Tips abound for saving your hard earned money

As I was scanning the net this week I came across an amazing Web site, listing a whopping 118 ways to save money while in college. 118 tips! I don't expect you to head over the the site and read all 118 posts, lucky for you, I picked the ones I thought were most important. To view the whole list, click here. The list is broken down into 13 categories.

Managing the Money You Have:

Keep track of your banking/checking account -- Taking out too much money can end up costing you a lot of money through overdraft fees. If you use a debit card, be sure to know how much is in your account, you can continue using your card, and continue down into the red, without your card even being declined. Make sure you know your bank's policy on overdrawing and the fees they charge.

Pay credit card bills on time -- Another way banking companies can charge you is through late fees, sometimes as much as $50 a month. It's also important to pay your bills on time so you don't lower your credit score. Also, make sure you don't go over your credit limit each month.

Alcohol:

Buy in bulk -- Instead of buying just a six pack, buy a 24 or 30 pack of the cheap stuff. It'll last you longer and cost you less money. If you're into liquor rather than beer, a cheap 5th of vodka might cost you the same as just one or two drinks at a bar.

Drink where there are specials -- Find out what bars are having specials on drinks you like, and go there. A lot of bars, especially in college towns, offer specials each night of the week.

Make your own -- If you're more of a wine connoisseur and you have extra time some weekend, you can make your own wine. Learn how here. This can also be a great, inexpensive gift idea for the holidays.

Textbooks:

Borrow -- If you know someone who already took the class you're in, see if you can borrow their book for the semester, if they haven't sold it back already. You can also check to see if your college's library has it available, or if you can get an inter-library loan from another local library. If you know someone in your class, another option is to share the book, and split the cost.

Buy Used -- Buy used textbooks whenever possible. Sites like Amazon and Half.com offer used books for cheap. As an English minor, I've bought books from Amazon for less than $5. You can't beat that!

Food:
Take advantage of your meal plan -- If you live on campus and have a meal plan, use it! Try to use up all the meals you have each week. You're paying for it on your student bill, so be sure to use it.

Skip the coffee shop -- If you have a caffeine addiction like I do, and you're going to Starbucks or the coffee shop on campus every day, you are wasting a TON of money! Buy your own coffee maker instead, and you will save a lot of money in the long run.

Clip Coupons -- I know this seems like something only your mom does, but if you cut out coupons every week, you could get some really great deals. Also keep an eye on ads in the local paper for weekly specials at your local grocery store.

There are way more tips on the Web site, in categories such as art and entertainment, off-campus living, shopping, and transportation. Be sure to check it out for more easy ways to save your money.

Just another Manic Monday Oooo Wee Oh

Bangles anyone? No? Well Prince wrote it so give me a break. Forget it, I'll just give you your music news and go...

PHISH IS REUNITING AND MAY BE TOURING AGAIN THIS SUMMER! Three gigs in March have been confirmed so far, but they plan on announcing more 2009 dates early next year. This is exciting news, people. It's funny how I feel about this one. When Brett Favre pulled the old retire-unretire, I though he was kind of a jerk. Phish is doing it now though, and I'm psyched. I never got a chance to see a Phish show before, but I've already gotten a group of people together to go this summer. If you get the chance to go, don't miss it. I'm serious.

And another quick little concert update: Coachella has been moved up two weeks this year. Anyone planning on going or interested in the event should be aware that it's going to be held April 17-19 now. It'll still be at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California though.

Oasis has a new record out! I haven't heard it yet but I'll post a link to the New York Times review; just because I love Oasis and they seem to as well. The album's called Dig Out Your Soul. Go purchase it. With money. Because Oasis is good enough for your money.

Oh yeah, and Carlos Santana is planning on starting his own church in Hawaii someday. I gotta admit, Hawaii would be a great place to live, and starting your own church sounds like a great way to pay for it. I wonder if he plans on playing his guitar at the altar. That would be cool.

If you've been watching the Red Sox play at Fenway this week, you may have noticed the smooth sounds of Neil Diamond pumping out of the stadium speakers in the 8th inning of every game. Noone is sure why that is. My theory: It cant be coincidence that baseball is played on a diamond....

Also, Clay Aiken is gay. This came as a shock to his millions of fans, known as Claymates. Apparently, however, there may have been clues in his latest album. Really? There may have been clues? I never would have guessed it.

I saved the worst news for last. Music is dead. It was found on the ground in a dark alleyway this past week. A Paris Hilton-shaped entry wound in music's left temple was the only clue found at the scene. Let's all spend the next week mourning the brutal murder of sweet, sweet music.


Well, that's it for this week in music news. I'll leave you with the new James Bond theme, done by Jack White and Alicia Keys. It's called Another Way to Die, but it's much cooler than the title suggests. Plus, Jack White only barely looks like Michael Jackson in this one.
Just kidding. I love Jack White.
But not really. He does.
But I do love him and everything he does.


<3

See more funny videos and Music Videos at Today's Big Thing.

What "Big" Brown Can Do For You

Football season has just started, the World Series is almost here, and the Breeder's Cup is about to be upon us; what a great time of year for sports fans. Now I know most of you are saying, "woh woh woh, wait a second, Breeder's Cup? what's that?" So before you get too skeptical, hear me out. The Breeder's Cup is the Super Bowl or the World Series of horse racing.

Every year in October the best thoroughbred's from around the world assemble at one of the many tracks that scatter the United States to compete. This year's Breeder's Cup is being hosted by Santa Anita Racetrack in Southern California. For the complete schedule you can visit the Official Breeder's Cup website.

This year's Breeder's Cup is a little bit different than most though, it's biggest race, The Breeder's Cup Classic, features two of the best horses this sport has seen in years. I'm sure most of you have heard of the UPS sponsored horse named Big Brown that flirted with horse racing immortality in the Belmont Stakes this year. Big Brown failed in his attempt to win the Triple Crown this May, but has still had a phenomenal year for a thoroughbred. His counterpart, Curlin is the defending Horse of the Year, and won the Breeder's Cup Classic last year. Last week he became the richest horse in the history of the sport, by eclipsing the $10 million mark in career earnings. The two horses have made over $11 million dollars this year, and have won most all but one of their races each.

So instead of tuning into another college football blowout this year, turn on the Breeder's Cup Classic, and witness a sport that dates back to the Roman Empire, but still provides the same thrill. If you are looking to watch horse racing this weekend, you can check out the schedule on the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) website.

If Dracula Bit Devastee in the Neck, He'd Get a Bloody Mary.

Paris Fashion Week is the place to show couture. Paris is home to fashion's favorite artists. Ann Demeulemeester, Balenciaga, Comme Des Garcons and Gareth Pugh choose to show there year after year. But this year, I wasn't really interested in the experimental pieces in Paris. I was more interested in pieces that would last the day, the season, the year...


That's where Devastee comes in. Devastee is a macabre fashion line that usually focuses on the darker sides of life. (Their latest collection was called 'Embalming Party.') But this season they mixed their darker side with a WASP-y side. The models wore their hair straight and parted down the middle. Prep school patches popped up on blazers and bathing suits. Striped shirts, low-slung pants, linen boyfriend blazers paired with vintage Ray-Bans and wedges were the ultimate in cool. I'd wear every single piece.

The show may not have been fashion forward, but in these economic times maybe that's not the end-all be-all of a good fashion show.

One soda won't hurt? Guess again.

As a former New York State Dairy Princess, I am always telling friends about the benefits of drinking milk. Just to name a few: osteoporosis prevention, reduced risks of heart disease and lowers blood pressure as well as reduced chances of certain kinds of cancer (breast and prostate being the main two).

However, one fact that comes into my almost daily conversation, is that soda is not only unhealthy for you, but actually reverses the good effects milk is having on your body. One 8-oz serving of soda will deplete the amount of calcium you had in two servings of dairy today. That means, if you were to have one soda today, you would have to have at least five servings of dairy, as opposed to the recommended three servings of dairy a day just to make up for the damage you've just done to your bones and to ensure the continued safe growth and strengthening of them.

Now, if you are thinking, "well then I'll just take some calcium supplement pills," think again. This won't help. It is the combination of the nine essential nutrients in milk which help to make your body healthy in so many ways.

I was shocked when I found this video on youtube. Apparently soda does numerous things to your body which will have huge, negative impacts on your life.




So next time you reach for a soda to help you get through studying for that huge biology midterm, think about grabbing some iced tea, or better yet, milk, instead.