A student ID card may be the best deal you’ll ever get.

Yes, you have to walk up a hill to get it. Yes, you’ll have to shell out seven bucks. Yes, you’ll have to suffer a bad photo day. But if you’re on a budget it’s worth it all. You just have to know how to use it.

Work Out

Sign up for two credit hours at $11 each. With a student ID, you’re magically admitted to the Glendale College Lifestyle Fitness Center. Its super circuit offers a complete workout in 25 minutes. Lockers are free. Try getting into a health club for a semester for under $30. As a bonus, Coach Jon Gold is there to baby the uninitiated.

Tech Lab

A semester’s pass to computer heaven is only $10 with a student ID. Compare this to tech-time at a local print shop and you’ll know it’s one of the best deals on campus. Even if you’re not taking a computer science class this service can help you wedge in research time between classes, pick up e-mail on long days at school, and produce really classy papers that may earn better grades.

For Movies

Flash that ID card at United Artists Theaters and you get in for $5.50 instead of $7.75. While you’re at it order the kids’ pack of goodies: popcorn, a drink and a surprise for $4. That’s a bargain by concession stand standards. A recent surprise was a package of Rugrats Fruit Snacks. UA La Ca§ada is at 1919 Verdugo Blvd.; the Marketplace is at 64 W. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena. Call (626) 444-FILM.

At Mann, twilight prices are $4.50 from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. Evening discount prices are $6.50 for students. The Market Place at 144 S. Brand Blvd. has four screens. For information, call (818) 547-3352. The Exchange at 128 N. Maryland has 10 screens. For information, call (818) 549-0045.

The Eagle Rock Plaza 4 at Westfield Shopping Towne, 2700 W. Colorado Blvd., has the old-fashioned fun of double features. There are even occasional movies in Farsi with English subtitles. Student tickets run from $4 to $6.

Admission to AMC Burbank is $6.50 instead of $8.50 with your precious GCC ID. It’s still cheaper to make the matinee.

Musical Theater

The early bird catches the worm at Glendale’s legendary Alex Theater. But the early bird must carry a student ID. Tickets that normally sell from $22 to $42 go to students for only $9. Be at the theater one hour before curtain for remainder tickets. “Anything Goes” plays from Feb. 23 to 25, and “Annie” is coming in May. Go to www.alextheater.org or call (818) 243-2539 for further information. But don’t expect them to tell you this secret on any old recording.

Art Supplies

Swain’s at 537 N. Glendale Ave. offers a Swain’s Art Card. You’ll need to show your student ID to get one, but the art card never expires so you’ll have access to that 10-percent discount long after you’ve graduated. Art majors who need a little extra help can ask for Mike Farber, a store manager with oodles of art knowledge. Swain’s carries professional lines like Gamblin oil paints and Golden acrylics that can’t be found at just any place.

Computer Software

At www.studentdiscounts.com there are sizeable discounts on goodies for computers. Sample: Microsoft Pro 2000 for $169 (This normally lists for more than $600).

Second-Hand

The Salvation Army Store at 216 S. Brand, just north of Colorado, gives 15% off any purchase on Tuesday between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Josie Cayabayab, the store manager, says that students often furnish their apartments on a shoestring and they’ve loved the bargains on warm clothing during the rainy season.

Full Service Salon

At Sarah Kim’s Beauty Salon, 1140 N. Central Ave. (just south of Stocker), there are 20 percent discounts with cards. Ahh, some days we just need something to relax us. How about an oil treatment and neck and shoulder massage for $15, less 20 percent? Or a manicure for $8, less 20 percent? Some bargain, huh? Kim also gives precision haircuts to men and women. Facials and full body massages are available by appointment. Call (818) 545-5333.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson is a returning studentat Glendale College. She has just completed her first book, “This Is The Place,” a novel about love, prejudice and redemption set in Utah in the ’50s. It will be available at the GCC bookstore in April.