Living Creatively - Surviving on a Budget
Education is a priceless asset with a price tag. A Masters or Doctorate degree can open up doors that would otherwise remain closed. Students who attend the Seminary cannot deny their calling, but this leaves them with the price tag issue to resolve. Student loans can be a great resource for students with limited resources, but they can also easily become a yoke that is not so easy. If our seminarians got creative with their finances it could make a huge difference in post-graduation loan debts. Because of this, we want to provide our student body with a resource for thinking frugally about the way they live life while employed as a full (or even half) time learner.
By no means is this list exhaustive. Our hope is that this will be a starting point for thinking creatively about the way you approach living life while studying at Denver Seminary.
Food Ministries & Outreaches
Food Closet
The Food Closet is intended to assist low-income students and families of Denver Seminary. Located in the northwest corner of apartment building 2, the Food Closet contains a variety of general items that are meant to supplement but not replace regular grocery shopping. Please see the guidelines posted on the door of the Food Closet for additional information. If an emergency need arises, or if you have questions about the Food Closet, contact the Dean of Students.
Hours of operation: Monday 5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Bread Closet
The Bread Closet is open to all Seminary students and consists of bakery products donated by local Safeway Stores. Located at the bus stop hut in the parking lot on the south side of the apartment buildings, the Bread Closet includes bread, pastries and other similar items.
Hours of operation: Monday 9:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Located at Cherry Hills Community Church, Manna Ministry offers a food bank, clothing bank, medical services, and haircuts. First-time visitors must present their student ID card.
Cherry Hills Community Church 3900 Grace Blvd. Highlands Ranch, CO 80126
This local food bank provides food to numerous local hunger-relief programs. Visit their website to find out more about local programs.
Medical & Dental Resources
This site provides a list of dental clinics and health centers around the state. Most of these organizations offer dental care on a sliding fee scale based on your specific financial circumstances. It is best to directly contact these clinics as some of them have specific qualifying requirements or residency restrictions.
Community Health Centers (CHC) are federally designated entities that provide comprehensive primary care services regardless of ability to pay. A map is provided that shows the locations of community health centers across the state.
Textbooks & Shopping
Abebooks.com and CheapestTextbooks.com
Two great resources for purchasing textbooks. These sites are good alternatives to mainstream online sites like Amazon or EBay.
Trade the things you have for the things you want. Post items on swap.com that you’d like to get rid of and then pick items people are willing to trade to you in exchange for your item. Why go out and buy something when you might have some unused object sitting around your home you could offer up for trade?
Entertainment
Living frugally doesn’t have to mean not having fun or getting out to enjoy everything Denver has to offer.
Living Social and Groupon provide daily deals on local activities and restaurants.
Trails.com and LonelyPlanet.com are great resources for finding local places to enjoy the outdoors in whatever way you desire.
Westword.com is likely the most comprehensive source for learning more about every type of event happening in the Denver Metro area.
