Every student out there has to purchase a text book sooner, or later, and if you’re ready to purchase a textbook online, I wanted to point out a few great sites that you can use to find the best prices for your text book.

• Amazon.com: It’s not a price comparison search engine, I know, but you can save a lot of money buying used books from other students online.  Do a search for the book you’re looking for, and see if you can find a good deal on a used book.
• BigWords.com: This is by far one of my favorite comparison engines.  Either type in the ISBN number, or the title if you know it.  If you have an iPhone, you can download their application as well to do some comparison shopping!
• Google: Sounds silly, and you probably use this giant search engine all the time, but find an ISBN, and type it in Google.  In the results, Google will come back with it’s shopping results.  You browse by merchants to see who offers the best price.
• Half.com: The last resort I would take is Half.com.  I like Amazon better, but you will find that Half has some great deals as well.  While you won’t find the best deals on newer textbooks, you can find a killer deal on a used text book.  The think I like about Half is that it sorts it by condition.  If you don’t mind markings in your book, you can get a fantastic deal!

By using these 4 techniques, you should be able to find the best deal on your textbook.  The only word of advice that I can give you is that you should always purchase online, rather than in the college itself.  You will find that the college generally has some high prices, and we, of course don’t want to pay prices like that!

Saving money is the name of the game, when it comes to college life, and if you can save enough money in college, you can take those same strategies, and apply them to the real world.  Those who save, and know how to invest are those that can retire early, and enjoy the simple things in life.

• Always use coupons: I know it’s not cool to use coupons, but if it saves you $5, or more on each purchase, you’ll probably use it.  Consider items such as the Entertainment book, as well as check out the local newspaper for coupons that you can use on purchases such as eating out, clothing, as well as groceries.
• Avoid eating out: Eating out is expensive, and if you can avoid things like this, you can save a load of money each month.  You’ll also want to avoid the cheaper foods such as McDonald’s as well that aren’t really healthy for you.  You can cook very good meals that are super cheap too.
• Avoid the labels: College isn’t about being “cool”.  No one cares what you look like, and what you wear.  A $75 shirt isn’t going to get you far.  If you have the mindset that a shirt is a shirt, you will find that you can stretch your dollar very far.  Consider shopping at the local Goodwill, or hitting up one of the clearance racks at your favorite store.
• Use your student discount: Yes, you can get a ton of student discounts.  You can save on things like airfare, and more.  Check out a post I did a few months back showing you what you can save on as a student.
• Buy used: If you’re going to go out and buy something, you can probably most likely buy it used.  From video games, to your shoes.  Browse places like eBay, and more to see how much you can save as a student.  If you think used, before new, you can save a lot, trust me on this one.
• Watch your driving: When you have a car on campus, you may be tempted to use it while being bored.  Try and limit your driving, and consider going to other places near campus, rather than driving a few miles away.  Gas can get expensive!

Budgeting takes discipline, and a plan.  If you have these two factors, you can save money, I promise you.  Make it into a habit, and see how far your money can take you!

The Android is finally here, and if you have got your eyes set on it, or you have it, you may be missing out on some of the best applications out there for your phone.   Just like the iPhone, the Android allows you to download applications for your phone, both free, and some that charge a small amount.  If you’re looking for apps that will work great with you, and your school work, here are some that I highly recommend.

The top Android apps for college students…

• Pocket Knowledge: Create a new query, and ask the phone anything you want, and you’ll get answer.  From math, to physics, it will have just about any answer that you need!
• MyPocketProf: This is the ultimate student productivity tool on the Android.  You can upload all of the notes that you have taken, and upload them to your phone.  The best thing after all of this is done is that you can sell them when you’re done!
• Brain Cafe: There are a few of these apps online, but it all depends on what category you want to study.  From psych, to geography, test your knowledge, and see how much you know.
• CoursePro: Store your syllabus with your class, and track how you’re doing during the semester.  Know what’s coming up, as well as what kind of grade you’re getting in the classroom.
• ShareYourBoard: Does your professor take a lot of notes on the whiteboard, or blackboard?  If they do, simply take a snapshot, and upload it to your phone.
• Wapedia: It’s just like Wikipedia, but a little better in my eyes for the phone.  You can simply search for what you’re looking for, and get the answers that you need.
• ColorDict Universal Dictionary: The application title basically explains it all.  It’s a dictionary straight to your Android.  Look up words in a snap, and get the definition right then, and there.

New applications are going to come out everyday, and since the Android is open source, you may start seeing some great applicatoins coming out on the Android, rather than the iPhone.  If you haven’t looked at one yet, head down to a Verizon store, and I’m almost certain that you’ll be amazed.

There is nothing more exciting than finally being done with the classes that we couldn’t stand this semester.  Whether they were a ton of work, a subject that we had no interest in, or they were really hard, they are finally over.  Now it’s winter break, and we have a month off to enjoy and do whatever we please.  What are you going to do this winter break?  Not sure?  Let us give you a few ideas!

Ways to Spend Your Winter Break:

Friends and family – It’s always good to spend some time with your friends and family.  Most likely if you were busy this semester you didn’t have a whole lot of time to hang out with them so lets make up for that!

Catch up – When your schedule is as busy as a college students you probably didn’t have much time to do anything else but go to class or do homework.  Therefore, you should catch up on the things that have been bothering you.  Whether you need to get your dentist appointment in, get your oil changed in your car, clean your apartment, etc nows the time to get it done!

Relax – Take some time for yourself and just relax.  Watch a few of your favorite movies, sleep in, and do what you want for a change.

Hobbies – Get out some of your hobbies, play your favorite sports, and do what you love to do.  You have to make life still fun even though you’re a college student.  Don’t give up on your hobbies, but instead make time for them this winter break.

Work – If you want to take advantage of this winter break and bring in some money, ask for some more hours at your work.  You will be happy later that you did!

Winter break seems like it couldn’t have come soon enough.  Although, now you can relax because it’s finally here.  Have fun this winter break, and be sure to consider a few of the ideas we have above for your break!

Whether you’re in High School, or you’re planning on attending a college in the near future, did you know that you can attend college fairs both online, and in person?  If you’re on the go, and you don’t have much time to attend a college fair in person, I wanted to sh0w you of attending a fair online.

Benefits of attending a college fair online

• You don’t have to wait in line.
• You don’t have to drive, and waste gas.
• You can speak to the colleges you want to.
• No pressurized sales pitches.
• You don’t have to dress nice.
• Don’t have to worry about how you can carry yourself in person.
• It’s convenient.
• You can do it from the comfort of your own home.

Where can I attend a college fair online?

One of the best places that I would recommend to any student when it comes to online college fairs would definitely be CollegeWeek Live.  Over 100,000 High School students have attended these college fairs online, and have connected with over 300 colleges.

How does it work?

It’s fairly a simple process.  If you have a list of schools written down, and you want to talk with an advisor, you will be able to log into your account, find out what you can chat, and talk with them in real time.  You will be able to ask any questions you want, and you will get answers from college officials.

What are the benefits compared to going in person?

I love this setup because not only can you chat with advisors, you can chat with students online, as well as get a feel on what the college is about.  You will also get expert advice on what college is all about, all from the comfort in your own home.  You don’t have to sit next to some stranger, and don’t have to worry about the room being too hot, or too cool.

Again, since there are not a lot of services out there, the only one that you really can go with is CollegeWeek Live.  They are probably the best, seeing they serve over 300 colleges, and the best thing about them is that the registration is free!