Need a roommate? Useful tips to help you find one!

Moving to a new city for your graduate studies? If yes, chances are you aren’t moving along with roommates. So you’re going to need to find a couple because living on your own as a graduate student – while a lovely idea­ – is too expensive for many of us. Hence the need for roommates, whomever they may be.

How to find these people whom you hope to share your home with (minus your food and toothbrush)? A couple methods:

· ­Your school. Yep, one of the best ways could be through your graduate institution. The summer before I entered grad school, my program provided get-togethers for incoming students. We were able to mingle and meet with other students who were also looking for roommates.

I realize it may seem strange to meet someone and try to decide rather quickly on their roommate-potential, but at least you are in the same school. If they’re a grad student, it’s less likely that a.) they will flake on you and b.) they are a random creeper.

· Web listings. If you miss out on your school’s housing event, or if one isn’t provided, then web listings are probably the next place to turn. Yes, these people are strangers. But at least you can narrow down your search to your age range and maybe even to people in grad schools. If you go this route, make sure you spend time with them to figure out their creep rating. The lower, the better!

When looking for a roommate, be picky. Even if that means asking about someone’s nose-picking habits. You don’t want to choose the first person you come across just to have the decision made. You have to live with this choice – and this person – for a year. Make sure it is someone you think you can get along with. If you prefer quiet after 8:00 p.m., make sure the person doesn’t want to hold band practice every night at 9:00. If you don’t like parties at your place, discuss this before any lease agreement is signed. Find common ground with your future roommate – do you both cook or prefer take-out, shower at night or in the morning. Best case scenario: you become friends. Even if you never reach that level, at least you’ll have a roommate with whom you feel comfortable.

Look! Cheap Cocktail Night.

Keg parties are so undergrad, so why not mix up a few cocktails at home? Oh, right, keeping even a minimally stocked liquor cabinet is way out of my grad-school budget. But there's another way.

Instead of spending money on fifths or even liters of our essential ingredients, my boyfriend and I bought a variety of miniatures. (50-mL bottles, or between 1.5 and 2 fluid ounces. Apparently they're called nibs here in New England.) For the same cost as just a couple regular-sized bottles of liquor, we were able to buy everything we needed to make six different drinks—three for each of us.


Here are the (mostly) classic cocktails we tried out:

• Amaretto Sour
• Tequila Sunrise
• Chocolate Martini
• Tom Collins
• White Russian
• and this crazy thing called a Monkey Gland Cocktail I stumbled across on Forbes magazine online, of all places

A note on the ingredients:
Each 50-mL bottle is about the same as one shot, the right amount of alcohol for one drink. The Monkey Gland calls for absinthe, which was our only budget breaker: we found a 100-mL bottle for $9.99. If you're just looking to try it out or only need a little, though, this amount goes a long way. A full-sized bottle will run you closer to $50 or $60. No thank you.

Did you know you can make your own sour mix and grenadine at home? Sour mix is just heavy simple syrup plus lemon juice, so I bought one lemon for 69¢ instead of spending $4.99 on a whole bottle of the pre-made stuff. Grenadine is just pomegranate juice plus sugar, but I actually didn't save money here. I paid a dollar more for real pomegranate juice than I would have for grenadine. However, the grenadine at the store is almost entirely high-fructose corn syrup, not actual juice. I think this is an extra dollar well spent.

The Monkey Gland and the Tequila Sunrise both call for orange juice, but I didn't want to buy a whole carton just to use about five ounces of it. I bought two oranges and fresh squeezed them. I'm sure this is much tastier, anyway.

Shopping list and total price:

amaretto	$2.99
tequila	$2.49
vodka	$3.50 (for 2)
gin	$5.98 (for 2)
Kahlua	$2.49
chocolate liqueur	$3.99
absinthe	$9.99
lemon	69¢
2 oranges	$1.07
pomegranate juice	$4.99
club soda	59¢
Grand Total:	$38.77 + tax

Sure, buying in larger volumes is a better value, but this was a cheaper overall cost and much greater variety for six drinks than we could've gotten if we'd bought larger bottles. More than 25% of our total was the absinthe, too, so we can make it much cheaper by nixing it next time.

Another thought: we're moving to a new apartment this weekend. This might just be the grad-school answer to the traditional housewarming party. Potluck, anyone?

Confessions of a Former Barista: How to feed your coffee habit without going broke

A few years ago I got hooked pretty bad. I was working long hours, living in a stressful environment, and I’d lie awake and jittery in bed at night thinking, “This needs to stop, tomorrow will be the day I finally kick the habit.” But in the morning, the vicious cycle always began again. I tried to switch to less expensive, less pure stuff, but it just didn’t cut it. Eventually, I had to start selling it myself just so I could afford my daily fix.

Hello, my name is Julia, and I’m latte addict and former barista.

I fear that as a fellow grad student you too may be going broke due to the caffeine monkey on your back that just will not accept the more reasonably priced coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts or McDonald’s. I’m here for you, and if my experience pushing the products of a certain international coffee chain (you know the one) can save you a few extra laundry quarters a day, well, then my struggles have not been in vain.

Admittedly, some of the tricks are a little sneaky, but I’ll leave the moral and ethical issues for your conscience and inner caffeine junky to argue over.

Each of my tricks will save you fifty cents every time you order and $78 a year if you’re in the habit of buying them three times a week.

Iced Latte

Ask for a double espresso over ice in a grande cup, then add the milk from the condiment bar. It will be the exact same drink, just cheeper.

Iced Coffee

If you add a lot of milk to your coffee, instead of asking for room, order a tall iced coffee in a grande cup and then add the milk at the bar. Better yet, make your own iced coffee at home; just brew it with twice the grounds you would normally use, refrigerate, and add ice.

Caramel Macchiato

Order a three pump vanilla latte, then after you’ve been rung up ask if they could possibly add caramel drizzle. Technically, there’s a charge for it, but the baristas basically consider it a garnish and definitely won’t go to the trouble to make it a separate transaction. The only difference is that the espresso in a macchiato is added after the foam; if you normally stir your macchiato anyway, it will be the exact same drink.

Want to save even more money on food when you're out and about? Check out Susan's Eating Out for Less.

To Intern or Not to Intern: Judging an Internship’s Worth

While professors may sell you the importance of internships like they are getting a cut of the profits, you must decide whether an internship is worth your time and energy. The one trait that internships typically share is that many of them involve no monetary compensation. Even if gaining experience overrides your financial needs, you owe it to yourself to consider how this voluntary commitment will affect your life.

This is not to devalue the importance of getting your hands on some professional experience; rather, I wish to offer ideas to keep in mind when searching for internships. While these are great opportunities to extend your resume and network with influential people, internships should not be accepted without seriously considering whether they will fit your life. These search tips will help you decide if an internship is feasible for you.

Room for growth: Read job descriptions closely (beyond salary mentions!) to see if there is any indication of the internship turning into a full-time position. Employers are often eager to fill holes with competent interns. This should not be critically important to your decision, but it is worthwhile to keep an eye out for anything that might suggest upward mobility.

While at the company’s website, check for entry-level openings either in your department of interest or another. Colleagues like to talk about impressive interns, and your supervisor could put in a good word for you with other departments who are hiring. Your professional interests may change over time anyway—or maybe after working pro bono long enough any paying job will sound appealing.

Commute: While you may not want to limit yourself to businesses within your immediate area, you have to consider how traveling to the internship will effect your daily life. Ask yourself:

• How will I get there?
• Will public transportation get expensive without a monthly pass?
• Assuming there is bad weather or another delay effecting one mode of transportation, are there other means of getting there?
• Can I handle the stress (physical and/or mental) or commuting?

The first three questions are straightforward, but the last may need explaining. Grad school courses presumably take place in the evening so that students can work during the day. Classes often last for hours, and then you have to commute back home—only to wake up bright and early the next morning. Even if your internship is two or three days a week, long morning commutes after long nights of class add up to extra long days at work. For the sake of your health, you have to consider the toll that a long commute may take on your body. Not everyone can gulp down several cups of coffee to counteract the sleepy effects of grad school.

Small vs. Large: Think about the benefits of either office environment related to your needs:

• Small offices might demand a heavy workload from interns, which can be stressful in addition to schoolwork, but great in terms of gaining extensive professional experience.

• Large office internships probably involve more clerical work, which may inspire frustration; however, a big company might be able to afford taking you on full-time. If it’s a prominent company in your industry, just having their name on your resume is worth the experience.

For other tips on the internship search, see Miranda's “Unpaid Internships: the Tough Questions” post. Happy hunting!

5 Ways To Go Green and Save Mone

One of the biggest misconceptions of the “green revolution” is the idea that is costs more to actually “be green” than is necessarily true. What is in fact true is that while saving the environment, you can actually save money too. Generally being a student means being on a tight budget so I personally try to save money wherever I can. Being able to save money and save the environment is just a plus.

1) Bring your own shopping bags: Bringing your own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store is an extremely easy way to be green and save some cash. Most places will give you a small discount for each bag you use. For example Whole Foods gives their shoppers a five-cent discount for each shopping bag used. This may not seem like a lot but if you shop weekly, it really adds up.

2) Buy local: By buying local and eating what’s in season, consumers get fresher produce while supporting small farmers. The transportation of the goods is cut down which means more money in your pocket

3) Walk Wherever You Can: With gas prices constantly fluctuating, filling up your car weekly can set you back big bucks. If possible, walk or bike to work, the gym, grocery store etc. You can pick and choose which places are more convenient to have a car, but biking or walking doesn’t just save you money and the ozone layer but it also keeps you fit.

4) Ditch the plastic water bottle: I recently read that last year Congress spent $400,000 on water bottles! This is an easy fix. By buying a water filter than fits in the fridge, you can cross off buying plastic water bottles off the grocery list. An average water filter costs between $10-$15 and can be found just about anywhere. Fill up your stainless steel or BPA free reusable water bottle and never use a plastic water bottle again.

5) Save Energy, Save Money: Setting the thermostat a little cooler in the winter and keeping it set a few degrees higher in the summer can help save money on your utility bill. You might be able to rationalize the temperature differences when you see the savings on your next bill.

A Taste of Something New: Clove and Cumin

Thyme, oregano, and paprika are delicious, but with reliable deliciousness comes boredom. Boredom you might relieve ordering take out from the fantastic Thai place down the street. But if you’re on a graduate student budget, you might want to try transforming the everyday foodstuffs in your fridge into new meals. You can do this by experimenting with oddball spices like clove and cumin. Below are two tasty experiments to test on your own. Happy cooking!

Hot-Cha Cha Chicken with Couscous
Tastes Like: Indian/Moroccan
What You’ll Need: Medium to large sized pot for the chicken, small pot for the couscous. Both should have lids.

Ingredients
5 skinless boneless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon ground clove
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 and ½ tablespoons basil
1 lemon, juiced with no seeds
3 cloves garlic, crushed
½ large red onion, diced
1 and ½ cups frozen peas
1 large tomato, diced
3 carrots, sliced
Olive oil (or vegetable)
Salt to taste
2 cups whole wheat couscous (Trader Joe’s brand is good)

1. Rinse chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Place pieces in the medium pot. Add in lemon juice, clove, cumin, black pepper, cayenne pepper, basil, garlic and three tablespoons of olive oil. Mix.
2. Place chicken on the stove at medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until medium brown.
3. Add the diced tomatoes and onions, sliced carrots and peas to the cooking chicken. Stir occasionally on high for about 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to break apart. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer. Salt to taste.
4. In the small pot, add two cups of water, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring water to a boil. Remove water from heat and stir in two cups of couscous. Cover pot with lid and let steam for 5 to 6 minutes. Serve chicken over couscous.

Un-Re-fried Black Beans
Tastes Like: Refried beans without the “fried” health hazard
What You’ll Need: medium saucepan
Helpful Tool: Food processor for the chopped items. However, a knife will suffice

Ingredients

1 (15.5 oz) can of black beans, half drained
½ large tomato, finely diced
¼ red onion, finely diced
½ green pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely crushed
¼ teaspoon ground clove
1 teaspoon black or cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon ground cumin
                                                         1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Add olive oil to the saucepan. Turn heat to medium.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the crushed garlic. Stir until slightly transparent, and then add the onions and green peppers. Sautee for 10 minutes then add the tomatoes, cumin, clove, and pepper. Cook on medium high until tomatoes begin to break apart.
3. Stir the beans into the cooking mixture. Turn heat down to medium. Stir and mash beans until achieving a semi-pasty consistency.
4. Simmer on low for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. You can cool and eat these beans with chips as a dip, or hot over rice or couscous.

Photo Credits: 
"Chicken-Vegetable Soup." Tobbyotter. Flicker
"Salud Bean Dip." Scardey_kat. Flicker

Grocery Shopping in Beantown--How's it compare to YOURtown?

As a grad student, grocery shopping may seem like no big deal, but once all of the pennies are added up, the ounces and the pounds—groceries can add quite a dent in your monthly finances. Says one grad student at Emerson College, “I try to spend around $40 a week…and that includes going out.” So where are the best places to do one’s grocery shopping in a city known for being as pricey as its LA counterpart?

Stop & Shop, Star Market, Shaw's and Trader Joe’s are the main grocery stores you’ll find on the streets in Beantown and its neighboring towns. “I shop at Stop and Shop—It’s basically just like any grocery story—big selection, big isles, big lines,” says Ashley, a third year MFA student at Emerson College. Stop & Shop offers a rewards program card which gives you special discounts on certain items (which change weekly). There is also a red box in every location which makes this grocery store very useful for food and entertainment.

Star Market and Shaw’s are another option for the grocery shopping grad student. These stores also offer the rewards card which help to cut the cost on some items which to change weekly. According to Yelp, one reviewer mentions the lack of fresh produce and limited stock in the freezer section. If price is your main concern, you may find better options at Stop & Shop. Like Stop and Shop, red box is also available.

Finally, Trader Joe’s offers grad students the chance to sample food from around the world—both from the personable employee at the sample station or from sampling the products right off the shelf (though, do remember to ask for an employee’s assistance before sampling). Trader Joe’s is known for its affordability and shoppers agree—according to one Yelper, “In a nutshell, I go to TJ's for a few reasons; VERY affordable (sometimes way cheaper than other supermarkets for things), FRIENDLY staff, [and] environmentally conscious”. Trader Joe’s may not have a rewards card or a red box, but it has quality and affordability which suffice it to say, may be the only true mark of a worthy grocery store to any graduate student.

The 5 Best Free Software Downloads for Students

That new laptop was expensive enough. Why pay an arm and a leg for all the software you need to make it functional? Fortunately, there's a jaw-dropping amount of free software available on the web if you know where to look. Unlike, say, Microsoft Office, it's free. Also unlike Office-- it actually works.

1. Browsers
Okay, so even people living under rocks, in caves, or on Mars have heard of Firefox by now. It's a great and more secure alternative to Internet Explorer, but have you tried Chrome? Google's shiny new browser offers most of the accessibility of Firefox and it runs much faster.
Windows/Mac/Linux compatible.




2. Office/Word Processing
There are at least two great programs offering every feature of Microsoft Office for free: Open Office, compatible with all operating systems, and NeoOffice, which is designed specifically for Mac users. (Hey, that Mac was expensive enough; you don't want to pay extra just so you can open all the .doc or .docx files people insist on sending you.) Both Open Office and NeoOffice allow you to create text documents, spreadsheets, slideshows, and more. They have all the same tools and functions, but without the creepy paper clip.
You can even try using GoogleDocs in lieu of actual software. And then you'll be able to access all your assignments from any computer.

3. Design and Image Editing
Hands down, the best free Photoshop alternative is Gimp (GNU Image Manipulating Program). It can do just about everything Photoshop can do, and the price is...oh, that's right. There is no price. Best of all, it's compatible with all operating systems. Even Linux users are in luck!

4. Video
VLC is a great application that will play any video or audio file format you can think of with very little fuss. Much more reliable and comprehensive than Winamp, Windows Media Player, DivX, or Quicktime.
Windows/Mac/Linux compatible.

5. Anti-Malware/Spyware
Now that you have that nice laptop with all your important files and assignments on it, you'd better protect it. (Mac and Linux users-- you're off the hook for this one; PC users-- pay attention).
PandaCloud Antivirus
Recommended by PC World, PandaCloud is widely considered to be the best free antivirus software out there. It detects problems using your internet connection, so you don't need to update or download massive files to keep it current.
AdAware has the capability to detect patterns in malware threats, and you can set it to handle problems automatically. While upgraded versions do cost money, the basic version is free.
Avast! Free Antivirus improves with every new version. If there's trouble brewing within your PC, Avast! will find it at no cost.

Eating Out For Less

Although you may be a poor graduate student, you still want to go out to eat a nice meal from time to time without spending a fortune. Before I discovered the websites Groupon and Buy With Me, I thought eating out cheaply meant limiting myself to the value menu at a fast food restaurant.

Every day, Groupon and Buy With Me offer deals on local restaurants and other businesses in Boston and other major cities. If a set number of people agree to purchase the discounted meal or service, the deal will go into effect. By purchasing one of these coupons, you get to try a great restaurant that you would have never dared go to before.

A couple of weeks ago I used one of the Groupons I had purchased to treat my boyfriend and I to a nice dinner at a place a short distance from my apartment. My pomegranate martini was delicious, my grilled chicken paillard was tasty, his burger and fries were made with organic, local ingredients and the best part: we only paid $25 for a $50 meal!

I eagerly await the morning emails I receive from Groupon and Buy With Me to see what other great restaurant I might be encouraged to try. To receive daily emails, all you have to do is visit the sites and sign up for the e-newsletter offering deals for your city. Even if I don't purchase these community coupons very often, I enjoy reading the descriptions of each business (Groupons' are especially witty).

Another way you can go out to eat at a more upscale restaurant without breaking the bank is to take advantage of restaurant week. The classier restaurants in Boston and other cities will get together and offer customers meals at a discounted price one week a year. However, it can be difficult to get a table, so make sure you make reservations far enough in advance.

You don't have to postpone eating out at a quality restaurant until after you have your masters degree: splurge on the occasional Groupon or Buy With Me deal to enjoy your grad school experience even more!

Top 7 Toughest Interview Questions I've Ever Been Asked

Since I started grad school, I've been on more interviews than in high school and college combined, easily. First, I relocated from Auburn, Alabama to Boston, Massachusetts (where I didn't know anyone) and had to find a job to pay my rent and living expenses. Once I reached a point that resembled financial stability, I started applying for internships and career-path jobs, both full time and part time. Anything I thought I might be qualified for. I went on lots of interviews, and I'm still working on that career-path job thing.

Last week, I went on an interview for an internship at Wiley Publishing. This was my first experience being interviewed by a panel—I sat at a conference table where four editorial assistants and one development editor took turns firing questions at me. That's right, I was interviewed by five people at once. As if the scenario itself weren't bad enough, they asked some seriously tough questions, too.

Here are the 7 toughest questions I remember from that nerve-wracking interview:

• Either in school or in a previous position, what's a mistake you made, and how did you deal with it?
• What about when things were prepared just right, but something went wrong through no fault of yours? How did you handle that?
  
• How have you worked with a difficult employer, supervisor, or client?
• When you're doing menial office tasks or grunt work, what strategies do you use to get through the day?
• What have you worked on at your current internship that has been meaningful or satisfying?
  
• In your previous jobs, when did you have to make a decision or take action beyond what you thought you were allowed to do?
• How did you improve a process or method of doing something?

Uhh . . . I don't know? It's not that I don't know at least one good answer to all of these questions; it's that I was completely unprepared to give the super specific examples they were asking for. When put on the spot, I don't remember the details about how I dealt with a major conflict with my boss last year, and it's difficult to frame such a scenario to put myself in a positive, professional light without preparation.

My advice: write down the toughest questions you've ever been asked in an interview and the trickiest ones you can think of. (And ask for input from friends and classmates, too!) Then, practice answering them. Try to remember difficult situations you've been in at past jobs so you can talk about them with fresh insight.

The less you let them put you on the spot, the better!

Get More for Your Meat

Cooking for one can be a hard adjustment for some graduate students. If you’re like me, and are used to helping cook for large families and crowds, you may find yourself suddenly unsure about how much food, particularly meat, to buy for just you. Here are some tips for getting more out of the grocery items so that you don’t have to sacrifice your paycheck or your love for cooking:

• Buy in bulk when you can. Stores such as Stop & Shop and Shaw’s sell chicken breasts in larger packages (approximately 3 lbs), which is idyllic for planning meals ahead of time. Divide chicken breasts individually with plastic wrap and freeze them in 1-gallon Ziploc bags. This allows you to take out one or more pieces for your meal without cooking the entire package at once.

• Plan your meal around the meat. Sorry vegetarians and vegans! If you buy extra chicken or ground beef, keep extra side dishes and sauces on hand to accommodate it. An example is fool proof meatballs and marinara sauce. Make up a large batch of meatballs and combined cans of crushed and diced tomatoes and herbs to make a delicious marinara sauce. Take what you want for dinner that night and then divide the rest into portions just for you, freeze, and look forward to enjoying it another night.

• If you over-cook a certain meal, don’t fret. Food is expensive and there is nothing worse than throwing portions of a perfectly good meal away because it sits in the refrigerator too long. Be generous with roommates if you have them, offering up the remainder of a meal if you know you will not be home to eat it within the next few days. In my experience, roommates are grateful for this and it can break the ice, especially if you have just moved in.

Cooking for one takes time to get used to, but planning ahead as much as you can really helps cut down on wasted food. Graduate student living is all about budgeting and living within your means. Consider getting more out of your groceries before you pick up that phone to call for pizza!

Rats in the City: Pets, not Pests

From pirate ships to plagues, rats have historically been misrepresented as conniving little demons with gnashing teeth and long claws who get into our food and infest our buildings. The first image that springs to most minds is the long-tailed, beady-eyed denizen of the sewer. That guy is Rattus rattus (black rat), and you'll find him in the wild (and the subway station). It's his cousin, Rattus norvegicus (brown rat), who has been domesticated over the past 100 years. These rats, known as fancy rats, are the most common type of pet rat. They make excellent companions for busy city-dwellers without the time or space to devote to a larger pet, and they're much cleaner than people think—which means you can hide them from your landlord and that pesky "no pets" rule easier than a dog or cat.

Some reasons to keep a pair of pet rats:

• Says rat expert Sandra Beasley: "They are like having a small dog the size of your fist,” but they do not need to be allowed outside or taken for walks.
• They can be trained to do tricks and taught to use a litter pan.
• They are inexpensive to care for. Beasley keeps over 50 at once!
  
• They will run through tubes like hamsters and play with strings and feathers like cats—but they don't scratch the furniture.
• They are extremely intelligent and they adapt well to their humans' schedules, sleeping while you're away at work and ready to play and entertain you when you come home.
• They form close bonds with their human companions and seldom bite unless threatened.

Pet rats will ride on your shoulders (my boyfriend calls them "shoulder captains") and love to play and be petted, but they need supervision when out of their cages because they can:

• chew wires,
• eat your food, and
• endanger themselves by getting underfoot.

Rats have a short life span: they're considered senior once they're 18 months old and they rarely live past two and a half or three years. So, you should be able to commit to them for a couple of years, but you may be spared the task of moving with them once you finish grad school.

They also tend to do better in pairs or groups. “We always recommend getting a second rat to keep the single one company,” says Kim Jackson, vice president and director of operations for Mainely Rat Rescue. The care required for two is almost exactly the same as for one, and two rats are easier to manage than a cat or dog.

To have happy rats, you'll need to provide:

• a decent-sized cage that you will clean weekly,
• a well-balanced diet of lab block, grains, nuts, seeds, and fresh fruits and vegetables,
• daily supervised out-of-cage play time for at least an hour,
  
• and at least one other same-sex rat friend.

If you find yourself pining for a fuzzy friend but you don't have the time for (or aren't allowed) a more traditional pet, consider adopting a pair of fancy rats—you'll be surprised at how quickly you become buddies.

Randomly Cheap, Randomly Fun

So you work hard all week at work or in class and most of the weekend too. You need a little bit of free time to play and relax. But you need to do it cheaply. Here are some random things to do around Boston when you decide you need a break from the mayhem that is your grad school life.

· Bookstores. It doesn’t sound like much, but most of the grad students I know would kill to have time to just stroll around a bookstore and peruse the goods. Granted, we can’t really afford to buy too many things. But if you really want to buy some reading material (and put it away for when you have time to read after graduation), join the Border’s mailing list. They send out great coupons all the time.

· Arnold Arboretum. A beautiful arboretum (collection of trees…don’t feel bad, I definitely just looked this up to help explain it) randomly located in Boston. It covers a large area and contains all kinds of plant collections and gardens. There are various paths you can take for a leisurely stroll to enjoy the view. Grab some buddies and take advantage of nature, right in the city. Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/

· Museum of Fine Arts. You’re in Boston, you’re a student, you have to check it out at some point. Especially because since you are a student, you get a discounted rate, BOO YEAH! So hit up the Arboretum on a nice day, and pop into the MFA on a rainy one. The perfect plan. Check out http://www.mfa.org/ for more details.

· Harvard Square. So I realize this one isn’t very specific but there is always something going on in Harvard Square in Cambridge. For example, until August 2, there is a free art exhibit at the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. And until September 19, the Charles River Conservancy is hosting free games and activities. Seriously, tons of good stuff, either free or really cheap. To look for yourself: http://www.harvardsquare.com/

Grad school doesn’t have to be alllllll about school work. I mean, it mostly will be about school work. But for those occasionally breaks, any of these activities make for an awesome time!

Home Sweet Home: Five Steps to Making your tiny studio Feel Like HOME

As a recent graduate student, living quarters can get cramped—especially if you rent a studio. The luxury of living alone comes with a price—and not just monetarily speaking. Below are 5 ways you can be sure to make your studio feel spacious:

1) Stay Organzied. At all costs. As a graduate student, living in a studio, you may find it difficult to know where to put things without going out and buying more furniture and more clutter. Living in a studio, limits your options. Try getting a space saver or utilize the home and appliance sections of target or walmart for cheap and simple organization aids.

2) Use a Twin size bed. We all want to be well-rested and grad school living does not offer us much time for sleep or relaxation. Make sure you sleep eficiently, soundly. For the bargain hunter, try craigslist in your city. Or find a local mattress store that offers delivery at a low cost. Consider renting a Uhaul to cut the cost of delivery.

3) Rise that twin bed. Putting your twin bed on risers not only creates more space for space savers, bins, etc—but it also helps create the illusion of space. Be sure to use safety precautions when using your bed risers.

4) Bright Colors. Using bright colors enlarges a room—try it and you’ll see the benefits! Need help choosing colors? Of course, choosing the colors might just be the hardest part. Visit your local hardware stores for great color ideas and samples.

5) Cleanliness. We all know how hard it is to stay clean and organized—especially if you’re in a tight space! But once we have an organized way of living, cleanliness is just a hop, skip and a jump away. Remember what our parents used to make us do—put our dirty laundry in the laundry basket, wash our dishes after eating and emptying out the trash (among many other chores!) Let’s remember what they taught us next time we come into our small space—grad student living in its truest form!

Craigslist IS Your Friend

When I started graduate school I knew I needed a job. It sounds like an easy request but it seems to be an issue for students who are trying to juggle multiple obligations. I needed a job that would be flexible and convenient. It may sound like I was simply demanding the impossible but these jobs do exist…if you know where to look.

I had never known Craigslist to offer anything other than used furniture or a headache. Yet a few months prior to moving to Boston, I happened to stumble across the job ads. I decided that while living in Beacon Hill, working as a nanny would fit the criteria of my demands (flexible hours, under the table pay, no extensive resume required etc). So when I found an ad posted by a mother of two looking for a nanny, I decided what the heck.

I was apprehensive at first because Craigslist didn’t have an immaculate reputation and recent news stories had shown what happened when people abused the openness of the Craigslist model (So just to be safe, my dad walked me to the interview).

My Craigslist story is one of success. I ended up working for a great family who paid me extremely well and was more than accommodating to my school schedule. But that’s not all that nannying in the city offered me. In addition to some home cooked meals, I was able to network with well-connected people…and being new to the city, this felt like the golden ticket. The family also recommended me to other families that needed a part-time nanny. The community I live and work in is very tight knit and not to mention, made up of families who are dying for someone who is responsible and trustworthy. All it took was one good recommendation and 6 months later I am a nanny for multiple families and have great contacts from people involved with anything from finance to publishing.

For many, using Craigslist seems to be a “hit or miss” experience. I think the most important rule is to follow your instincts. If something feels wrong then it probably is. If you ever plan to sell anything, the site warns you to be wary of money orders, money transfers etc. In my case, it proved to solve my unemployment problem in more ways than one.

The Benefits of Zipping Outside of the City

City life can be exciting to the point of exhaustion; sometimes it’s nice to venture beyond the concrete jungle for some r&r, even if it costs to do so. It’s not like there are too many cheap options for city fun anyway, so consider springing a little for a road trip.

Compared to commuter rail and buses, Zipcars are a reasonably priced way to travel outside of the city, especially with a bigger group to split expenses. Over the 4^th of July weekend, I traveled to Western Mass with a friend in the hopes of visiting the Eric Carle Museum. Roundtrip bus tickets to Amherst would’ve set us back just over $50 each—basically the cost of the car for the day.

Now you see the benefit of recruiting as many friends as possible to venture out with you; with a big enough group, you can afford to keep the car out for as long as you like!

We actually didn’t end up visiting the museum, since we got lost on the way. But, taking advantage of having the car for a few more hours, we decided to check out some other places we stumbled upon while cruising. After getting lunch at a hokey but fun 1950s diner (pictured above; not sure if that misspelling was intentional or what), we got some fresh air in a beautiful stretch of trees we nicknamed “the forest,” bought wine at a hole-in-the-wall liquor store, and visited a farm to buy cheap fruit (cherries at $1.99/lb, I kid you not).

Hopefully we’ll make it to the Carle museum later this summer—and while we’re out there it only makes sense to check out other interesting spots in the area. Here’s a taste of what Western Mass has to offer city slickers who want out for a day:

1. Get Food. In addition to fabulously fragrant candles, The Yankee Candle Flagship Store features Chandler’s, an award-winning restaurant known for having one of the best wine cellars in New England and hosting a range of events for all ages.
2. Get Cultured. Western Mass boasts of several museums. Besides the aforementioned Carle, you can visit the Historic Deerfield Museum, the Emily Dickinson Home and Museum, or Old Sturbridge Village (which features all kinds of reenactments of New England life circa 1790-1840).
3. Get Lost. If you prefer a less-structured day, consider hiking in the Mount Holyoke Range State Park or shopping in Downtown Northampton (or “NoHo,” for those in the know).

Now that you know how financially feasible and fun a road trip can be, it’s just a matter of finding the right day (or maybe whole weekend) to get out there.

How My Hectic Schedule and Tight Budget Feed My Food Dilemma

I never thought it would happen to me—last week, I developed a Starbucks habit. And it's not even about the coffee. Between work during the day and class in the evening, I have to eat. My evening classes completely block out my dinner time too, so I often find myself desperately needing an 8 p.m. snack. I don't have much time to hunt down something healthy and inexpensive, and the options near my grad school's campus are severely limited.

Lately, that means I stop in Starbucks for a quick snack or between-meals meal. A smoothie, some chocolate-covered graham crackers, maybe an egg salad sandwich if I'm really hungry.

This is a terrible habit that has to stop. I have class two nights a week, and eating out this often is terrible for my budget. Last week alone, I spent $18.28 on food I could've avoided buying if I'd just brought enough food from home.

This week, I have a new plan. Packing just a lunch isn't enough food to get me through my work day and four hours of class, so I'm keeping a variety of food on hand all day. Here's my favorite stay-full kit I've tried so far:

• Yogurt. I have access to a fridge at work, and a cup of yogurt is an excellent mid-morning snack. And mid-morning snacks are good because they keep me from getting extra hungry at lunchtime and overspending on additional food.
• Apple sauce. Fruit is great snack, and apple sauce doesn't bruise or smash easily. It also doesn't have to stay refrigerated.
  
• Cheese. Think individually wrapped pieces, like string cheese or those little Babybel wheels.
• Granola. I need something crunchy I don't have to eat with a spoon. Turns out I like granola, and the chunky kinds are the easiest to eat without making a crumbly mess.
• Nuts. If I have some almonds, walnuts, or cashews on hand, I'll probably toss some in with the granola. However, nuts can be expensive, so this isn't an everyday thing.

I've found that the best foods to take to work and class are ones that come in individual servings and are easy to transport in my messenger bag. However, watch out for 100-calorie packs! If you're hungry, you want some calories and plenty of protein, fiber, and carbs. Tiny 100-calorie packs will not make you feel full.

Don't Sweat the Job Stuff

It’s great when graduate students find a position in the field they are pursuing, but if you don’t land that dream job right away, don’t sweat it. I don’t anymore.

When I was accepted to Emerson College’s graduate program, I, like many other students, began to feel anxiety about finding a job…quickly. After a month of adjusting to living in a new state, while at the same time applying to numerous jobs at hospitals, other universities, and various offices around Boston, I finally consulted Emerson’s career services website. As soon as I was signed in as an official user, I spotted an office assistant position at a consulting firm just down the street from Emerson. I was hired within a week of my interview, and while now it is sometimes difficult hearing that many of my classmates have jobs in our desired field of study, I know that I am making the right decision by sticking with my job.

If you are offered an opportunity to take a job in your desired career field, you should definitely take it. But if you are someone who needs the security of a paycheck coming in every week, no matter what the field, here are my suggestions for your job search:

· Keep an open mind. Even if a job may not sound attractive, try to get an interview anyway. My job description consisted of moving office furniture, stocking the kitchen, and sorting mail—not terribly exciting stuff. What I found out after being hired was that I had full medical coverage and a free monthly pass for the train; two things WELL worth having in addition to a salary.

· Don’t be stingy about the hours you work. Everyone is bound to miss a social engagement or two because of work—there will be others! Having a steady job, even if it is only part-time, will help give you a schedule that will keep your academic, professional, and social lives organized.

· Utilize your college’s career services site—I mean it! My future boss was very impressed when he learned that I had found the job listing on Emerson’s site, and that I was a full-time student. Being a graduate student helps tremendously when applying for a job. Your potential employer sees that you are focused in pursuing a higher level of education, by your choice.

If you are having trouble finding a position, try not to panic. Consult your school’s career services center as well as the career sections of company websites. Exhaust all possibilities—jobs are out there. If you search thoroughly, you will succeed in finding a job that fits into your busy academic schedule.

Automatic Bill Pay: One of a Graduate’s Favorite Things

How much does Get Grad Schooled love automatic bill pay? Let us count the ways:

1. It’s quick. As a graduate student, you have enough to juggle with school, work and internships. Keep your rent and utilities paid on time and in one go. No headache, no hassle, no stress.
2. It’s easy. Log in to your service providers’ site with your account ID (which you can often find on the first bill mailed to you). After setting up your login and password, set up your payment method and schedule.
3. It’s automatic. Automatic bill pay lets you make one time payments or set up a recurring schedule that will either automatically withdraw money from a specified account, or charge your credit card the full amount of your monthly bill. If your rent is due on the first, you can set up a recurring schedule to debit your checking account on the 30th of every month until your lease ends.
4. It’s paperless, which makes automatic bill pay great for the environment. On a less noble note, it keeps your mailbox, desk and kitchen free from paper mail clutter.

If you forget to water your plants or feed your pets, automatic bill pay is a godsend. All you have to do is ensure there’s enough money in your account and credit on your card to cover your bills. Automatic bill pay will handle the rest.

It's just wonderful. Right up there with raindrops on roses and crisp apple strudel.

How to Annihilate Homework in Five Steps

If you are like most grad students, the concept of free time is almost, if not completely, foreign. Working/interning, going to class, doing homework and trying to have a social life all at the same time can be tough. When you have so many things to accomplish in what seems like an impossible time frame, it's important to have a plan of attack before attempting to kick that homework's butt and still manage other responsibilities.

1. Breathe. This will stop your mind from panicking and going into one of those "Ohmygodhowcanipossiblygetthisalldone" tailspins that will only waste the precious time you have to accomplish your work. I learned one of the best ways to draw in deep, relaxing breaths from a yoga class: Close one of your nostrils with your thumb while breathing slowly in the other nostril and out through your mouth. Alternate breathing through each nostril while shutting your eyes and focusing completely on each breath. Repeat until you feel calmer and ready to get down to business.

2. Prioritize tasks in order of importance. If you have multiple assignments due on the same day, decide whether you want to tackle the hardest, most time-consuming work or the simplest, quickest tasks first. Once you know where to get started, it's much easier to buckle down and plow through your homework. Also make sure you look over each class' syllabus so you don't miss any upcoming deadlines.

3. Put off things that can wait. Sacrifice is a large part of being a successful graduate student. Maybe this means that you can't watch the new episode of your favorite tv show when it airs or hang out with your friends. Maybe this means that you won't always keep on top of the growing pile of dirty laundry or maintain a spotlessly clean apartment. Don't worry, all those non-school related tasks and fun activities will still be there when you are finished with your homework.

4. Set aside enough time to get it all done. Do not procrastinate. I repeat, DO NOT procrastinate!!!

5. Plan breaks and reward yourself at the end! The sense of accomplishment and pride you will feel after you have completed your homework is one of the best parts of being a grad student.

Related Links:

http://www.holisticonline.com/yoga/hol_yoga_breathing-ex-nadisodh.htm

http://zenhabits.net/end-of-busy/

http://www.educationindex.net/educationarticles/graduateschoolstips/survivinggradschool/managingtimemanagementgradtips.html

Three Quick Tips for Living in the Moment When You're Short on Free Moments

As grad students, we tend to measure time in terms of deadlines and assignments on syllabi rather than by how many metaphorical roses we’ve stopped to smell. It may seem nearly impossible to steal some time for yourself when you’re trekking to work, rushing to class, and schlepping to the library day after day. But that’s exactly why finding a healthy balance is so important to staying energized throughout the trials of grad school.

Here are three simple ways to sneak a little calm into your hectic schedule.

• Escape through your ears: Many people stick in their earphones and listen to their favorite music while they’re rushing from one destination to the next, but we tend to tune music out after we’ve heard it a few times. To really shift your focus and go on a mental retreat, try one of the many free storytelling podcasts available. My favorites are The Moth, RISK!, and of course, This American Life.

• Make a study date with yourself: In grad school, you really can’t avoid grueling study sessions, but you can make them more enjoyable. If you know you’re gong to be glued to your books or laptop for hours on end, get some of your favorite snacks and head to a café, park, or other peaceful study spot. The trick is to make it a conscious choice: instead of being trapped at home under piles of work, you’re sipping your favorite latte in the park while you just happen to be getting some work done.

• Put it in a postcard: Okay, I know this one is going to sound a bit hokey, but just try it. Stick a few stamped postcards in your bag and the next time you’re ten or fifteen minutes early for something, take one out and write down what’s going on around you. What do you hear, smell, feel, see, and taste? Be as descriptive as you can and by simply concentrating on that one moment, you’ll be much more aware of what’s going on around you and less concerned with all the deadlines and assignments swirling around in your head. As an added bonus, you can then mail off the postcard to your grandma or aunt Betty so they can get a glimpse of what your new life is like and let everyone back home know how great you’re doing in grad school!

If you're still feeling too frenzied, check out Susan's How to Annihilate Homework in Five Steps to get your work done more efficiently and to reclaim some of your time.

Relocating. Warning: Hazards Ahead

One of the most stressful aspects of relocating for graduate school is finding an apartment you are willing to call home for at least a year. The easiest way to find an apartment that meets both your criteria and budget is to use a realtor.

Unfortunately, realtors make money when you rent an apartment through them, so they may stretch some truths about the apartment, the neighborhood, or even your landlord, in order to get you to go through with the transaction.

For example, I asked my realtor the ages of the people who lived in the building I was looking at. Her response: graduate students and young professionals. That statement was false. I ended up sharing a building with loud, rowdy undergraduates. And loud, squeaky mice. You’re a graduate student, you’ve dealt with undergrad housing for at least four years – you now deserve to live in a decent place. This also means a place with relative quiet since you’ll be doing epic amounts of school work.

One way to avoid the particular predicament of mice is to ask the current residents about the insect/rodent situation when you visit the apartment. They aren’t getting paid to rent out the apartment, so they’ll tell you the truth. Unless they’re undergraduates – then I make no promises.

Another issue to keep in mind when looking for an apartment: floor level. As in, you do not want a ground-level apartment. Ground level means more bugs, more rodents, and more noise. It also increases your chance for a break-in. I don’t mean to scare you with all the negative aspects of relocating, I just want you to be prepared for what you are about to encounter. If only I had read a blog like this a year ago. Sigh.

At some point you’ll have to trust your realtor, but go with your gut. If the realtor is rushing you through the various apartments you are visiting, ask to slow down. You want to get a feel for each place and taking some time in each one is the only way to do it. This should be about finding your perfect apartment, not about your realtor making a commission.

Grad Student Gourmet: Real Cooking on a Budget

Instant no more!

Yes, it’s possible to survive life as a penniless, overworked grad student without resorting to a life of Ramen Noodles and EasyMac. The instant stuff may seem cheap and easy, but it isn’t satisfying and the nutritional value is negligible. Hardly the way to fuel your brain. But in my first year as a grad student I’ve learned how to cook meals that are cheap, healthy, delicious, and fast.

First of all, you’ll need to figure out where you can buy your cooking ingredients cheaply.

Investigate ethnic markets. Some items will be significantly cheaper there. At C-Mart, for instance, fish sauce, soy sauce, miso, udon and rice noodles were also much cheaper than their Shaw’s or Stop-and-Shop counterparts. An added plus here is that if you can figure out how to make authentic pad thai or tandoori chicken or beef noodle pho yourself, you’ll start to spend a lot less on takeout.

For the Boston-based grad student, doing your produce shopping at Haymarket is also a godsend. Haymarket is held by the Haymarket T stop (on the Orange and Green Lines) all day on Fridays and Saturdays, every week of the year. I go every week, and I might score 9 kiwis for a dollar, a whole pineapple for a dollar, grapes for a dollar per pound, 3 pounds of potatoes for a dollar, 3 acorn squash for a dollar, and 8 apples for two dollars. I’m up to my neck in healthy, varied produce. And I have the opportunity to try so many new foods. I’d never had a fresh fig before I started going to Haymarket, or a chestnut, or yucca. Gourmet cheese, huge rounds of pita, bagels, baguettes and delicious soft Armenian bread are also available for very cheap at Haymarket.

I also recommend trying out Market Basket if you live in the Cambridge/Somerville/Union Square area. Market Basket may be crowded, but it’s way cheaper than any other grocery store. I find their regular prices are comparable with the sale prices of most other stores, and their sale prices are just unbelievable.

And of course there’s Trader Joe’s, if you can find your way to one. Whole Foods-style products at very affordable prices-- and like Whole Foods, they also offer free samples. Always a plus.

Finding inexpensive things to make can still be tricky, especially if you’re also short on time, but fear not. If I can do it, so can you.

• Make your dinner ahead. Reheat it when you get home. It'll still taste good, I promise. And it's a much better option than stocking up on Stouffer's: it won't leave you hungry like so many frozen meals, it won't be chock-full of sodium, and it won't cost you 4 or 5 bucks a pop.
• Use your freezer. Freeze anything you can't use or eat before it goes bad, rather than throwing it away. Don't worry about competing with your roommates for freezer real estate; I have four of them, and I manage. Besides, did you know freezers actually work more efficiently if they're filled to the brim with food?
• Cook on the weekends, in large batches. You'll be able to feed yourself all week.
• Rotate between different types of leftovers so you don’t get bored. (And don’t fear the leftovers-- some things taste better when the flavors have melded a day or two in the fridge, like this Autumn Sausage Casserole.)
• Invest in a slow cooker. This is probably the single best cooking tool a grad student can have. Prep the ingredients and leave them cooking on low while you’re at work or in class, and follow your nose back home to find your dinner warm and waiting for you.

Here are my top 3 tried-and-true sources for cheap and/or make-ahead recipes.:

• Cheap Healthy Good - This site is an incredible resource. Recipes as well as informative and insightful articles on how to make food that is cheap, healthy, and good. All recipes include approximate price per serving. Most come out to less than a dollar. Compare that to the $7 you might pay for a sandwich at a cafe. The chicken with shallot-apricot sauce comes highly recommended. As does the chocolate souffle (did you know you could make souffle for $0.46 per serving?!). Hell, even the DIY Microwave Popcorn.
• $5 Dinner Mom - A collection of recipes that cost $5 or less, total, to make. I wouldn’t swear by all of these, but there are some gems in here.
• A Year of Slow Cooking - One woman’s quest to prepare food in her slow cooker-- from enchiladas to creme brulee-- every day for a full year. It’s not quite Julie and Julia, but this is probably the single best slow-cooker resource out there.

Bobbleheads and Bunnies: How to survive a marathon day of apartment hunting

My initial apartment-hunting trip for an out-of-state grad school was… an interesting experience.

The first apartment broker we visited resembled a bobblehead doll and quickly earned the nickname “Babbling Bobby.” He talked nonstop about everything except the apartments: his love of Snapple and the great deals you can get when you buy it in bulk, the conspiracy with the French advertising company that just landed a contract with the city, and how no comedian will ever be as funny as Bob Hope.

We left him with his pleather couch and case of Snapple and moved on to a potential landlady who gave us the wrong directions, reeked of beer, and showed us an apartment that had a live rabbit in the bathtub—the bunny was not included in the rent.

Our third and final stop also had evidence of rodents, but not the cute and fuzzy kind. The landlord tried to maneuver an empty pizza box to cover the…leavings, but we were already on our way out the door.

Eventually, I managed to find a studio apartment that I’m happy with, but like many things in grad school all you can do with such a stupefying situation is to take your lumps, learn what you can, and pass along any warnings or advice to others.

My six hard-learned tips on surviving apartment hunting:

1. Plan ahead, but be flexible. Organize several appointments for the day, but allow time to get lost, sidetracked, or simply to take a break. Make sure you have all the necessary phone numbers and addresses easily at hand, so you can let your appointments know if your plans have changed or if you need more specific directions.

2. Endurance is key. Take some water and snacks with you and wear comfortable shoes. If your stomach is growling and your feet are aching, you’re less likely to give an apartment a thorough examination.

3. Take pictures. If you have to decide between two or more different places, having photos of the apartment, building, and neighborhood can definitely come in handy. You may even notice things in the pictures that you overlooked in person.

4. Use public transportation. Even if you have a car for your apartment-hunting trip, park it and use the same public transportation you would if you lived in the city. This will give you a better idea of how long your commute will take, and what kinds of sacrifices you’re willing to make in terms of location. (Alternatively, if you plan on using a car in the city, use it for apartment hunting as well; this will let you know what kind of traffic and parking issues you may encounter in the future.)

5. Bring a buddy. Having a trusted companion for this trying day is very helpful. It can give you another perspective on each apartment, make you more comfortable when dealing with landlords and brokers, or provide you with a little more safety when traveling to new places. Just make sure your buddy can keep up and has a positive, supportive attitude.

6. Keep your sense of humor! You’re guaranteed to run into some interesting people and situations, but that’s part of experiencing a large city. If you can’t handle one day of craziness without being able to laugh about it, you may have bigger problems relocating than finding the perfect apartment.

For more information on finding the right neighborhood for you, check out Mimi’s Reloca-Phobia: A 6-Step Cure-All Guide for Finding Your New Neighborhood.

Cooking without air conditioning? “That’s hot.”

In addition to the typical challenges of grad school, cooking in warm weather (sans air conditioning) became another obstacle that I had to face. I doubt that I am alone; I am sure there are fellow students who are trying to save on bills (or go green) by opting to not use air conditioners. With this sacrifice comes a new issue: how to cook appetizing summer food in the sweltering heat of an apartment or house.

While chatting with my mother a few weeks ago and expressing frustration over how to cook in the summer heat, she suggested making a pasta salad. She really sold me on the idea when she added that I could make a big pot’s worth to have leftovers for the week. Though that day was looking to be a scorcher, I lucked out since it was still early in the morning when we spoke, so I had time to cook while it was relatively cool. My advice for the optimal cooking experience is to plan ahead by looking at the forecast to see when it would be most comfortable to cook.

Cool days sometimes do not come as often as we would like, as has been the case lately on the East Coast. When such a day graces you with its presence, I recommend milking it for all it’s worth; if you have the time and ingredients, try cooking in bulk within the same day. You might try making two different pasta salads, or perhaps a pasta salad and some other type of salad (i.e. potato, bean, egg).

While I love lettuce-based salads in the summer, there are two significant benefits to choosing an alternative like pasta as the basis for your salad:

1. Cost: During a recent trip to Shaw’s, the cheapest lettuce I could find was a package of three hearts for $3.69; I was able to snag a box of pasta for $1.29.

2. Flexibility: Pasta allows more cooking flexibility for the busy student; half a package yields several servings, while the rest can be stored for another cool day without danger of spoiling. Lettuce-based salads may not heat up the kitchen, but you have a smaller window of opportunity for preparation.

Once you find a day to cook, half the battle is won since the cooking process (for pasta salad) is fairly simple:

After cooking the pasta uncovered for 8 to 10 minutes, draining it, rinsing with cold water, and then draining again, you are free to customize it as you wish. That’s all there is to it!

I recommend using salad dressings with a little vegetable oil to season, since the combination coats everything so well. The salad pictured above was made with chipotle ranch dressing (with added cayenne powder). Tub and chill them for refreshing meals that will make even the hottest places bearable.