College Planning Tips
Estimating Your College Costs
Your school is required by law to provide you the cost of attendance for an academic year. The cost includes tuition, class fees, books - supplies, and room and board.
You also need to estimate costs for other expenses:
- transportation:
how are you going to get around? Will you have a car or motorcycle? If so, costs will include vehicle payments if any, insurance, gas and other maintenance expenses.Some students will bring their bicycle. You need to consider registration fees.If you don’t have a car or motorbike, you will need to estimate the costs for public transportation use.- personal expenses:
you will need pocket change for a haircut, new outfit, new shoes, new book bag, and other personal items. Estimate how much you will need each month.- entertainment:
you can’t live in the library all of the time. You will want to take a weekend to get a pizza or head to the movies. You need to budget some entertainment money for the year.- computer:
almost every class with require some computer work such as a term paper, mathematical spreadsheet, and classroom log-in. You can use school computer labs, but you can save a lot of time if you had your own laptop. Estimate the cost for a computer. And don’t forget about the software to run the computer.- special events:
budget some money for those special events like going to the games, taking a weekend road trip, returning home for the holidays, moving yourself to and from college each year, etc.
Add It UpLink to our web site for our college budgeting worksheet and college planning calculators
Home Improvement Tips
Old man Winter will soon be tapping at your window. Are you ready for the cold months? See what you need to weatherize your home. Check our home insulation page.
Travel Tips
Last minute travel for the holiday? It might be tight, but check out the directory of air fares and availability among major airlines with one click of the mouse:
Consumer Financing Tip
Looking to purchase or refinance your home? You have fixed mortgages, ARMs, interest-only plans, and more. Educate yourself about mortgage loan products before submitting your mortgage loan application. Learn the pros and cons so that you can make an informed decision.
Credit Card Tip
You might need a new credit card to build up rebates you could use. Allow us to introduce some cards that may be of interest:
Lowering Monthly Cost Tips
Gasoline prices are rising. Check out how to reduce your monthly transportation costs:
