Looking for ways to avoid taking advantage of financial aid? Sick of those looming loans?

Take a tip from one of these broke college students:

Start collecting pennies.

In 1987, one University of Illinois student wrote a local columnist requesting he ask each of his readers to send him just one penny.

The “Many Pennies for Mike” fund collected roughly 2.3 million pennies in less than one month.

He ended up with $28,000 from every state in the U.S. plus Mexico, Canada and the Bahamas.

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Students and graduates who are in debt can sign up to fundraise for, well, themselves.

One Northeastern University graduate with a $200,000 debt has raised $8,700 so far.

Keep track of your money by paying in cash – literally.

A University of Colorado student paid his $14,309.51 tuition in $1 bills, a 50-cent piece and one penny.