In today’s economy, everyone and their brother are looking for ways to save money.  A great way to save on money when going to college is by looking at scholarships.  Scholarships are a win-win for everyone.  The student gets money for college, while the scholarship sponsor gets coverage and feels good helping someone out.  What’s better than helping a student that actually wants to succeed in life?

When on the search for unique scholarships, there are many ways you can find one but thing that you need to remember before you start this search is that you treat it like a full-time job.  It takes work and a lot of research to find the scholarship you want.  Remember, when you find one, it won’t hurt to apply for one because the worst thing that happens is you either get denied or you never hear from them.

Start by using services- Start by using scholarship service databases like FastWeb.  Services like FastWeb has access from over $3.4 billion in scholarships.  Services like this make it easy for you to find what you want.  Put in all your credentials and the database will do it’s best to match you up with the best results. 

Try search engines – Use search engines like Google to find scholarships that you may want.  Be unique and think about what’s unique about you.  If you love playing a particular video game, search for “video game scholarships”.  You never know what will pop up.  This is why it’s necessary to be as unique as possible to find out what will work best for you.

Ask around online – Another great place to look for scholarships is by going to forums online to ask questions and/or read other people’s threads.  These places can be very helpful when you’re looking to get more information on particular scholarships.  It’s also great if you’re looking for ideas and advice.   A great place to start is at CollegeConfidential.com.

When looking for that unique scholarship, use some of the methods mentioned above.  Sometimes you’re going to have some great luck finding what you want while other times you’ll get rejected.  No matter what, put at least a few hours each week into your search and treat it like a job because if you look at it this way, let’s say you find a $5,000 scholarship and you put 50 hours into the search, it comes out to $100/hr.  That’s not bad at all!

Have you gone to college in the past but stopped attending?  If so, you’re not the only one!  A lot of people have a great intention of going to school to become what they’ve always wanted to be and then have to let it go because their life is too busy or they can’t handle it all at the time.  If you’re thinking of going back to college you’re on the right path.  Continue with your intuition and go back! 

College is made for everyone and can work for everyone!  If you’re thinking of going back but need some tips for either getting a positive attitude or some guidance to get back on your feet continue to read below.

• Check to see if your past credits are still good.
• Since you were already registered see if you can just pick out classes again.
• Getting there the first day will be the hardest thing, yet the most rewarding.
• Once you’ve gone on the first day you’re on the path to success.
• Take classes that fit your schedule this time.  Try doing all your classes two days a week or maybe even online if you run a busy life at home with kids.
• Since we’re not all made of money we look for ways to save it.  Finish your first two years at a community college instead of a university to save money.
• Get study buddies to help keep you positive and so you have friends to talk with in class.
• Create a schedule for yourself so you’re organized and can get all your homework done.
• Eliminate all distractions possible.
• Always keep a positive attitude.
• Think of where you will be in the future!

College is so beneficial in so many ways.  As we all know the economy is horrible today and it is very important to get an education these days.  Make your life easier, more enjoyable and more rewarding by working a job you want to in the future!

Are you a fan of the Nintendo DS?  If so, you are probably aware of how many great games it can play.  This fun, hand held video game console has become a huge hit for people of all ages.  It provides great entertainment, many learning games to challenge yourself and also is a great way to learn and strengthen your brain. 

You may be aware of all this but you are probably unaware of one the great games that has just recently came out.  The game is called “My Fun Facts Coach“.  This is a great game that can be played by all ages.  It has 5 main categories that range from Health, Mind and Soul, Modern life, Social life and Environment.  With these five main categories you learn many fun facts about each.  It will ask you a multiple choice question or true and false and you answer according to the information you think is correct.  If you get it wrong, it will tell you the right answer and it will leave you with some useful information you didn’t know.

There is so much that can be learned with this game.  It helps you with your social skills, helps you better understand your body, gets your brain thinking and goes over many useful facts that could benefit you on a daily basis.  It has 1,000 total questions to ask you which leaves you with a good 200 per category! It also tells us a lot about our environment, a lot of things that we most likely don’t know and how we can help.

My Fun Facts Coach is an excellent game! If you love the Nintendo DS and the games that is has come out with in the past then you’ll absolutely love My Fun Facts Coach.  You can take it anywhere, play when you want and learn fun facts at any hour of the day!

If you would like a great deal and want to learn even more information about it simply click here to get started!

Money might be tight when you’re a student but some of you out there may want to know how you can save your money and get the most out of it.  If you have your money sitting in a simple savings account at your local bank, stop that!  You could be earning five times that rate with another bank and it works just like the account you have now.  If you’re interested in investing your money, I’m going to show you a few ways on how you can get the most out of your money.

Look at high yield savings or money market accounts

These accounts work just like a savings account but you’re going to get a lot more out of them.  Let’s say your local bank is only giving you 0.5% on your money per year, a money market could give you 4% and up, depending on the market.  These rates are going to change all the time but as I said, it’s like a savings account, so there’s no risk at all.  Let’s use the example below to show you how much you could potentially earn.

You save up $5,000 and put it in a 4% APY money market account.  You’ll get 4% over the year.  You’ll get $200 in interest per year or $16.66 per month.  This is just for having your money sit there!

Certificate of Deposits aka CD rates

A CD rate is a little different than a savings account.  This is where you’ll place your money into a deposit for a certain period of time.  Depending on the period will depend on how long it will be locked up for.  Let’s say you get a 2 year rate.  This means you won’t be able to touch your money for 2 years.  If you do, you will encounter a early termination fee.  CD rates are generally higher than savings rates since the bank knows they will have your money for a certain period of time.  For CD rates, look at either Bankrate.com or Gotalkmoney.com for the latest 10 ten rates on the market.

Try stocks or mutual funds

Before you jump into stocks or mutual funds, I would recommend you study the market and how it works before you start investing.  If you want to invest into something safe, you may want to look at Blue Chip stocks such as Coca Cola, etc.  These are companies that have a big impact in the economy and should give you a decent return.  Remember, the stock market can be risky and you can lose money, so invest at your own risk.

When it comes to saving money, these are 3 things you can look into.  The first two aren’t risky at all while the stock market and mutual funds are.  As long as you do your research and you invest wisely, you’ll be able to save up like there’s no tomorrow!

With tax season coming up, there’s a chance that you’re going to have to file your taxes.  Without having to go to an accountant and pay $250, there are other alternatives that you can take.  You can either do it yourself with the manual forms, which will take you forever or you can simply buy software online that can help you do everything quickly and easily.

I started using student tax software a few years ago and I was amazed at how easy it was.  It walked me step by step to make sure that I was getting the tax cuts that I need as well as filling out my tax forms 100%.  When it comes to the IRS, you don’t want to screw up because you will hear from them regardless if it was intentional or not.

If you’re looking for some great software packages online, I’m going to spotlight 2 major brands.  Each of these packages are generally under $50 if you follow the link below.  You’ll find that it’s easier to buy online rather than in store.

H+R Block TaxCut 2008

With all the websites that I went to, H+R Block received the best rating compared to it’s rival at TurboTax.  With H+R block, you’re going to receive the following with it’s software package –

• Includes up to 5 free federal e-files
• You get extra assistance and money saving advice to maximize your deductions.  This will allow you to turn your donations into big savings when it comes to tax.
• You get live tax advice on the phone or via e-mail.  This is well worth the price alone.
• You’re able to transfer all your tax and federal information from TaxCut, TurboTax, Quicken, and more.

All this can be found on Amazon for less than $35.

TurboTax Deluxe Federal 2008

The TurboTax version is very comparable to H+R block but received lower ratings across the board at many online retailers.  TurboTax is going to run you a little bit more when it comes to price.  If you’re looking for something cheap, I’d recommend H+R Block

With TurboTax’s software, you’re going to get the following –

• Able to prepare and print your federal and state returns, as well as e-file up to 5 returns.
• You get a free federal efile.
• Easy to do.  Asks simple questions as well as put the correct answers on forms as well as fix mistakes you’ve made.
• Searches for more than 350 deductions for you.  From mortgages to education.
• TurboTax boasts to be the only software with both e-filing and audit support with every federal return.

As I already mentioned, TurboTax is going to run you about $45, which about $10 more than H+R block.

When it comes down to doing taxes, I would highly recommend you look into getting software, you’re going to get more back when it comes to returns, especially as a college student.  When I first started using this software, I was able to get a  few extra dollars that I wouldn’t have got doing it on my own.