My oldest boy is starting Kindergarten and he wants to bring lunch from home. I'm already starting to realize that there are many pitfalls to packing an affordable, healthy lunch for kids. All those single-serve snacks and drinks come with a spendy price tag. And don't even get me started about sandwich baggies. So I'm working on ways to trim the cost of school lunches. Here are a few ideas I have: Watch the sales and match those sales with store and manufacturer coupons. (That's … [Read more...]
Saving Money on College Expenses
The following is a guest post from college student Matt Nelson, the Writer. I’m in my third year of college and I just changed majors. With some creative credit crunching, I should be able to finish my new degree before my scholarship runs out; however, I’m definitely dealing with the possibility of more grades after graduation. Like BP’s oil well fiasco, it’s going to be a while before I can cap my billowing expenditures. Thus, it behooves me to cut college costs wherever I can. … [Read more...]
4 Tips on Preparing for College Expenses
The following is a guest post by Emily Thomas, who writes on the topic of online college degrees.Your child's education is perhaps one of the most valuable assets one human being could give to another, as it is the one thing that will have definite on-going returns throughout your child's life, well into adulthood.Therefore, money spent on education is, for the most part, money well spent. But if one thing is true, a quality education, especially these days, is expensive. So in order to invest … [Read more...]
Question: What Do You Give Your Child’s Teacher?
I'm sure many of you are making your list and checking it twice.And those of you with children may be thinking about what to give your child's teacher.What types of gifts do you give teachers? What are some frugal ideas for showing some appreciation for the work teachers do?And for those of you who ARE teachers: What kinds of things do you like to receive? Is there any gift you dread?Please share your ideas in the comments. Hopefully this will help those of us who are … [Read more...]
No Kids? You Can Still Save At Back-to-School Sales
Even if you don't have any children, you can still use back-to-school Sales to your advantage. While there are many deals targeted to students, you don't have to be a student to appreciate the savings.In fact, if you wait until school starts in your area to shop, you'll be able to shop the back-to-school clearance sales. Since you don't need the items immediately, you have the advantage of being able to wait for the rock bottom prices.Here are a few areas you should watch in … [Read more...]
Teachers: Save on Grad Credits
Editor's note: The following post was written by my frugal friend (and college buddy) Susan: If you don’t work in education, you may not know that, as a rule, teachers can earn raises in one of two ways. The first is at the start of the new school year, we get paid a little more than last year. The second is by taking classes. Every district has its own rules about how many classes it takes for a raise, and what kind of class it needs to be and even the topics it can be on. The main topics … [Read more...]
Online Courses Can Save Time, Money
Thinking about getting that college degree? Not sure where you'll find the time?Consider online classes. Online college courses are convenient. You don't have to be "in" class at a set time. While most classes do have deadlines to meet, the coursework itself is self-paced. You can work on your class at 3 a.m. if that's when you function the best. You can take one course at a time, or a full load. Online courses can also save you money. You won't have to … [Read more...]