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Open an Online Savings Account that earns 5.00% APY+ and put whatever you can in there.
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<p>the other day i was shopping on ebay, and i read that paypal pay you 5% as interest for depositing money in their account, but it's not fdic insured. have anyone done that?</p>
<p>Noodles all the way man. Buy some spices at an Indian store to make them tastier.</p>
<p>I heard to use facebook to find students currently in the class you plan to take the next semester and offer to buy their books. I don't know how well this works, but chances are, it's cheaper than buying new books. It also helps if you have to get an edition specific to your university (at least I heard that Penn has some Penn specific editions...).</p>
<p>That's an awesome idea, facebook book trading group</p>
<p>For clothing, the advice to go to thrift shops is okaaaaay for men re: casual clothes, jeans, sweaters, but...
for situations where you want to look very SHARP (it is Dartmouth...) you can look turned out by hawking designer men's clothing on Ebay. For those rare times when you are invited somewhere nice. It boosts your self-esteem not to look shabby around all the preppies (I KNOW this from listening out my S who went to Amherst...). Sometimes you've just gotta do this.<br>
My H buys designer clothing all the time for dollars, not hundreds of dollars, for himself and our sons. He looks up according to the garment desired (e.g., dress shirts, suits, sportscoats...)<br>
Use: listings.ebay.com/
There you'll see clothing. Click on men's clothing. Then choose from all the categories.<br>
Sometimes arranging the array in order of least-to-most expensive helps. Or if you're in a hurry, use the "ending soonest" function.
Check out shipping costs before you bid, of course.
And since it involves clothing, not books, we always look for "smoke-free" homes.</p>
<p>You can also use "Dartmouth" as a searchword and perhaps find any school logo sweatshirts, instead of buying them brand new at the school shops.</p>
<p>I enjoy seeing my guys in Bugatchi shirts, Coogi sweaters, etc. Shoes are reliable but you must truly know your size and how you fit each company's shoe size. They can be trial-tested in stores, of course (;</p>
<p>Consider ebay for EVERYTHING, from the luggage you think you need, to school supplies...everything for the dorm.</p>
<p>Speaking of dorm, once you get a roommate, correspond and find out if they intend to bring things such as whiteboards or refrigerators. Then you won't have to! Hope for a roomie named something like "Caldwell" whose first and last names both sound like last names.</p>
<p>My parents and brothers live in NH. Did you know there is NO sales tax there. In fact, it's the only state with neither sales nor income tax! (hence their license plates, "Live Free or Die" - very independent types). Don't die... but just enjoy that every time you purchase items in NH. That state depends on property tax...which won't affect you!</p>
<p>Get a flu shot from your home doctor before you leave, or anything to protect your health for the autumn season. </p>
<p>Date wealthy women...nah, forget that. Choose non-materialistic friends.</p>
<p>When vacation time comes and if you want a different time than going home, see if your friends live near big cities that you want to visit. Then stay with them in their homes. That's a lovely way to see the country. You don't have to go on ski trips and vacation expensively with others if you don't want to.</p>
<p>Decide not to drink or drug. It's not on any college meal plan.</p>
<p>Depending on your extended family, if you need something major now (such as a computer laptop...) see if your folks will call the relatives to pitch in and provide you this as an early Christmas present. It really depends on how your extended family works, but we do this when people go off to college (well, we call it Hannukah, but same idea...you need the big stuff now, not in December). Ask your Mom or Dad if that could happen; don't try to do it for yourself, it's tacky. </p>
<p>Good luck. I love this question, btw.</p>
<p>does ebay sell a lot of fake designer clothing?</p>
<p>This suggestion only will work for some families. We spent money as a family to drive out to the college for each freshman. That crowded our car, making it hard to pack in the Stuff. It cost us parents for an overnight motel, meals, etc.
And when we got there, each child could barely contain him/herself with how quickly they wanted to get AWAY from us.
Perhaps talk it over with your folks. Don't make them cry or anything, but if you feel you can handle your own freshman orientation, save them the cost of that trip. You can ship yourself your first box of supplies by greyhound, then leave behind for your parents a box you pack of your bulkiest winter stuff (coat, sweaters) and have them send it to you by mid-September. (You'll already need it by the 3rd week in Sept. in the evenings...).</p>
<p>Now, if they need that freshman trip emotionally, then let them take you. It's a very individual family decision. </p>
<p>If they want to see you in the dorm, they could probably visit instead at a fall "parents' weekend" which is actually much nicer. You'll have a dorm room to show them, there will be campus events to entertain and impress them.
But, again, it's individual.</p>
<p>When you pack Stuff, realize that many kids bring it in cars using clear plastic bags. Don't waste money buying big new suitcases!</p>
<p>quickflood,
we've always used due dilligence by reading the item descriptions carefully. I suppose there are some who sell "fake designer clothing" so look for the phrase "NWT" (new with tags). Also, read the "FEEDBACK" reviews on the seller before you bid, if that concerns you. Write to them in advance of bidding and ask the question outright.
We seem to get the "real deal" all the time b/c the tags are shown photographed in the pictures.
Also, when we like a particular seller and are very happy with a transaction, we sometimes subscribe to it as a "favorite" seller to hear from them regularly. If they're bad, they get BAD FEEDBACK and that seems to hold everyone accountable. Check their "feedback rating" right on the item listing; if it's below 95% Positive, I don't even consider them.
My thought is it'd be a bigger issue with purses (the faking, that is), but I'm not a know-it-all either.
We bought our CAR on ebay, a used Cadillac, though not from a private individual (would never do that, too risky) but a car dealership in a distant city. They're as accountable as any used car dealership; they just use ebay to enlarge their market from regional to national.
So what can I tell you, the car works for us and we saved a thou. But don't try that move until you're very very experienced with ebay!! Start with books and slacks, please!!</p>
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[quote]
the other day i was shopping on ebay, and i read that paypal pay you 5% as interest for depositing money in their account, but it's not fdic insured. have anyone done that?
[/quote]
The money actually goes to a money market mutual fund. Much like the one you get at Vanguard, Fidelity etc, except it is more convenient. I recommend that setup where parents send the money to kids' paypal account every month. They spend it with the debit card (and always get 1% discount).</p>
<p>wow, i never knew ebay and paypal can be so useful. they're even going into banking. wow. </p>
<p>thanks, paying3tuitions and dallas808, for the very helpful suggestions</p>
<p>@theone1</p>
<p>MSG is GOD! There is absolutly nothing credible that suggests that MSG has any adverse health effects and as for MSG intolerance, wth is wrong with you people? Japanese people have been eating it for years and years (discovered in 1907) and still manage to have longer lifespans than Americans and the same with Asians in general; I don't see them dying in droves because of all the MSG.</p>
<p>The only thing unhealthy about ramen noodles is the fact that they're noodles ONLY noodles; eat only pasta all your life and see how healthy it is for you. You need other things besides fat and carbs. Ah, btw, an egg + deli meat in ramen noodles (and maybe some frozen peas) = really good.</p>
<p>I agree with Paying3Tuitions on the eBay suggestion. I regualarly buy cashmere sweaters, dresses, and shoes there. Only got swindled once and since I paid via PayPal, all my money was eventually refunded. As a buyer, there is no PayPal fee (sellers pay). I even bought my son's expensive drum set from an eBay store. He's in college now, and uses eBay for electronics and percussion stuff.</p>
<p>Another thing I do for him is use the Walgreens rebate system to put money on a gift card that he carries. I subscribe to a weekly discount and coupon list at <a href="http://www.thegrocerygame.com%5B/url%5D">www.thegrocerygame.com</a> For a minimal investment I can download the rock bottom specials from Walgreens (and my local grocery store). I combine the Walgreens store coupons (from their flyers in the store or in the newspaper) with manufacturer coupons from the Sunday paper to get stuff at rock bottom prices. I stock up on toothpaste, deoterant, shampoo, snacks, and office supplies. Each month, Walgreens will have items that are free or minimally priced after a rebate. I buy the item, save the receipt, fill out the paperwork, mail it off monthly and I have the rebate amount placed on the card that my son carries. I have recorded the number of the card at home and fill that number in the rebate form so that Walgreeens will add that amount to the card. If your extended family were to do the same, it could really add up and it doesn't cost them anything except the time and a stamp. So, when my son needs drug store staples, or office supplies, he can uses the gift card. I also e-mail him if there's a great deal on notebook paper or other items I know he uses frequently (and I remind him to use the coupons in the store flyer).</p>
<p>Last year we paid for my son's books. He bought new, dropped classes and didn't return those books, and didn't agressively resell them. This year we told him he'd have to cover his own books. So far, he's been able to squeek by with purchasing only one book. He borrowed some from friends, used the library, and found that in some classses the books listed in the bookstore aren't really used in class (grrrr). </p>
<p>After the fall semester, we cut back on his meal plan. I didn't want him to go hungry like many students do, but finally realized that many college kids just don't eat breakfast (they like to sleep until the absolute last minute). So cereal in the dorm room with milk from the mini frige or PopTarts seem to cover breakfast. The meal plan is now down to 2/day.</p>
<p>For entertainment, spend some time really digging into what the community has to offer for free or cheap entertainment. If you figure out what's avaialable early, then when someone suggests "let's get outta here" you can suggest something that doesn't involve much expense.</p>
<p>as far as books go I think in a way it can be a one time investment..i bought books in the fall and it cost me almost $500 which is a lot of money but when the semester ended i sold them on amazon, i got more money from it than i would've if i sold them to the bookstore because they basically jip you... then i took the money i got by selling the books and set it aside and i didnt spend it over winter break or anything and then i used the same money to buy the books for spring semester .. so you can repeat the cycle and if you take care of your books and are smart and look for a good deal you can get through college by investing into books just once and recycling the money... just make sure you treat your books well dont just throw them around and stuff...</p>
<p>also to go along with what others have said, make a group of friends (if possible) who aren't filthy rich..its hard being around big spenders and not be competitive and buy stupid crap you dont really need...my roommate gets a crap load of money from her parents a month so she goes shopping every week and spends like $400 a week on stupid things.. avoid people like her or you'll feel you have to buy things constantly too. i used to shop a lot in high school i wasted so much money on clothes but in college i rarely go shopping, you come to value your sweatshirt and sweatpants more then any a&f clothing item.</p>
<p>Definitely get a job. A lot of people say it takes too much time away from studies, but it's totally worth it for more reasons than just the money.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>It really helps with your time management. If you know that you need to be at work at a certain time every day/week, you will learn to plan ahead and not fall into the habit of procrastinating too much, and you won't be dependent on studying the night before or doing papers at the last minute like so many people in college are. </p></li>
<li><p>Most student jobs are social places and you meet a lot of great people. This includes other students, professors, staff, and tons of interesting people like immigrants working in food service with whom you can practice a foreign language. Meeting new people from different backgrounds expands your views, especially in college, when yes, "diversity" is stressed, but is naturally limited most of the time to other students and professors. </p></li>
<li><p>Most of the practical skills I have, I learned from working. I work in food service, and luckily, my school has a student management system, which has given me management experience and lots of problem solving and communication skills that I would not have gotten from my classes.</p></li>
<li><p>This is particularly true for food service (probably not so much for library jobs or research assistants and such), but it makes you much more empathetic (not exactly the word I'm looking for, but go with it). You will (hopefully) never after you're done with school need to work in a menial, unskilled job. Some people never do, and it's good to know what it feels like. I've had people look at my Brown University Dining Services nametag and assume I don't speak English. Students and faculty are rude to me on a fairly regular basis because they're used to treating food service workers like servants. This will prevent you from becoming one of them. (So that probably sounds like a reason for not working...trust me though, the benefits far outweigh the costs!)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>"does ebay sell a lot of fake designer clothing?"</p>
<p>Yes. The quality of high-end fakes is getting pretty good these days, thus I simply don't think it's worth the risk (unless you see someone with 98%+ feedback of consistently selling authentic expensive items). I'd conservatively estimate that 40-50% of the claimed authentic rolex watches on eBay are fakes.</p>
<p>You really can't put a dollar price on peace of mind. When I bought my gf bags and purses, it may have cost more in the stores, but at least I was 100% sure I was buying what I expected.</p>
<p>it does make sense to befriend really rich people for the sake of networking, as long as you don't buy into the materialistic side</p>
<p>About online savings...HSBC has an online savings account that's offering 6.00% up until 4/30, and reverts to 5.05% apy. Look into that. And um BANKRATE.COM IS YOUR FRIEND, IF YOU WANT TO KEEP YOUR MONEY IN A SAVINGS ACCOUNT.</p>