Lowering Your Gas Costs

For those with cars, the money we spend on gas can be astonishing! With gas prices on the rise, this issue has taken center stage. On average, gas prices have now climbed to $3.74 a gallon, which can make filling up the tank more than a little painful. As reported by Time Magazine families now-a-days spend more on gas than on their taxes or health insurance! We've come up with a few tips and techniques that will help you save major $$ at the pump.

-Utilize public transportation as much as possible. Waltham has several options for public transit including two commuter rail stops (Brandeis/Roberts and Waltham) and several bus routes. In addition, you should utilize Brandeis's free shuttle services to get around Waltham and into Boston/Cambridge.

-If you are purchasing a new/used car, think about purchasing a high MPG car that is more fuel efficient! It'll save you money in the long run.

-With the rise of gas prices, often comes the rise of food prices. To combat this, try buying in bulk. If you share a house or apartment with others, buy for the whole house. Also, look for cheaper alternatives. Trying buying the store brand or generic option over the more expensive name brand.

-As the weather is warming up, go outside and get some exercise! Instead of hoping in your car to drive down the street, try walking instead. You'll get a little exercise and you'll save on gas!

-There are also ways to change the way you drive that will help you cut down on gas. Check out this article for ways to break the right way, change gears, and do car maintenance that will help you save cash.


We hope you take these tips into consideration next time you hop into the car!

Safe (and cheap) Driving!
Savvy Student

Additional Sources:
http://www.moneycrashers.com/gas-prices-rising-prepare/

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Stuff Savvy Student Says to Students

With the recent success of all of those "S*** ____ Says" videos, especially our very own "S*** Brandeis Students Don't Say" video, this Savvy Student decided to make a post dedicated to advice for students to ensure that the rest of the school year is as successful and easy as possible.

Here are the top 9 tips for a manageable and enjoyable spring semester...

• Re-apply for financial aid!
  If you are a student who will be applying for financial aid next year, complete the FAFSA and send your documents to IDOC before the April 27th deadline. Doing your financial aid application now will save you on stress before finals begin!
  



• Declare your major!
  If you are a sophomore, make sure you declare your major before the end of March! If you do not declare at least one major before the end of March a hold will be placed on your account. Holds on your account are a very unpleasent surprise when class registration rolls around!
  



• Be proactive if you want a job!
  If you are interested in finding employment next semester, start talking to professors and employers now! You can never be too sure which jobs are opening up and when. Be sure to visit the Student Employment website for more information on jobs.
  



• Understand your loans!
  Do the proper research to understand your loans. If you are a senior who is graduating and you have loans you will need to complete exit counseling. If you don't, a hold will be placed on your account. For a few tips on how to repay your loans after graduation, check out our blog on Helpful Tips for Repaying your Loans.



• Make a budget!
  Making a budget for next year is never a bad idea, especially if you are planning to live off campus! For more tips on preparing to live off campus, check out our blog on Off-Campus Housing.
  



• Check your SAGE account!
  You should always be periodically checking your SAGE account to make sure that there are no holds or overdue balances. You don't want to be caught by surprise when registration or graduation roll around!
  



• Get your money back!
  If you have a negative balance on your account and you are eligible for a refund, make sure you complete a Credit Release Form so that you can receive a refund check. If you are planning to go abroad next semester and you know that you will have a credit on your account that you will want to use, make sure you fill out the form and hand it in to the Office of Financial Services before you leave!
  



• Get more money!
  If you need financial assitance, don't just apply for financial aid from Brandeis. You can apply for many outside scholarships that can go toward tuition, housing, books, or any other needs you may have. The Financial Services website has a list of outside scholarships that is updated frequently. Check it out!
  



• SLOW DOWN!
  Take a moment every day to enjoy your time at Brandeis. Despite how busy every student is, it's important to stop and smell the roses every once in a while! Chill!
  

What other tips do you think are important for a calm and fun spring semester? Comment below if you have any suggestions!

~Savvy Student

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What is the Cost of Love?

"In total, Americans spend approximately $13 billion per year on Valentine's Day". The most common gifts include greeting cards, date night, flowers, gift cards and plush toys. All of which add up to 8 billion candy conversation hearts, 35 billion boxes of chocolate, and 110 billion roses delivered. And, this is why Valentine's Day turns out to be such an expensive holiday!

While some may recommend "Calling it quits with your other half before Valentine’s Day" (Consumerism Commentary) in order to save money on the costly holiday, this Savvy Student likes to think that you can stick to a budget without kicking your sweetheart to the curb. On average, each American will spend $120 on Valentine's Day gifts for their sweetie, but Savvy Student is here to help.

There are tons of great ideas for couples out there, but here are a few of our favorites:

-Stay in and cook a romantic dinner for two. You can even plan an indoor picnic.

-Repeat what you did on your first date. Go to the same restaurant, see the same movie, or just enjoy reminiscing.

-Enjoy the outdoors--take a walk or watch the sunset

-Snuggle up on the couch and watch an old movie together. Get popcorn and candy to get the movie theater feel.


And, if you're single don't despair. Savvy Student has come up with a list of cheap ideas for you too:

-Have a girls/guys day out--Valentine's Day can also be about celebrating the love you have for your friends or family!

-Have a party for all of your single friends!

-Spend the day watching a movie marathon with your friends--replay all your old favorites

-Enjoy a relaxing spa day (this may be more spendy, but if you can use the facilities around you, i.e. the new pool, yoga class etc your out of pocket expenses will go down)


Whatever you plan on doing, whether you are celebrating Valentine's Day with a significant other or not, keep these great ideas in mind.

Happy Valentine's Day!
Savvy Student

Sources:
http://kayce.wrytestuff.com/swa425942.htm
http://www.smartmarriages.com/uploaded/50.Cheap.Valentine.Ideas.Kurland.pdf
http://www.onlineaccountingdegree.net/cost-of-valentines/
http://www.patriotledger.com/topstories/x1463449504/The-price-of-love-on-Valentine-s-Day
http://www.consumerismcommentary.com/save-money-break-up-before-valentines-day/

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Great Clothes on the Cheap

Designer clothing with TJMaxx prices, at your fingertips every morning at 11am. Online discount boutiques are all the rage right now.

Ruelala (Ruelala.com) is often considered the mother of all boutique shops. This company, based in Boston, offers a variety of great deals on designer goods. Each day at 11am (Eastern Standard Time) the site opens up a variety of boutiques. Each "shop" is open for a few days and often, some of the best stuff sells out right away. The page has a lot of great deals for clothing, travel goods, food and sometimes even good get-aways or certificates for use in Boston. Right now they're running a special for free shipping, but typically, shipping is $9.95. They do have a special they've been running- when you pay for shipping once, you get free shipping for 30 days. Proceed with caution though, this may make you more liable to make purchases that you don't need. Ruelala is "invite only," but you can apply for membership from the website. Ask around and see if a friend has an account though, if you make a purchase, they get a $10 credit!

Other sites with similar set-ups are Hautelook (hautelook.com), Gilt (gilt.com), Beyond the Rack (beyondtherack.com) and Ideeli (ideeli.com).

Another site that often has clothing but also some unique artistic gifts is Fab (Fab.com).

But, we at savvy student say buyer beware with all these great websites. Many of these items, while they are dramatically discounted, were very expensive to begin with and therefore, can still be pricey. While the deals are tempting, be sure to figure out if you really need the item and it fits within your budget!

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Some Upcoming Deadlines at SFS!

While it may seem that the Spring Semester just started, it's never too soon to begin thinking about your finances for next year! Here at SFS, we would like to notify you of a couple deadlines that are fast approaching.
The deadline for submitting financial aid documents for returning students is April 27th. More specific information is available on our website, but returning students should plan to submit the following:

FAFSA: available at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

CSS/Financial AidPROFILE: available at https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/

Parents and Student's 2011 Federal Tax Returns

Finally, we would like to notify all current sophomores about the Brandeis Acheivement Award. Available only to sophomores with a cumulative GPA above 3.5 and currently not receiving any of the merit scholarships listed here, the Brandeis Achievement Award is a merit-based scholarship worth $5000 per semester for the junior and senior years of the recipients. Applicants must submit a current résumé, two recommendations from Brandeis faculty, and a one-page personal statement detailing their academic experience at Brandeis. A maximum of five awards in the amount of $5,000 per semester will be conferred by the selection committee for the junior and senior years.

Further details on the Brandeis Achievement Award are available in PDF form here.

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Superbowl XLVI: Giants VS Pats VS your education?

It's that exciting time of year when football fans everywhere will gather around their televisions and enjoy the annual Superbowl Party feast. With tickets costing upwards of $2,500 and with 30 second ads going for as much as $4,000,000, this savvy student can't help but wonder just what that kind of money could be used for at Brandeis.

Did you know?
The cost of two tickets to Superbowl XLVI is greater than the cost of taking a four credit course at Brandeis University.

Did you know?
With the money that some big spenders are paying for a simple 30 second ad during the Superbowl ($4,000,000), you could pay Brandeis tuition and housing for 80 students.

And, it isn't just the fans and companies who are throwing all of their money into Superbowl XLVI. The city of Indianapolis, which is hosting this year's big game, signed a lease that ensured a large profit for the NFL. Not only are "all rental and use fees... waived," but in addition to that, "The NFL also gets 100 percent of all money from ticket sales, concessions, and premium-priced merchandise." Essentially, the NFL takes over the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for a solid month and takes 100 percent of all of their profits.

With all of these combined methods of profit, from ticket sales to ad space to the profit they are receiving through their agreement with Lucas Oil Stadium, these NFL tycoons could probably pay for the college tuition and housing of at least half of the students at Brandeis University and still have a hefty amount left over.

One thing is for sure, there's more to this game than a simple Brady/Manning rematch. Each player is given 15 Super Bowl tickets for friends and family- that's roughly $36,000 or almost a year's worth of tuition for one student (times all the Pats/Giants players), and we are not even talking about the cost to hire security detail or referees. So, when you are tuned in to the February 5 game think about the money invested in producing such an important sports event and how the top commercials impact you as a consumer.

Go Pats! Go Giants!
Savvy Student


Source:
http://www.wthr.com/story/16583105/contracts-outline-nfl-control-of-lucas-oil-stadium-convention-center

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The Cost of a Cup of Joe

Starbucks recently announced a price increase of 10 cents per cup which some may chalk up as just another increase or sign of the times, while others may think of it as a direct hit to the coffee consumer. Either way, Savvy Student wanted to look deeper into the increase to see how it really impacts the wallet, especially since students like their coffee and often times more than once per day.

Here in Boston, many are willing to spend as much as $6 a day on coffee. If this habit is kept up for one year it would be at a cost of over $2,000. For those purchasing one cup a day at an average cost of $2.50, the annual investment is near $1,000.

There are cheaper alternatives. For those not interested in drinking yesterday's left overs, K-cup is a good option. Coffee machines like Keurig are set up to conveniently brew one cup at a time. But while this cup of joe isn't as much of a budget buster as the one you may buy at Starbucks or Dunkin, it still costs money. K-Cups, for the keurig machine, can cost 84 cents a cup.

If your budget is tight your best option may still be the old school pot of coffee. According to a recent survey conducted by Consumer Reports, a bag of Starbucks coffee was compared to a bag of Walmart's Great Value. For both price and taste Great Value beat out the coffee chain at a rate of roughly $3.50/bag versus $8 per bag of ground coffee.

As prices rise on many consumer goods, its important to cut costs wherever we can!

Stay savvy!

Sources:
Tuttle, Brad. "No Joke: Walmart Coffee Tastes As Good As Starbucks | Moneyland | TIME.com." Moneyland | Financial Insights from Your Wallet to Wall Street | TIME.com. Time, 4 Aug. 2011. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. .

Tuttle, Brad. "Starbucks Raising Coffee Prices in Northeast, Sunbelt States | Moneyland | TIME.com." Moneyland | Financial Insights from Your Wallet to Wall Street | TIME.com. Time, 04 Jan. 2012. Web. 04 Jan. 2012. .

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