When we go away to college for the first semester, it’s pretty hard.  We miss home, our friends and family and our lifestyle.  One thing that is hard to part with is our room at home.  We have everything the way we want it, all the furniture and accessories we need and then we need to downsize into a small dorm room.

If you’re looking for tips on how to make your dorm room a nice looking place and have that more comfortable at home feeling, consider some of these ideas for decorating!

Bedding:  First of all, we want to make sure we have a comfortable bed.  So, you should bring your nice comforter from home, buy some new pillows and buy some sheets that are comfortable as well.  We need a lot of sleep when in college so make your resting comfortable!

Electronics:  You also need to make sure you have your electronics.  I highly recommend getting a small computer desk to put in the corner of your room.  Whether you bring your desktop or laptop it doesn’t matter, as long as you have one or the other.  Also, bring any MP3 players, video game consoles, and a smaller TV to watch.

Filing cabinet:  I would recommend getting a filing cabinet with some folders.  You will have so many papers to store or hold on to.  This is a great way to organize each semester for a cheap price!

Walls:  Now, put something on the walls.  If you can paint that’s great!  If you can’t maybe put up some posters or nice pictures you had from home.  Anything is better than looking at a blank and boring wall.  It makes the room much more cozy.

Floor:  If you don’t like the carpet or flooring in your dorm room I recommend getting a nice rug to lay down.  This will dress up the place a little nicer and have that at home feeling.

Pictures:  You’re going to miss your family and friends so be sure to bring some nice pictures from home.  Get some nice picture frames and hang them on the wall or put them on your desk!

Decorating your dorm room can be pretty exciting!  Consider some of these tips so that you don’t feel so homesick and so that you don’t mind coming back to your dorm at the end of the day.

As part of the career week this month, I wanted to show you how you can land a job in your local mall.  The great thing about working in a mall is that it’s going to be fairly safe, you won’t have to work late, and the thought of having a few restaurants to eat it within the mall seems like a plus to me!

How can I land a job in a mall near me?

Start the hunt: First off, check out which malls are in your area.  I’m sure you know of which malls are near you.  If you feel comfortable driving there, as well as working there, then you can either use a job search tool such as SnagAJob to find openings, or you can go to each individual mall store website.  Every store has a careers page, and it doesn’t hurt to check them out.

Go there yourself: If you don’t want to check out the websites yourself, you can simply dress up in some casual wear, and head down to the mall.  Bring your resume, as well as any information that you need.  Grab as many applications as you can.  You will want to take these home, rather than fill them out right then, and there, because you could potentially screw up.

Look outside the mall: Sure, the mall can be cool, but there are so many opportunities outside of the mall that are going to pay more, as well as give you a better chance at getting hired.  You’re going to find out that many mall jobs don’t pay that much, but it doesn’t hurt to compare.

What kind of jobs are available in a mall?

• Fast Food
• Waiter / Waitress
• Cooks
• Retail (stock, cashier)
• Cleaning
• Security
• Office

These are your main ones, but many malls have insurance offices, tanning salons, etc, so each job is going to vary.  Again, look at a directory, and apply for a job that you think you would truly enjoy.    To find a local mall near you, check out this wikipedia page.

Well it’s not time to go back to school, but it never hurts to start preparing for the fall, or whenever you’re ready to come back to school.  One of the biggest things that I think you should purchase for your dorm room, or even your apartment/house is a bulletin board.  It’s a great way to post things that you want to remind yourself of, or even leave a note for your roommate, etc.   They look nice, and are very reasonable if you have a tight budget.

Listed below are a few bulletin boards that I highly recommend that you should check out if you’re interested in purchasing one…

• Board Dudes Home Decor: Board Dudes have some of the best boards on the market.  This particular one is pictured above, and measures out to 22″ x 35″.  It has a nice solid frame around it, making it look good in just about any room that you want to place it.
• Post-it(R) Bulletin Board: This is unique one and is created by the popular brand, Post-it.   It’s great for creating a message center and has a self stick surface making it easy for quick note posting.  There are no tacks or pins that are required!
• Umbra Magnetic Pushpin Bulletin Board: This highly recommend bulletin board measures at 15×21 and make of perforated metal board, making it great for those that want to post things with magnets, and pushpins.
• Board Dudes Combo Board: This is a cool mix because if you’re looking to buy a bulletin board, and a dry erase board, you can purchase this combo set and get the best of both worlds!  The great thing about this is that you can get it for less than $15.

Bulletin boards and dry erase boards both are great to have in your dorm.  They can serve a lot of purpose, and they also fill up the wall to add a little flavor to your room.  Check these out and see which one best suits your budget!

When it comes to your dorm room, you’re soon going to find out that you’re going to need a lot of items, and many of them you’re going to forget about, including a dry erase board.

Why should you get a dry erase board?

Instead of writing note, after note to your roommate, or writing down “to-do” lists, it’s a great way to communicate with your roommate, and yourself.  What you’re going to find out is that it’s relatively easy to write something down, and it’s even easier to let your roommate know what’s going on, as well as writing down important dates, such as a test, etc.

Below, are the top 4 dry erase boards that I would consider for your dorm room.  They should fit your budget, and you will find that it will fit into your dorm room style quite well.

• Board Dudes 11×14 Metalix Magnetic: Great for writing, creating charts, and leaving messages.  Comes equipped with magnets, and the dry erase surface can also be used as a bulletin board.  Everything is included, when you’re looking to mount it.
• Board Dudes 24×36: The “Board Dudes” brand is fairly popular, and if you’re looking for a bigger board, this one is for you.  It comes equipped with 4 dry erase markers, 4 clips, 4 magnets, as well as an eraser.  This whole pack can be yours for less than $50!
• Universal Office Products 36×24: This highly rated white board is very large, roomy, and will look great in your dorm.  It has a very high qualify write-on/wipe-off surface, and will accept all types of dry erase markers.
• Board Dudes 18×22: This last one is one of my favorites, in terms of the look, as well as the rating.  This has a unique style to it, where many people won’t even realize it’s a white board.  Works great with all markers, and erasers, and well as mounts really well as well.

These are the top 4 magnetic dry erase boards that you should look into, when you’re ready to purchase one.  Each one has it’s own style, and quality to it.  It’s up to you to figure out what kind that you want for either your dorm, or office.

A lot of high school students have plans to attend college after they graduate.  If you’re one of them, you’ve probably been thinking about how you’re going to pay for it.  College is an expensive thing as we all know, and it will take quite a bit of money to pay for it.  If you’re unsure of how to get the money to pay for it, continue reading below.

How to Get Money for College:

Scholarships:  There are thousands of scholarships out there. Start applying while you’re in high school, try to test high on your state tests, and search the Internet and your school’s office for ways to get these scholarships.  A little bit of work can save you a lot of work when it comes to paying off school.

Loans:  There are also loans out there for a reason.  These will get you by for now, and can be paid later.  These will usually take affect once you’ve already graduated college.  Therefore, you will most likely have a job by then and making money to be able to pay them off.

Savings:  Do you have any savings?  If so, this can help you at least pay for the book prices or some classes each semester.  This can help you out for a while depending on how much you have, just don’t drain your account.  Use this only for emergencies.

Part-time:  Working a part-time job is totally capable in college.  Going to school full-time and working part-time is an option and is what most students do.  This will give you enough to pay for some classes, the gas money there and back, and for some books.

Getting money for college can be a challenge, but if you consider a few of the tips above, you will find yourself paying for college much easier.  The last option is always student loans.  You can apply for these before school starts, get approved and not have to worry about them until after college.