Hey ThinkTalkers! I’m the newest staff member here at ThinkTalk headquarters. I just graduated in May, and spent more than three months looking for my first job. I landed in D.C. with the rest of the ThinkTalk crew, and now I’m busy figuring out how to navigate my first job and the capitol city. Since we know that job hunts aren't all sunshine and butterflies, I hope I earned some war stories and wisdom to pass along.

Congress is busy arguing over a $15 billion bill to bailout the auto industry. Just take a second to think about that. $15 Billion. I don’t even know how to visualize $15 billion.

That’s a lotta money. Especially when students are used to thinking about money in significantly smaller terms. As in “Do they seriously think I’ll pay $15 dollars for a shirt? I could buy two months’ worth of ramen noodles for that."

With the economy the way it is (crap) and the job market becoming increasingly competitive, it’s important that we become savvy spenders and savers. I spent my college years trying everything to stay just-this-side-of-broke. Having to fork out a couple hundred dollars for the latest-edition textbooks was about as painful as childbirth (or so I hear...). After years of penny pinching, here are some of my favorite tips for saving money before you find that first salary-paying job.

1. Apply for scholarships! Your career center or financial aid office is a surprisingly good resource. Don’t be afraid to ask if there are any scholarships you can apply for. To better your odds, apply for unique scholarships that are less competitive. Try this list of 32 Weird Scholarships Almost Anyone Can Get or these beauties which require “absolutely no talent.” I hated filling out scholarship applications, but it was great when it paid off.

2. Create a budget. The Simple Dollar has some excellent resources that will help you make a budget and track your spending. Serious about saving money? I saved all of my receipts for a month and was shocked by how much money I spend on things I didn’t need.

3. You. Need. Caffeine. We of all people understand that. But your coffee habit may be costing you a pretty penny. Try making your own and taking it in a thermos to class. If you need a coffee maker, I used this offer from Gevalia and it worked out great. Just make sure you cancel after you get your pound of coffee and free coffee maker!

4. Eat at home! Going out to eat adds up fast. Not sure what to make? There is a bundle of $3 or less easy meals on CheapEats.com. My personal favorite recipe site is Simply Recipes. For cheap produce, visit a local farmers’ market.

5. Still craving takeout or pizza delivery? Go to CampusFood.com for special student discounts from restaurants close to campus. My dorm went crazy on this.

6. Use your campus and public library! No it’s not nerdy, it’s thrifty. One of my roommates managed to get through college by only visiting the school library once. Don’t do that. Not only can it hurt your grades, but libraries offer tons of free entertainment. Most rent movies (even recent releases!) and your favorite magazines. So cancel your subscriptions, and try going to library instead of spending 5 dollars at Blockbuster.

7. Save money by downloading free, legal music with these ideas from Surviving College Life. I’ve recently gotten hooked on Pandora, an internet radio site that creates play lists based on what music you like. Check out their Music Genome Project and see if you find a new favorite artist.

8. Meet Skype. Save cell phone minutes by calling parents or friends on Skype. It’s free and it’s easy to sign up (and works well most of the time).

9. Calling information? Call Google! Dial 1-800-GOOG-411 for free information on local businesses.

10. Going out of town? For travel discounts, check out StudentUniverse.com for reduced rates on plane and train tickets, hotels and more.

Hopefully these tips will help you cut a few costs while you’re looking for that first job (or give you a few extra bucks for College Night). If you want some more tips, CollegeScholarships.org has a comprehensive list of 118 ways to save money in college (they had way more time than I did), and I also like the Grad Money Matters blog for advice. What are your other favorite money-saving strategies?