Design Your Dorm

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Now that you’re free from parental control, you’re on your own to make sure your money gets you through the semester. How are you going to do that?

Marshall Loeb of MarketWatch.com shares five guidelines for managing your money:

1. Budget your money by semester. Calculate all of your expenses, from food to books and supplies. Once you’ve outlined a budget, keep careful track of all of your payouts. This will give you a clear idea of how much mad money you have to play with, and ensure that you won’t spend the final days of the semester living on rice and beans.

2. Start saving. If you don’t have a savings account yet, open one. Even if you don’t have to contribute to your own expenses, it’s important to get into the habit of saving for a rainy day. You don’t have to save much. Just commit to putting away a portion of any earnings or gift money you receive.

3. Beware of credit cards. Credit-card terms and conditions are so complicated that working adults even have a difficult time grappling with them. If you have a credit card, use it sparingly so you don’t end up over your head. Remember: Those early missteps will stay on your credit report for years to come.

4. Learn to cook. Preparing meals at home is one of the easiest ways to cut your spending, so learn to cook a few simple dishes that can sustain you throughout the semester. If you have roommates, you may want to consider buying food staples such as rice, cereal and pasta in bulk and splitting the costs.

5. Drive less. Instead of hopping into the car when you need to get to class, try relying on public transportation or simply hoofing it. This will save you much needed money on gas and parking.

College should be fun as you march your way to that dream job. So save yourself from the stress of college debts with this smart money saving tactics. As the saying goes, “Do what you love, the money will follow!”

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Written By: Kelli B Miller of 3 Boys & a Dog

You might think it strange for me to be writing this post since my oldest is only nine. Is it really strange? Do you honestly think 9 is too young for me to start preparing him for college?
More kids today attend college than have in the past, but a higher percentage of college-bound teens flunk out now than ever before! Why? Americans, as a whole, fail to teach their students how to learn!
Nine years old, is a GREAT age for me to teach my child the skills he needs to excel in college.

1. Study Skills – Do you know how to study? No matter the age of your kids, they need to be taught to study effectively.

• Thinking Skills – Teach your children to think as they read or as they are listening to a lecture! Have them write down questions and main ideas.
• Survey – Everyone should look over the materials BEFORE attending class to get a feeling of what they will be learning. Obviously, if you tell me about Quantum Physics, it will go through one ear and out the other because I know ZERO about it. If I familiarize myself with it first, parts are more likely to stick.
• Recite – Stop reading ever so often and go through your head everything you just read. Write down questions as you read and answer them during reading breaks.
For more info, check out this great article on Effective Study Skills!

2. Money Matters – To go off to school, your child needs to understand how to budget and how to stick with it. Did you know that credit card companies prey on college students? According to a recent study by Sally Mae, the average college graduate starts their adult life already over 2,000 in credit card debt! That isn’t even counting the 20,000 dollars or so in Student Loans!
• Budgeting – Teach them to understand how to make their money last!

• Balance Checkbooks – How many college students all of a sudden have a checking account to handle when they have never done it before? Teach your child to balance their check book!

3. Basic Housekeeping – Whether your kid is going to have a dorm or an apartment in college, basic housekeeping skills are a MUST! Do you realize the number of people who get married and don’t have a clue how to do the basics?

• Cooking – Come up with some simple dishes and teach your child to cook them! This not only prepares them for later, but it saves money in the long run! It also helps them avoid the freshman 15!

• Laundry – Teach your kids the basics of laundry: reading labels, folding clothes, running the washer, etc.
• Clutter Control – Kids (no matter the age… 2-200) need to learn the basics of clutter control! Put it away when you are finished with it! Everything should have a specific home!

These are all very basic skills, but they are not always taught! Get your kids off on the right track NOW instead of trying to cram it in after Senior Year! Teach them when they are young! Remember, practice makes perfect. I don’t know about you, but I would rather my son practice now with his 2 dollars a week allowance than later with a couple thousand dollar credit card limit!
For more homeschooling and organizational ideas as well as great product reviews and giveaways, please be sure to visit my blog: 3 Boys & a Dog!
~Kelli

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Today we have a guest post by Chandra, the author of FSU Fashion Girl blog. Check her blog out!

1. Rate My Professors – this site is a great way for you to find out what you are getting yourself into when signing up for a particular class. Past students can rate the professor on easiness, helpfulness, clarity and rater interest. They can also write comments about the professor so you can decide if this is the right class for you or not.

2. Evernote – Evernote is a very useful site that will help you to keep every aspect of your life organized. For a college student, it is great when you are working on a class project. Instead of keeping a million tabs open on your web browser, you can store all of the information you need on Evernote. The best part about Evernote is that you don’t need to always be on the computer or internet to access your notebooks. Evernote can be used on the web, your desktop, Blackberry, Palm Pre and iPhone/iPod Touch.

3. Half.com – Half.com makes surfing Ebay even easier. Simply search for the item you are looking for and instantly find the BEST price being offered. They also categorize the items based on the condition of the item. Definitely a great way to save money on textbooks!

4. Craigslist – you can find anything and everything you need on craigslist. This site allows people to post items that they no longer want and its basically a first-come, first-serve. You can find furniture, DVDs, textbooks, pets and so much more!

5. Twitter – if you haven’t gotten into twitter yet, I would highly suggest that you do. It is a great way not only to keep in touch with friends and family but also to network with other people and businesses. Depending on where you live, you may find that local businesses have twitters and give away free stuff or special deals to people that follow them. What college student doesn’t like FREE stuff?

6. Student Universe – find great flight deals just for being a college student.

7. UrbanSpoon – whether you have an iPhone/iPod Touch or not, UrbanSpoon is a great way to find the best restaraunts in town. You can find restaraunts, where they are located, what other people think about them and more through this site. Great for those late night cravings when you know exactly what you want but have no idea where to go!

8. Quarterlife – interning is a HUGE part of the college experience. Most majors encourage you to get an internship and others force you. Either way, Quarter Life makes it easy to find the internship you are looking for.

9. Internship Ratings – debating between a few different internships? Not sure which company is right for you? This site may help. People who have interned with the company before can rate and review their experience which may make your decision a lot easier.

10. Unigo – are you about to head off to college for the first time in the fall? Get a feel for what the university is like ahead of time. On this site people can post their experiences and what they love/hate about the campus. It is also a good source on how you can get involved on
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