After being in a school as large and confusing as ours for three-and-a-half-years, some seniors feel they know the best ways to save money, time and overall effort.

Three seniors shared their favorite tricks to make life easier, and while these tricks involve small details, they can add up to be beneficial to students. 

Many students think there is only one place to get food when the cafeteria is not open: the vending machines. However, the supply shop, which is open until the end of sixth period, sells some snacks at a cheaper price than at the vending machines.

While a bag of chips from the vending machines costs anywhere from $1 to $2, the supply shop sells bags of Cheez-Its and Chex Mix for 75 cents. This may not seem like an extreme difference in money, but it allows students to buy an extra bag of chips for every $3 they would spend at the vending machine.

The same trick applies to candy bars at the vending machines and supply shop. The store charges 50 cents less than the vending machines do.

“I’ve ended up saving a ton of money because of it,” senior Ava Crofford said. “And have gotten more Cheez Its, which is the important part.”

The next trick involves time management during the passing period between classes. The strategy is to avoid the most crowded hallways, even if you have to take a slightly longer route to accomplish this. Some students use the hide-behind method too.

“When I was a freshman, my older sister told me that the best ways to get through crowded halls was to walk directly behind a football or basketball player and let them kind of move everyone out of the way,” senior Kate Corey said.

Passing period time can also be managed by learning where all of the staircases are. Most of the hallways that extend off the four main halls of the old building have stairways that are scarcely used, simply because they are out of the way.

“The stairway that is right by the astronomy room and goes up to the English hall is never crowded, and it’s so much easier to get up than the one by the front of the school,” Crofford said.

A final trick involves eating lunch while studying efficiently. Students eat their lunches outside the library because of the no food rule. However, there is actually a way to eat in the library and have somewhere quiet to study.

“My friends and I used to eat outside the library because we wanted somewhere quiet to go,” senior Julia Nguyen said. “One of the librarians saw us and told us there was a room in the back where we could go and eat.”

As school picks up and students find themselves more stressed, these tricks prove more helpful in managing time, school work and money.