do or do without.

Empty pockets, bare walls

Jasmine Perry had already decided the Marilyn Monroe poster would be perfect for her bare residence hall walls.

But it'd only make it into Weil Hall if the price was right.

“If this isn't less than $10, I'm not buying it,” the freshman says.

Feeling flush from her part-time job during high school, Perry says it wasn't uncommon for her to blow $100 a week eating at restaurants or hanging with her friends. But without a part-time job at college, she's watching her finances with a much sharper eye.

Gone are the shopping splurges. “I went to the mall last week and only bought one shirt. It was on clearance,” she says. Was it the shirt she has on today? “This shirt?” she repeats, pulling at her tank top. “This is probably Goodwill.”

For the first time since 10th grade, she's carless. Her ride is back home in Raleigh. “I'm not paying for gas and I'm not paying for a permit,” she explains.

Her newfound frugality also explains the bare walls in her residence hall. She saw cute framed pictures and rugs during her back-to-school shopping, but decided she wasn't willing to spend money on such niceties. “My room is just blank, without a thing on the walls,” she says. “It looks like a jail cell.”

And they'll remain blank a while longer. After learning that the Marilyn Monroe poster cost $25, she put it back.

To park or not to park?

A standard, on-campus parking permit would have cost junior transfer Nathan Phillips $285.

Weighing cost verses effort, Phillips opted for the foot permit. Cost: $0.

“The farthest point on campus from my apartment is only a 30-35 minute walk,” he says.

He's not alone. The number of standard, on-campus permits purchased this year is down, says Mike Byers, assistant vice chancellor for auxiliary services.

“That's very uncommon,” Byers says. “I think a lot of students are getting it, that ‘I don't need to bring a car.’ If the ‘B’ passes aren't sold out, that means the resident can get where they need to get without a car. And I think that's true.”

Other students are choosing to fork over the money for a parking permit to save on a far larger bill: room and board.

Freshman Jessica McAdams envisioned her UNCG experience complete with the residence hall experience. Then her parents showed her a breakdown of what it would cost for her to live on campus versus what it would cost her to stay at home.

“It took a lot of debating for a while,” the freshman says. “I wanted to go away. They kept showing me the final price.”

She has had plenty of time to mull her decision during her commutes back and forth from Greensboro to Thomasville. “It cuts the bill in half,” McAdams says of her decision to stay at home. “Plus, I have my own bathroom.”