Budgeting & Money Management Tools for College Students

For many of us college is our first experience with managing our finances completely on our own – and it can be difficult to keep everything straight. There are several cheap and easy ways to manage your money effectively without spending a lot of time on it. Here are some tools and tactics for managing your money while you are in college:

1) Carry cash for everyday purchases – It’s a lot harder to overdraw your checking account when you carry cash. As long as you have money in your wallet or purse, you still have money. When there is no more money in your wallet, then you are broke. When you run out of money then make a withdrawal from your bank in an amount that is easy to remember. Let’s say you take exactly $50 out each time. You will never have to wonder about much of anything. You will know how much is left in your account. If you burn through $50 in the first day or two, then you will know you need to change your spending patterns.

It’s a simple rule, but one that could save you hundreds of dollars in fees to your bank. After all, you are busy working, learning, studying, socializing and generally trying to move forward with your life. If you truly don’t have time to sit down and balance your checkbook each day, then carrying a set amount of cash will keep you from accidentally overdrawing your bank account.

2) Use your bank’s online service to keep track of your accounts – This is usually a free service that comes with your checking account. Make sure you check it every few days to make sure that your records and the bank’s records agree. Be aware that most banks run several days behind when they post your charges – so don’t be tempted to think that you have “extra money” in there somehow. It’s more likely your bank has not posted your last few transactions.

3) Invest in a cheap folder or grab an envelope and keep your receipts in it – This is a habit that will serve you well the rest of your life. It’s very, very common to blow your budget on the little items, not the big ones. Buying three sodas or coffees a day, eating lunch out, etc. can really add up. If you save your receipts then you can sit down at the end of the month and go through them. They will give you a very clear picture of where your money went that month. Reviewing those receipts will also help you to understand what your spending habits are, and teach you to change the expensive or unhealthy habits to better ones.

When you’re ready to move up….

Let’s say you’ve got the basics down, and you’d like to take a more hands-on approach to your money, possibly open up an investing account, keep track of your student loans, manage your credit cards, and make a detailed budget

There are all sorts of personal finance tools out there that can do the job, but many of them are expensive. In my opinion there are two programs out there that outshine the rest. If you put them both together, you have a powerful tool to help you not only manage your complete financial profile, but every detail of your schedule as well.

1) You Need A Budget: The YNAB software will allow you to spend less time managing your finances than ever before. There are three versions of the software that range from $11.95 to $39.99. (Compare that to the cost of a program like Quickbooks that starts at $100 for the basic package).

YNAB let’s you import your transactions directly into the software from you bank – you don’t have to spend time each week updating your financial software to match what your bank account already says. It allows you to make your own categories for things, track anything you want to, and even contains the tax forms you will need to fill out at the end of the year.

With YNAB you can track your spending and debt repayment over time, set goals, and do just about anything you can imagine to design your own budget. It is by far the cheapest, most sophisticated piece of financial software I have seen to date. And it will grow with you – once you are out of college you can use YNAB to keep track of your mortgage, car payments, even retirement accounts.

You can learn more about YNAB by clicking here.

2) BackpackIt – This is an online service that runs about $7 a month. It has a calendar feature that you can set up with the due dates for all of your bills and BackpackIt will email you a reminder the day before they are due (or any day you set it to remind you.) You can use it for your school projects and relatives birthday’s too.

A few additional features:

You can access BackpackIt from anywhere, and create individual private pages for anything you need. You can make pages for your school projects, your financial goals, or anything at all. You do not need to know html to do any of this, everything is drag and drop.

BackpackIt has a To-do list feature, and a “Make a Note” feature. You can also upload files, and email things to the program and they will appear on your pages.

BackpackIt has really become invaluable to me personally – I wish I had it in college. You can keep track of your entire life with it and it’s completely private and easy to use. If you’re curious about it, you can get a free trial of BackpackIt here.

If you were to combine YNAB and BackpackIt I honestly believe you would never need another piece of financial software ever again – they are that powerful a combination. Together they are tools to manage your finances, your projects and your life quickly and seamlessly.

Whether you choose to use either of these programs or not, be sure that you do set up a system for managing your money. As tough as things are to manage while you are in school, they actually get even harder once you’re finished. If you get your basics down now, and have software you can trust, then maybe you will never have to struggle with managing your finances – and that is priceless.

In this series you can also read about a review of student health insurance options and comparing them with eHealthInsurance.  Find the best spot to keep your hard earned money in our review of the best checking accounts for college students.  Check in tomorrow when we’ll discuss the best student credit cards.

This review of software for budgeting and money management for college students is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

College Student Gadget Guide – Top 5 Most Affordable Gadgets For Students

Young people love their gadgets. I love gadgets. The problem is that they come at a premium price, and I don’t like paying a lot of money for electronics. Parents only have so much money to buy gadgets for their kids, and college students never have any money. So, I put together a list of inexpensive gadgets for college students. The word “inexpensive” is relative, because you might not think some of these items are cheap, but they are cheap relative to their competition.

The Dell Inspiron 1420 – $749

I know that Mac Books are by far the most popular laptops among young people, but hear me out on this one. Here are some features of the Inspiron that make it worth getting while in school.

• Mac is better for images and video, but not for productivity. The Dell Pentium Core Duo processor is efficient and sips battery life.
• You can pick from a number of colors and it only weights 5.3 pounds
• At $749, it’s $300.00 less than the standard Mac Book.
• Comes with Core Duo processor, 2 GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive, wireless card, DVD writer, and built-in webcam

The Palm Centro – $99.99

The iPhone is the most popular smart phone on the market, but it’s expensive, and the plan is even more expensive. They lowered the price for the new 3G iPhone, but they increased the data plan by $10 and it doesn’t include a text messaging plan. So, if you want to save some coin, check out the functional Palm Centro.

• Full QWERTY keyboard, perfect for texting and sending email.
• Sync contacts and calendar from Microsoft Outlook.
• Touch Screen with a more slender design than the Blackberry.
• AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile offer the Palm Centro at a nice price, $99.99.
• Google Maps uses triangulation to locate your approximate spot on the map, also has Telenav GPS system.
• Blazer web browser has mixed reviews, but serves its purpose.

;The Canon Pixma MX700 All-in-one – $129.99

I’ve never had a Canon printer, so if they are horrible, feel free to post a comment. I’ve heard good things about this one, and I am looking for a new all-in-one printer, so I might try this printer out. Here are the features:

• Copy, Fax, Scan, and Print. You’d be surprised at how many times you need to fax something while you’re in college.
• Costs only $129.99
• Great picture quality printing. You can hook up your digital camera straight to the printer and save money on photo developing with this printer.
• Makes copies up to 30 words per minute.
• 70% of consumers voted it a “5” on Newegg.com

The 2nd Gen iPod Nano 4GB – $149.99

In my opinion, this is the best iPod for the value on the market. iPod got it right, other than the fact that it doesn’t have an FM tuner. I own this Nano, and it’s perfect for my needs. For a college student, it’s perfect for working out and going on road trips. The 8GB is $199.99 if you truly need that much space. I came to grips with myself that I didn’t need 60GB of music at all times, so I dumped my brick of an iPod and bought the new Nano. Apple will probably come out with a 3rd generation ipod soon, because they love rolling out new products as fast as people get accustomed to the previous one, but this nano should satisfy your gadget cravings for years to come.

The Nikon Coolpix L18 – $119.00

This is a simple little camerea, but great for taking out on campus, at the bar, or at sports events. If you’re a serious photographer, don’t bother with this camera, but it’s great for the average user at a discount price.

• $119.00 on Newegg.com
• 3″ LCD screen
• 8.0 mega pixels
• ISO 64 – 1600
• Compact, stylish design

Remember that I’m not presenting my picks for the BEST gadget of these five genres. I tried to find a decent gadget at a discount price, because at Money Smart Life we’re looking out for your bank account first. Buying a hunk of junk isn’t worth it if you get it at a discounted price either, but the research and reviews shows that these products will definitely satisfy for their price tag.

If you’re going to spend money on gadgets, you’ll have to save it somewhere else.  Learn about ideas for decorating your dorm room on a budget saving money with student discounts, and ways to have fun in college on a student budget.

In this series you can also read about a review of student health insurance options and comparing them with eHealthInsurance.  Finally, you can find the best spot to keep your hard earned money in our review of the best checking accounts for college students.

This college student guide to getting the most gadget for your money is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

Student Health Insurance – Finding the Best Health Insurance Rates for College Students

Comparing student health insurance rates is not top of the list for most college students when preparing to leave for school. Seeing as how nearly one third of all college age Americans are uninsured, it’s obvious that it can be hard for students to pay for books/tuition plus come up with some money for health insurance. However, finding an insurance plan with low payments that can at least offer you catastrophic coverage is a good idea. This article will take you step by step through the various health insurance options available to you, and help you find the one that’s most affordable and that best fits your needs.

1) See if you can get coverage under your parent’s health insurance plan. Many insurance policies will allow parents to pay for their children’s insurance until they are out of college. This would be the cheapest option since you can work out a payment arrangement with your parents, or possibly get it for free.

If you don’t have the luxury of staying on your parent’s health insurance policy, then don’t worry, you still have plenty of options.

2) Check to see if your university offers a low cost health insurance policy. Some colleges are actually starting to require you to have health insurance before you are allowed to attend. Most colleges do offer low cost health insurance plans to their students. Check with your guidance counselor or your student resource center to find out about the types of insurance coverage they offer, and how much it will cost you to participate.

3) Look for a part or full time job that offers health insurance benefits. Working and going to school full time is hard, but not impossible. More and more companies are beginning to offer health insurance benefits when you work at least 20 hours a week. Restaurants in particular are good about offering insurance to their employees who work less than 40 hours a week.

Here are some of the top companies that offer health insurance to part time workers:

• United Parcel Service – UPS not only offers insurance to part time workers, but they also help you pay for school. It’s hard work, but if you need the help it’s a win-win situation.




• Starbucks – If you work at least 20 hours a week with Starbucks then you can get medical, dental and vision coverage under their insurance plans.




• Costco – Working 20 hours a week at Costco will get you medical, dental, vision and prescription coverage. There is a 180 day wait period from the time you start working for them though, so if you need insurance right away this may not be the best option.




• Trader Joe’s – If you’re into organic food then Trader Joe’s is a great place to work. They offer benefits to part time employees and offer employee discounts that just might let you fit their natural, organic food into your shoestring budget.




• Home Depot – They offer medical and dental benefits to part time workers, and tuition reimbursement to full time employees.




• Staples – Working 20 hours a week at Staples gets you access to their insurance program. They even offer life insurance, and a pre-tax flexible spending account with a company match policy. Staples also has a yearly scholarship program for it’s employees that helps cover the cost of your tuition.




• McDonalds – Flipping burgers might not be an ideal job, but it pays the bills! It could also net you Health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance and a stock option plan. They also offer college tuition assistance. Some McDonald’s are independently owned though, so if you want the benefits you will need to look for a corporate run store and not an independently owned chain.




• Circuit City – Part time employees at Circuit City are eligible for health, dental and vision insurance. They also provide tuition assistance to help you pay for your college courses.

4) Consider purchasing your own insurance plan – This can be costly, but there are a few programs out there designed specifically to offer health insurance to college students. You can get health insurance through Humana for around $30 a month. Aetna, Anthem, and United Healthcare also offer individual health insurance policies for students. Depending on the insurance plan you choose you can expect to pay between $30 and $70 a month for your coverage.

You can use eHealthInsurace to get health insurance quotes and compare plans. You provide the zip code where you live and where you’ll attend school, when you need your coverage to start, your gender, and birth date and they’ll give you a list of student health insurance quotes from a wide variety of plans.

• Get Student Health Insurance Rates

These steps may seem like a lot to go through just to pay for health insurance, but it really is essential. Even though you are young, and healthy, well nobody plans for accidents. If something were to happen to you, and you had no insurance, then you would be up to your eyeballs in debt faster than you could scream “Nurse!”

Your future is too important to leave to chance – please don’t risk going without at least a basic health insurance policy.

Have other student insurance questions? We cover how to save money on student car insurance in this series.  We also take a look at how you can make extra money in college, the best checking accounts for college students, and the best student credit cards.

Today’s average college student has at least one gadget in their dorm room.  Stay tuned for the college student gadget guide where we look at the most affordable laptop, cell phone, iPod, printer, and camera for students.

This review of student health insurance plans and options for getting insured is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

College Student Savings – How to Get the most out of Student Discounts

If you’re a college student there are a wide variety of discounts available to you every day. You can use them to save money on books, computers, haircuts, pizza, airfare, and everything in between. Here are a few ways to make the most out of your student discounts:

1) Always ask for a student discount – Carry your student ID on you at all times, and any time you buy something, take a second to stop and ask if you can get a discount on it. The only other time in your life you will be eligible to save this much money is when you become a senior citizen. That’s a long time to wait, so take advantage of it now, while you can! A quick Google search with your city + “Student Discount” will return a list of companies in your area that will give you a discount when you show your student ID card.

2) Check your University – Most colleges offer their own discount programs that can net you sweet savings on everything from the local Laundromat to the on-campus restaurants and bookstores. Depending on the school, you may have to pay $20 or $30 to enroll. Call or visit your student resource center to get more information on your school’s student discount program, a list of participating stores, and how much it costs to join.

3) Apple offers computer discounts for college students – This is a 20% discount on computers for students, so if you know you will need to buy a computer before you head off to college, check out Apple’s Student Discounts before you pay full price!

4) Greyhound offers discounted student bus fares – If you need to travel, you can always “Go Greyhound!” To find out more about Greyhound’s student discount program click here.



There are also a several national student discount programs you can join.

These programs are not free but they are pretty cheap, and they offer good discounts on everyday and specialty items.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common student discount programs to see how much they cost, and what types of discounts you can get from them:

The Student Advantage Card – This is by far the most popular national student discount program. For $20 a year you can sign up to get the Student Advantage Card. If you decide to purchase this card you can get discounts between 15% and 40% off at places like:

• Verizon Wireless
• Urban Outfitters
• Target
• Office Depot
• CliffsNotes.com
• Foot Locker / Lady Foot Locker
• Barnes & Noble
• Linens ‘n Things
• Pearle Vision
• Drugstore.com
• People Magazine
• And a ton of other discounts at stores nationwide.

If you frequently shop at any of the listed stores, then you will make back your initial $20 investment quickly. You can see a full list of retailers and student discounts here. For more information on the Student Advantage Card, or to sign up, click here.

The International Student Identity Card – The ISIC is $22 a year and offers discounts to students who travel. You can find deals on airfare, hotel rooms, rental cars, local entertainment, and restaurants. They have a searchable database that allows you to view the discounts in the city or country of your choice.

The ISIC card is recognized internationally, so if you are planning to travel abroad it is probably worth the $22 investment. If you are not planning to travel overseas and just want to see what discounts are available in your area you can click here.

International Student Exchange Card – The International Student Exchange Card is similar to the ISIC. It costs $25 dollars a year to participate, and they seem to have a wider selection of discounts than the ISIC does. In addition to offering travel discounts like hotels, plane tickets, rental cars, and discounts at local stores, the ISEC also includes a complete calling card plan and travel insurance.

If you plan to travel overseas, or if the ISEC program offers discounts in the city you live in, then purchasing the International Student Exchange Card might be worth it. You can click here to search their database of student discounts to see if their program might work for you.

The best tactic for maximizing your available discounts is to join your school’s student discount program first. After all, the food courts and stores on campus are going to be the ones you use the most anyway since they are the closest.

College is a time for learning, and growth, and fun. You are managing multiple classes, possibly a job, and juggling extra-curricular activities. When you throw money management on top of that, well, things can get difficult! No one wants to live on Ramen noodles for four years, so if you can get a discount – definitely take it. Twenty or thirty dollars to join a discount program might seem like a lot up front, but you have to weigh it against the actual value you will get from the program throughout the year.

If you haven’t had a chance, check out the other articles in this series; they cover ideas for decorating your dorm room on a budget, saving money with student discounts, how you can make extra money in college, the best checking accounts for college students, and the best student credit cards.

Check back tomorrow for a review of student health insurance options and how you can compare them with eHealthInsurance.

This list of ways college student can save money with student discounts is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

College Student Car Insurance – Tips on Getting the Best Rates for Students

Being young comes at a premium price when it comes to auto insurance. Insurance companies view young people under 25 as a high risk for making claims. It’s not that they hate you. They have factual statistics to back it up. Teenage and college aged individuals are the most likely age group to get into an accident. Some of it is due to inexperience driving, making poor decisions, and reckless driving. But, this doesn’t mean that every college student is a bad driver. In fact, the vast majority of you are very responsible drivers. Here’s a look at five tips to help you get better rates on your car insurance premiums.

1. Choose a higher deductible. For collision and comprehensive coverage, choose $500 or $1000 for your deductible, but make sure that you stash enough cash away in an emergency fund to cover your deductible if you do get in an accident.
2. Choose a safe car to drive. You can’t get around the fact that an insurance company will give you high rates based on your age. But, you can control what type of car you drive. Typically, a 4-door sedan with high safety ratings will yield lower premium rates than a sports car or SUV. I know, the Honda Accord doesn’t get the chicks, but the money you’ll save on insurance premiums can go towards money for dates.
3. Skip on collision coverage. Most young people drive clunkers. I drove a 1987 reddish-pink Nissan Sentra for two years. It was worth about $1,000. A friend of mine drove a $2,000 Pontiac Firebird for a year. If you have a clunker, you probably don’t need to pay for collision. Any car with a book value of less than $3,000 warrants skipping out on collision. The amount you’d spend on the premium could be saved every month and pay for another clunker.
4. Get good grades. Most auto insurance companies will give you a 10% to 15% discount on your auto insurance premium for having good grades. A 3.0 GPA or higher is usually the standard for receiving the discount.
5. Buy another policy with the same carrier. Many insurance companies will give you a discount for having multiple policies with them. I recommend coupling your auto insurance with renter’s insurance. Most college students don’t buy renter’s insurance. It will protect your personal property in an apartment from theft, vandalism, fire, water damage, and many other perils that can destroy your stuff. The best part is that you can pick up a $20,000 policy for $10 to $15 dollars a month.

Search Online Insurance Quotes
The web makes it easy to shop around for coverage. Here are a few places you can get insurance quotes online so you can compare their rates right away:

Saving money is a learned habit. You’re not born with the gift of knowing how to save money. If you develop this habit throughout your college years, you will be very successful with your money. You will typically spend 10% to 15% of your monthly income on insurance premiums in your lifetime. It’s worth it to put the effort into saving money on your premiums.

Some of the earlier articles in this series cover the best checking account for college students, how you can make extra money in college, and the best student credit cards.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we’ll cover saving money with student discounts.

These tips for saving money on auto insurance for college students is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

5 Inexpensive Ways To Have Fun In College

College was not too long ago for me, and there are times when I wish I could get those days back. The friends you meet, the experiences, the football games, and staying up all night are great memories that I’ll never forget. I never had much money in college. My parents didn’t give me a dime while I was there. I was a delivery driver, sold stuff on ebay, and I participated in research studies to make extra money to pay bills and have a little left over to have some fun. After all, the college experience is lost if you stay in your apartment the whole time. Here’s five ideas for having fun without spending much money.

The Wii Party

Do you have a Wii? Do you have a friend with a Wii? Have a bunch of friends over, bring some drinks (non-alcoholic if you’re under 21, I don’t want that on my conscious), and have a good time swinging your arms back and forth like an idiot. I love the Wii. I don’t have one, but I will someday. Every time I’ve played it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s great for a party, and it’s hilarious to watch people with a buzz try to swing at a virtual tennis ball.

The College Music Scene

If you go to a decent sized school, the chances are good that tons of aspiring bands are trying to make it big. Most of them suck, but there are a few gems out there, and the cover to see their show is usually cheap. Going to see a quality college band is a great night of fun, just make sure you don’t spend your whole wad on drinks. The venues that host these bands try to make their money on selling over-priced, watered-down drinks.

Stay Active and Exercise

There are a slew of sports, exercise, and outdoor activities to participate in on your college campus. Take advantage of them! In college, you will meet friends that you will keep for the rest of your life and possibly your future spouse. But, you can’t do that when you’re sitting at home on the computer, and you can’t do it when you let your body become a tub of goo. While at school at the University of Florida, a group of friends played ultimate frisbee every thursday night. I played flag football, frisbee, and basketball intramurals. I “tried” to work out three times a week, and we went on numerous weekend camping trips. Sports and outdoor activities are free, and you’re exercising your body. It’s a beautiful thing, so don’t neglect it when you’re in school.

Sports and Cultural Events

Most sports and cultural event tickets are free for students. Major universities will offer more of these events than smaller ones, but I experienced both a huge university of 40,000 students and a small one of 1,500 students, and both places offered numerous events to attend. I am a big sports nut, so I went to football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, volleyball, and soccer games. But, I also went to university orchestras, plays, musicals, and key note speakers. Don’t miss out on the events offered at your university.

Find Bars and NIght Clubs Offering A Deal

If you’re the big party type, and you want the frat boy/sorority girl clubbin’ scene, there’s still a way to go out on the cheap. Ladies, you have it made. There’s a club or bar offering ladies drink free every night of the week. You just need to figure out which one it is. Men, you don’t have that luxury, but you can frequent the bars that offer good drink specials with no cover charge. Scour the internet for a local website that highlights the drink/cover specials for every bar and club in your area. Gainesville is the prototypical college town. Take away the university, and it’s not much of a town. The clubs and bars obviously catered to students, so it was easy to find cheap drinks with no cover charge. Be wise and be safe when you go out late at night.

Many of you remember my personal testimony about breaking the debt cycle and getting on the right track with my personal finances. I have heart for college students, because I know what kind of a hole you can dig yourself into if you are reckless with your money. Be frugal with your money in college. You won’t have much, but it doesn’t mean you can’t have fun.

You may want to check out the other articles in the series on the best banks for college students, how you can make extra money in college, and the best student credit cards.

Stay tuned for tomorrow when we’ll cover the best student car insurance.

This list of free or cheap ways to have fun in college is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

Extra Money for College Students – 31 Ways You Can Make Money In College

Being in college is often synonymous with being flat broke – but it doesn’t have to be! Here are 31 anyone-can-do-it plans to help you make extra money in college:

1. Get a job – There are plenty of places on, or near your campus that will hire college students. Because they regularly work with students you can expect them to be willing to adapt to your study schedule and even your time off of school.




2. Have a digital camera? Sell stock photography online – If you’ve always enjoyed taking pictures then why not make a little money off of them? You can sell your images online to places like Dreamstime.com. You’ll make money every time someone downloads your image, and most places will even let you retain part of the copyright.




3. Get Paid to Write Online – Can you write well? If so, there are plenty of places online that are willing to pay you to write for them. Check out this site – they list new jobs every morning, Monday – Friday.




4. Be a tutor – If you excel at English, Math, Science or any subject at all, you can be pretty sure there are other students who do not! Set up your own tutoring service and charge for it. You can also offer tutoring sessions online via chat rooms.




5. Donate Plasma – If you can stand getting your blood drawn then you can do some good and earn some money at the same time. Most places will let you donate once a month so you can pick up an easy $35 to $45 this way.




6. Check to see if you have any unclaimed money – Most states have searchable online databases where you can quickly check to see if you have unclaimed money..




7. Sell Tickets to Your School’s Sporting Events – College basketball and football tickets can be hot items, and students usually get first pick. Buy a couple of extra tickets for big events and sell them to friends and family.




8. Get into a paid internship or a work-study program – If you qualify you can earn money and college credit at the same time.




9. Recycle bottles and cans – If you’ve ever taken a peek into a campus trash can then you’ll know it’s a haven for discarded aluminum cans and plastic soda bottles. You could even get a few friends to go in together on this and split the profits. You’ll be cleaning up your campus, helping the environment, and making money all at the same time.




10. Take Odd Jobs – Put the word out with your friends and family. Let them know you are available to mow their grass, house / pet / baby sit, do light housework, plant flowers, whatever they need. You will be really surprised at how much money you can make doing this. You can set your own hours too, so it will never interfere with your school work.




11. Be a “Fixer-Upper!” – If you can repair computers, leaky faucets, drafty windows or anything else that breaks you can make money doing it for others.




12. Find out what people want and sell it to them – This could be as simple as running to Walmart and picking up cheap colas and chips and re-selling them, or as complex as installing radios and helping other students turn their cars into hybrids to save on gas.




13. Hit up the Sorority and Fraternity Houses on Campus – Ask around and find out if they will let you come in once a week and clean for them. By pitching that every member “would only have to donate X amount” a month you could make quite a bit of money just from swishing and swiping a few toilets. It’s a great way to get social introductions too.




14. Sell Things on Ebay or Craigslist – Make a habit of visiting yard sales, estate sales, auctions, and going through your own garage. Then list your finds online and sell them. You can generate a nice secondary income from this once you learn what you are doing.




15. Take on Seasonal Work: Shovel snow, rake leaves, plant flowers, wrap gifts. You could even put together a list of cheap, “must have” items each season for men and women of different age groups. Then, sell those lists for a dollar or two a piece. Who wouldn’t love to have a quicklist of cheap gift ideas that their Aunt Fanny, little brother, or Mom might want for Christmas?




16. Capitalize on the Holidays – If you know Valentines Day is approaching, get together with your best guy friends and offer to be the person that picks up all the flowers / chocolates and cards that they need. They give you the money, and you deliver it to them – minus a small fee of course!




17. Build a Website or a Blog – If you enjoy being online this one is easy to do. Get signed up with Google Adsense, Amazon.com’s Affiliate Program, and Linkshare, just to name a few. You may never make a ton of money doing this, but you will probably earn enough to buy a few extra cups of coffee each month.




18. Flip Websites – If you are really good at building websites, then consider doing that as a side job. For more information on how to get started flipping websites check out this site, and this site.




19. Be a Personal Trainer – Most campuses have free gyms for students – but not all students know how to use the equipment! Stick up some flyers, and hang around the gym. You can offer your services as a spotter, and instructor, to those up -and- coming gym rats.




20. Check out your school’s Psych program, and volunteer to take part in their studies – If you are willing to let them pick your brain or study your latent Oedipus complex, you could make a fair amount of money each month.




21. Offer to be an assistant to your professor – Some departments will hire students to assist professors in grading papers, making photocopies, doing research etc.




22. Look for on-campus jobs – One of the biggest and best ways to make money in college is to look for an on-campus job. Check out the library, be a security escort, or even a parking attendant. Many of these jobs come with discounted tuition so they are snapped up quickly. If you can’t manage to get a job on campus your freshman year, decide what you want to do and start lobbying for it – find out how to sign up so that you can get a good deal on your tuition the next year.




23. Deliver Newspapers – Yes, it’s early in the morning, but you can make several hundred dollars a month delivering newspapers. It’s also safe to assume that your hours will not conflict with any of your class schedules!




24. Sell Your Video Game Accounts – If you love playing online games and you can level your characters or make gold quickly, then you can make a decent amount of money doing it as a side business. Besides, learning to set the prices of online auction houses is an excellent compliment to an economics class!




25. Become a Model – Campus Art Departments usually need models, and contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be naked to do it – mostly they want you dressed, and sitting, standing, or posing.




26. Run a Car Wash – Get together with some friends once a month, hold a car wash, and split the profits.




27. Create a Calendar – If you belong to any on-campus organizations, offer to create a yearly calendar for them. You can have them printed cheaply online, and sell them at a profit. Donate a portion of the profits to the organization, and keep the rest.




28. Sell T-Shirts – If you have a witty idea for a T-shirt you can design and sell it on Zazzle.com. Tell everyone you know about them, and you earn a percentage of the sale when they log on and buy one.




29. Teach a Mini-course – Everyone at college is there to learn, and if you have a specific skill like writing, power-leveling video game characters, flipping websites, even water skiing or knitting, then chances are other students would be willing to pay you a small amount to learn that skill. So, set up your own mini-instruction course, meet twice a month and charge a reasonable fee.




30. Take Notes in Class and Sell Them – You’re sitting in class and taking notes anyway, right? Offer to sell your notes to your classmates. Many students who take notes on their own would still be willing to buy yours if you organize them well. After all, you may catch something they missed, and an extra study aid is always valuable before a final. This is one way to make money and good grades at the same time!




31. Work your network – When you need extra money, start by talking to the people you know. Find out if they know anyone who is hiring, or if they have any creative ideas for making money.

Be sure to check out other articles in the series on the best banks for college students, decorating your dorm room on a budget, and the best student credit cards. Make sure to come back tomorrow for ways to have fun in college without spending a lot of money.

This list of ways college students can make extra money is part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

College Dorm Room Decor Ideas – How to Decorate Your Dorm on a Budget

If you’re facing the challenge of decorating your dorm room on a shoestring budget, then here are some ideas that might help.

Get things for free if you can – If you need a coffee pot, a bookcase, or some plastic storage bins, ask your friends and family for them first. You may be surprised by what they will be willing to give you to help you along your way. If they do give you necessary items for free, remember to drop them a quick thank you note or email to show that you appreciated the gift.

Check out the local thrift stores – You can get lamps, pictures, and sometimes gently used furniture very cheaply. You would be shocked at a lot of the fun retro items you will find there – especially the lamps!

The average cost is around $3 – $5 per item. Furniture usually runs $15 to $25 dollars. Remember that you are only going to use these things for a little while, and you will not be nearly as angry if your roommate comes in drunk and knocks over a $2 lamp, or throws up on a $15 chair.

Make it yourself – There is nothing cooler than quirky, hand-made items in a dorm room. If you are crafty, you can check out your local home depot for cinder blocks, particle board, cheap paint, a hammer, and some nails. The possibilities really are endless.

Drop in on the Dollar Store – Organizers, mirrors, school supplies, bath items, and even toothpaste are all cheap and readily available at your local dollar store. Definitely visit Dollar General, Big Lots, Everything’s a Dollar, etc. before you hit the bigger departments stores. Take a list with you, and cross off everything you can as cheaply as you can – your wallet will thank you!

Wait to buy larger items until you meet your roommate – Why pay full price for that mini-fridge all by yourself? What if they bring one too? Instead, get to know them a bit, talk about what you would both like to have in your room, wait for a sale, and split the cost.

Consider creative ways to decorate – Get together with your roommate and buy some colored chalk. You can do murals on the walls together (chalk washes off easily), and have “the room” that everyone talks about. Whatever you do, avoid laminating your posters. When I went to college, I thought laminating my posters would be cheaper than framing them. It was not! Total cost to laminate 6 posters: $80. Total cost for used frames at Goodwill: $12.

Check your local newspaper and Craigslist – You can usually find some excellent deals on just about everything in the classified sections of your newspaper, or online at Craigslist.org. You can pick up curtains, a desk, possibly even a computer this way.

The Last Step: Hit Walmart, Target and K-Mart – Once you buy everything you can at a discount, then check out the superstores. They still have good deals on items. You can even do a little pre-shopping online to see what they have, and how much it costs. Spending 30 minutes surfing the web to compare deals will save you a lot of money, (and gas!) because you won’t have to run from store to store looking for a specific item.

As you head off to college, remember that many of these first items may get torn up, used up, or just not fit your style anymore after about a year. Even though you might be tempted to buy a $200 desk, or a $350 comforter set, it’s probably better to err on the side of caution. I honestly don’t think I still own even one item that I decorated my dorm room with in college. So, why not pay less for items that will probably turn out to be temporary in the long run?

College is all about figuring out where you are going in life. Give yourself the freedom to change your style any time you want to – without feeling guilty over the price of re-decorating.

Check back tomorrow for a review of the best banks for college students where we’ll cover accounts like ING Electric Orange checking and Washington Mutual checking.

These ideas on thrifty dorm room decor, furniture, and accessories are part of the College Student Money Guide.

---

College Student Money Guide – Financial Tips for Student Success

Beware College Debt!
This college student money guide is a collection of financial tips and advice to help college students get a degree, have fun, and not leave college in massive debt.  As many of you can probably attest, getting the degree and enjoying the college experience tend to be the main goals of many college students.

Unfortunately these often come at the expense of student’s checkbook and credit score. The good news, that we’ll be covering here, is that you can graduate, have fun, and keep a handle on your money if you follow the right steps!

Broke College Students
As a college student, what do you have in common with most everyone else on campus…  You never seem to have enough money!

You probably spent at least a year before you stepped onto campus trying to get enough scholarships, loans, and grants to cover your tuition, books, and living expenses.  If you think about it, practically everything about college costs money. For every college you applied to, you probably had to pay an application fee just so you could get approved to go there and spend even more money!

Now that you’ve finally arrived to begin your college degree you have to figure out how to make that financial aid actually cover the years you spend in school.  Chances are you’ll probably feel broke most of the time there but don’t think you’re alone, everyone else probably feels the same way!

College Money Guide
When you’re away at school it seems everything costs money, everyone wants a piece of your checkbook.  Keeping your finances straight while trying to deal with college life can be a bit overwhelming so we’re going to offer you some advice on how to:

• make some extra money
• budget and manage your cash
• save on student health insurance
• find the best auto insurance rates
• choose the best student bank account
• find cheap or free entertainment
• furnish your dorm room for cheap
• find the best student credit cards
• take advantage of student discounts
• and more…

Stay tuned for the college finance tips!  Click here to subscribe for daily updates.

---

Best Gas Credit Cards – Rewards Card Survey Compares Top Gas Saving Options

The best gas credit cards can save you anywhere from one cent to four cents a gallon over other gas rewards cards according to a new gas card survey.

Gas Survey Details
The survey analyzed 31 different gas rewards cards and how much money each card could save you based on how much you spend on gas each month plus the total amount of purchases you put on your card monthly.  The study looked at the savings from the perspective of three different typical household profiles, determined by 2006 numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

How Much Can You Save on Gas?
The results suggest that choosing the top gas rewards card can save you anywhere from 1 – 4 cents per gallon over the worst performing gas card depending on which profile best matches your spending patterns.  Among the top five gas credit cards for each profile the savings range from half a cent to one cent apart between the different cards.  So stick with one of the top five cards, preferably the best one, and you should be okay.

Combined Purchases
Two of the profiles assume you don’t use a separate card for gas purchases.  For the first of these profiles (based on spending $1,500 per month on a single credit card – $200 of which is spent on gas) the survey lists the top five best gas rewards credit cards as:

• Blue Cash from American Express
• Chase Perfect Card
• Speedway SuperAmerica Mastercard
• American Express TrueEarnings

The last profile (assumes $3,000 a month on one credit card, $400 of which is spent on gas purchases) recommends the same top four, with the Hess Visa rounding out the number five spot. The survey also looks at the benefits you can get from card signup bonuses and breaks those down by the savings during the first year of use.

Gas Card Only
If you have a separate rewards card that you only use for gas purchases then the survey suggests you’re better off with cards issued by oil companies, the numbers assume you spend an average of $400 a month on gas and make 80% of your purchases with the same gas company:

• Speedway SuperAmerica Mastercard
• Hess Visa
• Shell Platinum Mastercard
• Chase PerfectCard
• Sinclair Platinum Mastercard

Best Gas Credit Cards
Looking back at my earlier gas credit card review, all but one of the cards I suggested show up in at least one of the top five areas.  The Chase Freedom card was not included in the survey so it wasn’t ranked at all.

One of the things I noticed looking through all the numbers was that the American Express Blue Cash card was consistently a top performer in most scenarios, which is why we use it for a majority of our purchases.  The survey also notes how sticking with one gas company can pay off, for example the BP Visa is in the top 5 for each profile.

---

Page 123 of 190« First«...102030...121122123124125...130140150...»Last »