Reaping the Benefits of Student Discounts: Three Ways to Save That You Can’t Afford to Ignore

As older students, grads might not get caught up in what they believe to be the “hype” of student discounts. Cynical grad students might feel that these discounts are marketed to naïve undergrads who have more expendable cash. But really, who couldn’t use a discount? You clip coupons and buy things on sale at the supermarket, right? Regardless of age, as grad students we’re all bonded over the fact that we are in school—again— which comes with various expenses (text books, printing fees, living expenses, and not to mention those pesky loans that will come back to haunt you once you graduate). Here you will find three perks—really, I mean it—to being a student.

1. Computers and Software Savings: If you didn’t already know, well-known computer companies LOVE to advertise their back-to-school deals during the end of the summer. Regardless of your preference for a Mac or PC, there are some sweet deals out there targeted at students. HP gives you the option of signing up for educational discounts on their website, while Apple has continually offered a FREE iPod touch with the purchase of a laptop—perfect for those long bus or train rides home after class.

For software, Adobe offers savings of up to 80% off their products, which retail for up to $2,599—wow. Currently, Microsoft is offering their Microsoft Office 2010 version for $79.95 to qualified students. The process for ordering these products online is fairly simple, usually involving your student ID and some other proof of enrollment that can be requested from the registrar. It’s definitely worth it for deals like these on software that allows you to work on assignments on your time, not the library’s.

2. Student Advantage Card: As someone who has used this throughout undergrad and as a graduate student, I can attest to the benefits of this program for students. For $20 you can get a full year of deals. The complete list of affiliated companies is far too long to list, but includes Barnes & Noble, Target.com, Foot Locker, and AMC Entertainment. A huge selling point for me—and this should appeal to anyone who enjoys the occasional visit home—is that they offer discount travel rates on airfare, train tickets AND bus tickets. For those interested in the aforementioned computer deals, note that Student Advantage also offers discounts on academic software, which means even more savings on top of the other student discounts.

3. College ID Card Savings: Don’t just stick this in your wallet and only remove it when you need to get into a building. These cards are considered to be as valuable as credit cards in many restaurants, stores, theatres, and museums, especially in cities and towns that are densely populated with colleges. Some may allow you to add money to them for convenience when you encounter on-campus expenses; this can also be helpful in spreading out your funds so your money isn’t all in one place. Other ID card programs may not involve the ability to put money on them, but you can use them to get significant discounts at popular student spots.

It seems every other take out menu I’ve encountered during my life as a student has made it clear on the front page that “Such and Such College Card is accepted here!” And as busy students who don’t always have time to cook, we can all benefit from this.

Easy and Delicious Vodka-Tomato Pasta

My main priority as a student, aside from getting good grades is finding ways to save money. When it comes to food, I can always find ways to budget myself and still eat great food. One of the best methods I use when cooking at home is to make recipes that involve most of the main ingredients I always have. Some staples that you can always find in my kitchen are olive oil, salt and pepper, half and half, pasta, parmesan cheese and of course, Vodka. Almost all of these ingredients I use everyday for various different meals. However if you don’t have all these ingredients, don’t expect to pay more than $20 at the grocery store. This meal will not only impress your friends, it’s delicious, easy to make and is perfect for the budget-conscious student like myself.

Vodka-Tomato Pasta Sauce

What You Will Need:

-1 16 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

-1 medium yellow onion (diced)

- ¼ cup vodka

-1/2 cup half and half

-1/2 LB. Pasta (Rigatoni)

-1 TB. Olive Oil

-Salt and Pepper to Taste

-Basil (Optional)

-Parmesan cheese (Optional)

Directions

In medium frying pan over medium heat add olive oil and then diced onion. Let the onion sweat and then ass the tomatoes. Allow the onions and tomatoes to reduce over medium heat. In another pot, add water, bring to a boil and add pasta. Drain and Rinse. Once tomatoes and onions have reduced add vodka. Once that has reduced add half and half. Allow the sauce to come to a simmer and then remove from heat and serve over the pasta. Roughly chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese can be added to the pasta.

Serves 1-2 people.

Bringing Food to Class: How to Have Your Dinner and Eat it Too

When I started my life as a grad student, I knew I couldn't afford to eat dinner out all the time on nights I had class from 6:00 to 9:45. But my options seemed limited. Sandwiches were a sensible, frugal, and easy possibility, but I've just never craved a sandwich past lunchtime. I like a little variety in my dinners. Not peanut butter and jelly.

But in my year of experience, I've come far. I've learned that I have options. And so do you.

You can have a truly satisfying meal without resorting to takeout or a lunchtime redux. Here are some alternatives to your run-of-the-mill brown bag lunch or dinner.

• Try bento. Sushi is definitely an exception to my hot-food-for-dinner rule. I'm not suggesting anyone attempt to hand-roll their own maki before rushing off to class, but consider the bento box for creative, varied Japanese-style meals. Bento boxes are widely available and because they're so small and use space so efficiently, they can be a great way to transport your meals. You can find them for around $10 if you shop around, and they're hardy and more eco-friendly than paper bags.
  

If you do try packing your meals in bento boxes, there are a lot of sites out there with suggestions and recipes for bento box meals, such as Just Bento and Lunch in a Box.

Even if you don't want to buy a bento box, you can use some of the strategies and recipes there to think beyond the usual sandwich or salad.

Image credit: "bento" by uberculture. Flickr Creative Commons.

• Get a thermos. Think of it as an investment. You'll save so much money if you use it regularly rather than eating out. And you'd be surprised-- thermoses aren't just for drinks or soup anymore. This summer I bought an Aladdin lunch-and-go container for $12.99 at Target, and it's revolutionized my class nights. All I have to do is pre-heat the container (I put it in the microwave for a few minutes), fill it with delicious just-cooked food (or just-reheated leftovers), and it will stay warm for hours. This is your best bet for hot food when you don't have access to a microwave.
  

An added bonus of having a thermos is that you can make your own tea or coffee at home and save the money you would have spent on a hot drink at Starbucks or Dunkin'. (And if you must have your steamed milk or caramel drizzle, at least we know how to get around some of that expense.)

How to Save Time at the Grocery Store

We've been sharing a lot of ideas about how you can save money on food by cooking at home instead of eating out. But how much longer does it take to walk up and down the grocery aisles than to order in a pizza? When it comes to grocery shopping, you have a couple of options: you can buy enough food to last you a week or so, or you can make another trip every couple of days. Both can be time consuming, but I opt for buying about a week's worth of food at once so I don't have to go back so often.

Once I'm at the store, I don't have time to browse. The basic solution: make a list and stick to it. I love grocery lists for two reasons. First, they help me avoid impulse buys, which in turn helps me keep my budget under control. Second, they point me to the items I need, so I don't have to spend a long time looking at every shelf trying to remember everything.

At my house, we've found a way to take this supermarket tool even further. We make our grocery lists into spreadsheets.

I know; it sounds super complicated. It's not.

The first column is for our basic list of items (milk, eggs, bread). The second column is for the quantity of each. For staples like milk and bread, we generally don't need to list a quantity because we know how much we need, but this column is important when it comes to ingredients for specific recipes when we might forget how much or many we need.

The third column is the real trick. Here, we list where each item is located in the store. This isn't just about remembering where to find things, either. When the list is finished, it can be sorted by this "department" column, making it super easy to go through the store one area at a time. This way, all the items that are close together in the store are also close together on the list. All the produce is together, all the frozen foods are together, all the dairy is together. You get the idea. Easy.

Here's what a very short grocery spreadsheet looks like:

Calling a department by the term grocery might seem overly broad, but that just means the big section in the middle with all the dry goods on tall shelves. The other departments are self-explanatory, with frozen, dairy, and deli being some other options that aren't listed here. Go ahead and use whatever terms work for you based on your store, and if you know the aisle numbers, even better.

The first time my boyfriend and I used this method, we cut our shopping time down to about 20 minutes for a list that probably would've taken us close to an hour before. No scanning the list over and over to find the items we needed from each department; no doubling back for things we overlooked the first (or second, or third) time. Much faster.

Living Within Your Means

As a graduate student, I have loan support for my academic expenses, but there are other costs that build up, aside from tuition. Here are some tips to minimize the other expenses you will face.


Using Credit

I received my first credit card three months ago. Why did I wait so long? I never had a problem living within the means of my paycheck up until then. If I didn’t have the money, I didn’t spend it. But credit is necessary in graduate school for paying any tuition balances, booking that flight home for the holidays, and just in case of emergencies. Try to limit your credit purchases to when you absolutely cannot swing the amount at the moment—but always be thinking that you need to swing the money soon. Never use credit for any purchase that you are certain you can't afford, because you’re right, you can’t. Before going out to the bar or to a restaurant, think before you swipe. The last thing you need is the horrible burden of credit card debt. Chances are you already are feeling the sting of loan debt!


Food

When your graduate classes begin at that witching hour of 6 PM, it can be very easy to run across the street to your favorite eatery and grab a $7 sandwich for dinner. Have classes 2 or 3 times a week? That $21 can go towards weekend funtivities or a new outfit. Invest in a loaf of bread, cold cuts, salad fixings, fruit, various snacks, and a small cooler to make your own meals to bring to class. You can get multiple meals for the price you would pay for a pre-made sandwich at the local café.


Utilities—Namely Air Conditioning

During the brutal summer months when temperatures stretch into upper 80s and 90s, air conditioning becomes necessary for survival, but it can really crank up your electric bill. If you only have a budget for one window unit, put it in your bedroom. Sleep, especially as a grad student, is a precious thing. Turn on the unit about 20 minutes before you’re ready to turn in for the night. Check Facebook one last time, brush your teeth, or get your clothes ready for the next day. These 20 minutes are just enough to cool your room down, and if you keep that bedroom door securely closed, your room should remain comfortable for the rest of the night. Still need a little extra breeze? Invest in a small table fan to keep close to your bed. It will use far less electricity than that window unit and still keep you cool as a cucumber!


It can be the small things that you do that can really decrease your weekly and monthly expenses, but those alterations in your lifestyle can mean a more comfortable and stress-free grad student experience.

5 Tips for Smart Credit Card Management

I didn't get a credit card until after I finished my bachelor's degree. My parents helped me out with undergraduate school and I didn't feel that signing up for a credit card was necessary. After I moved across the country to attend grad school, the idea of a credit card became much more appealing. Although I'm still not perfect at managing my debt, I have learned a few tips about smart credit card management.

1. Decide what type of credit card works for you.

Do you want a rewards card? A low-interest card? A card that donates the service fees it charges toward charity? Many resources on the Web have explanations of the different types of cards so you can determine which one is right for you.

2. Don't get stuck with the same old card if your needs change down the road.

If you find that you grow out of a card you signed up for a year or two ago, you can always transfer your balance to another card that suits your needs better. Just make sure you know how balance transfers work.

3. Don't bite off more than you can chew.

Since I have been establishing credit for a couple years now, I'm sure I could be approved for more than one card. I choose to stick with one card because it is the only credit card I feel I can handle at the moment. However, it is important to be aware that if you already have a number of cards, it can sometimes hurt your credit to close too many accounts at once.

4. Don't let your debt overwhelm you.

It is beyond crucial that you pay your credit card bill on time every month. It is best if you can pay it off in full, but sometimes that is just not possible. Also, before even whipping out that charge card, make sure that purchase is more than just an impulsive one and that it is something you have the funds to pay off in the near future.

5. Keep track of your credit score.

Everyone is eligible to receive a free credit report from one of the three major bureaus (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) once a year. Check over your report to make sure it is free of errors. Report any mistakes immediately. Although it isn't free, it is advisable that you purchase a Fico report once a year as well since your Fico score is the simplest way to judge how good your credit is.

If you follow these tips, you're well on your way to being a responsible consumer. Even though you may finish grad school with a great deal of debt, at least you won't have major credit card debt to add to that student loan burden!

Lookin' for a New Idea on Your Next Sunday Funday? Well Bostonians, Davis Square Is IT!

Graduate students’ budgets often get in the way of entertainment. As grad students, money IS sometimes everything. But there are ways to curb the pricey clubs and premium local movie theatres by checking out a great little spot off the Red-line. Yes, readers, this article is super Boston-specific and I think it’s time we gave a little bit more praise to a place we like to call—Davis Square.

Why Davis Square? Let’s look at three reasons why Davis Square should in fact be your destination for your next Sunday Funday.

• Grab a quick beer at Mike’s Pub and Grill located at the corner of College and Highland Ave. During warmer weather, it’s great to grab a seat outside or near one of the open windows and people watch on the streets surrounding you. Hard day? Tired? Need to vent? Sip some ice cold cheap beer and munch on a calzone and you’re set for an evening fit for a king/queen and most importantly, a grad student.

• Look at the time—seems like the perfect time for a movie! After leaving the bar at aperfect time before the dinner rush starts, you leisurely walk up Highland Ave just a block or so and find the Sommerville Theatre. Don’t let those Gothic owls intimidate you—Sommerville Theatre has the cheapest movie prices in the Boston area. With its awesome décor and kitchy art exhibit located on the lower level—it’d make a great second half to your evening.

• Still not tired? Feeling like your night wouldn’t be finished without some killer barbecue? Well, Redbones Barbecue is your place for after dinner discourse—and maybe further venting about those grad classes you’ve been taking. Redbones has a great drink selection, a comfortable and eclectic color scheme and great waitstaff. But most importantly, Redbones has the best barbecue you’re sure to find anywhere else (and that includes the debonair McRib)!

Hmmm, outdoor drinks? Movie night and barbecue night? And all just a few blocks from one another? I sure can’t think of anything else a Sunday Funday would need—except of course, great company and a few laughs.