Surviving college is often all about making every little bit of money you can. When not paying for classes, books, or supplies, extra money goes towards food or travel expenses. But a part-time job may not be enough to support yourself during multiple years of college. Finding multiple ways to make a little extra cash can go a long way in supplying you with the tools and resources that you need to succeed. One way of making money throughout the school year is by collecting scrap metals. Scrap metal buyers will pay for metal by the pound and give you cash on the spot for most purchases. By planning ahead, you can collect enough scrap metals to make a lot of extra cash to use throughout college. Browse through four different ways to collect scrap metal and learn how to make the most of your collecting.

Old Computer Equipment

As you go through college years, you will likely be upgrading and changing the computer equipment that you use. The old computer and electronic equipment that you have can quickly pile up. Before you send this equipment to the trash heap, you can make good use out of it by bringing it to a scrap metal yard. Along with paying for a complete computer, there are separate components that you can scrap and get paid for. For example, some of the higher paying computer components include computer motherboards, memory sticks, or power supplies. Rates change daily, so it's a good idea to contact scrap metal yards ahead of time and get their estimates.

School Supplies

It may not seem like a lot, but there are a lot of small school supplies that can be cashed in at scrap metal yards. For example, after each semester, you may have piles of used notebooks that are no longer needed. The metal spirals on these notebooks can be collected and saved up. It's a good idea to tear off the metal spirals and recycle the extra papers. By keeping the metal spirals in a small box, you can collect as many as possible before cashing them at a scrap yard. It's also a good idea to collect metal spirals from any classmates and friends. This can help you build up your collection a lot more quickly. Other metal school supplies that scrap yards accept include metal rulers, protractors, or the metal parts of a three-ring binder. It doesn't matter whether the metal is broken or in-tact, as long as you have solid metals without any extras attached.

Mini-Refrigerators

One of the dorm room and college apartment staples is the mini-refrigerator. When devices fail or break down, you can make a little extra money by recycling them at a scrap metal yard. There are several components of a fridge that you can get paid for. There are a number of copper components, including wires and piping on the back of the fridge. A mini-fridge may also include aluminum and steel components that can help earn you some extra cash. You can attempt to take these parts off yourself or just bring the whole fridge to the scrap yard and get paid for a unit price.

End of Semester Moving

The end of a college semester is a great time to earn extra money for vacations and travel. While dorm rooms, classrooms, and apartments are being cleaned out, you should be on the lookout for any extra metals that can be picked up for scrapping. For example, a broken desk may have steel legs that can be scrapped for cash. Old beds may also have metal pieces that you can break down and scrap for cash. It's also a good time to look for supplies and equipment that others are throwing away.

Once you get organized, it will be easy to manage your scrap collections and profit off of them. For more information and options, talk with a local scrap metal buyer, such as those at Big Daddy Scrap.