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There’s a good chance that your college has a meal plan that you’re going to take advantage of.  If you haven’t stepped foot on the campus yet or really haven’t taken a look at your meal plan, I wanted to give you some pointers on how you can get the best plan for not only your diet, but your budget as well.

Get a plan of what there is to offer

Every college is going to be different and what you’re going to find out is that when you get a plan that’s detailed, it’s going to give you a better idea on what you’re going to get.  It’s important that you take a close look at it to get a better idea on what you’re going to get for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

How did you eat before college?

Take a look at your daily schedule and see how you eat.  Are you a light eater?  Do you eat 10 meals a day?  It’s important that you know these things, because this will allow you to choose a plan that is going to fit your needs.  If you don’t really have a habit, then you may want to think about how much you eat in a typical day.

Get all the details in terms of college

Meal plans generally don’t last the entire year.  Instead, they will last each semester and you will have to renew them.  The last thing that you want to happen is show up for dinner and find out that you can’t take advantage of it since your meal plan is up.  Divide the total by the weeks to see what the plan really is going to cost you.

Don’t eat out – take advantage!

If you have a meal plan, don’t go out and eat.  Instead, try and eat that food as much as possible.  Sure, there may be times when you’re just not interested, but what you’re going to find out is that if you eat the meals on a daily basis, you will have a better feeling deep down inside that you got a better deal.

What can you eat?

Some colleges will limit you to just the cafe, while others have vendors outside of the school such as Taco Bell and more.  sure, Taco Bell can get annoying after a while, but you may find that if there is a big selection, it will be well worth it.

What are the rules?

If you have to pay an average of $15 a day, but you only get a few spoonfuls of food, do you think its going to be worth it?  Probably not!  Again, it’s important that you budget and find out what is going to work out the best for your wallet.

Meal plans are nice and they can save you a lot of time and effort.  People don’t realize how long it can take sometimes to prepare a meal.  If you don’t have the ingredients, you have to run up to the store, whip out your wallet, and purchase.  What happens if you don’t have the money?  These are all things to think about.

Financial Aid, or FAFSA can be a very confusing topic, especially if its your first time messing with it and I’m sure it is.  Its great that the government is more than willing to help you with college, but like any other government program, they don’t make the process that easy!

Since people have many questions, I wanted to start with the most common ones and those are as of the following…

When is the deadline for my FAFSA?

First, you’re going to have to understand that each year, the deadlines are going to change, so make sure that you’re looking at the right date.  Since the 2010 – 2011 year is fast approaching us, it’s very important that you look at these deadlines only.  You will be able to view these deadlines here.

For the 2010 – 2011 school year, you will want to follow the following deadlines.  These deadlines are for Federal levels only, not statewide:

• Web applications are due by June 30, 2011.
• Corrections must be submitted by September 15, 2011.

Now, your states are going to have deadlines as well.  Make sure that you look at the link listed above as well.  Some of the deadlines, you won’t be able to find out an exact date and that’s fine.  Instead, you’re going to want to consult with a financial aid administrator.

What is the phone number for financial aid?

Since you may have a lot of questions, you may want to talk with someone on the phone, as I generally like to do.  You can reach any information center via the following phone numbers listed below.

• 1.800.4.FED.AID
• 1.319.337.5665

You can also get to them via a private chat, as well as a form that you can find anywhere here.

Its important that you look into the times, as well as date, as they are really strict when you’re ready to hand in the forms.  You’re also going to want to make sure that you fill out the form at 100%.  If you have any type of errors, this is more than likely going to slow down the process.  This is something that you don’t want.

Yes, I know the process can be rather confusing, but rather than stressing out, take your time, and do it the right way.  If you ever have a problem, meet with an adviser at your local college.

The most exciting part of growing up is becoming financially independent. But many students are not aware of the actual way of handling their finances. This leads to overspending and hurting your credit. If you are a student, then you should know that building good credit is a must for you. Without this you cannot qualify for loans, auto insurance, rental applications, cell phone plans etc. So if you are a student and have already incurred enough credit card debt, then you must be in need of credit repair. Well, you can repair your credit on your own as well as seek help of loans. Read on to know the ways of getting rid of credit card debts.

1.Calculate your total debt: If you have incurred multiple credit card debts, then the first thing that you need to do is to take out all your statements and determine your total debt so that it becomes easier for you to pay off your credit card debts.

2.Stop using your cards: You must know that prevention is better than cure. While you have already incurred credit card debts, you simply need credit repair. And the only way you can further repair your credit is to stop using all your credit cards (if you have more than one card). So, leave your credit cards at home so that you don’t get tempted to spend.

3.Try to make the minimum payment each month: Don’t forget to make the minimum payment each month. When you are initially building credit, try to make the minimum payment to save on accrued interest rate. Don’t get carried away and make purchases which you cannot afford. If you can’t pay off your balances, then this reflects that you are overspending. Curtail your expenses and spend within your limit.

4.Pay off high interest credit cards first: In case you are troubled with multiple credit card debts, then you should be aware of the strategy involved in paying off multiple credit card debts. You should pay off the credit card with the highest interest rate first. This is the only way you can efficiently pay off multiple credit card debts. Make the minimum payment on all of your other cards and then pay as much possible on the card with the highest rate.

5.Student debt consolidation loans: When you fail to repay your credit card debts on your own, you may take help of student debt consolidation loans. Student debt consolidation loans are taken to pay off multiple credit card debts. You can easily reduce your monthly payments and interest rates with the help of debt consolidation loans. You will no longer receive creditor calls and get a grip on your finances yet again.

Therefore, if you are a student and are overburdened with multiple credit card debts, then you are in need of credit repair. Try to repair your credit on your own by paying off debts and if you fail to do it, seek help of debt consolidation loans for consolidating your multiple debts and paying them off.

Even though the Summer is here, it doesn’t mean that everyone has chose a college.  If you’re still up in arms on who you want to go with, that’s fine, because you’re not alone.  What you’re going to find out is that this is a process that you don’t want to rush, but instead take your time with.  You don’t want to pick out a college and find out later that you just hate it!

Applying for a college is the worst part.  Every college will have different deadlines, they have certain requirements, and it can take weeks before you even get any type of notification.  If you’re the type that doesn’t like to wait around, you’re going to find that this process isn’t going to work that well for you.

I came up with some ideas and questions that you can potentially use when you’re looking to choose the perfect college.  Since they are all different, ask yourself a few of these questions to get yourself on the right path.

Make a list of 5 colleges

Start by making a list of the 5 colleges that you want to attend.  Even if its a community college on the list, that’s fine.  Many people go this route and I highly recommend it because you’re going to save boat loads of money!

After you make this list, write down the pros and cons of each college.  Why do you hate that particular college?  Why do you like the other one?  You may realize that there are more cons for one than pros narrowing it out.

How are the academics?

You’re going to want to make sure that you’re going to go to a school that is accredited.  You’re going to find that there are “for-profit” schools out there that will be in it for the money, rather than your education.  Places such as ITT, as well as others may not land you a job.

Another good step that you can take is simply by asking other business owners on what they think of particular degrees.  You may find out that they frown upon online degrees, etc.

How do you feel about the school?

You know when people tell you to trust your gut?  Well, this is something that you’re going to want to do with your college process as well.  If you have a good feeling about it, you will want to highly consider it.  Even if you  have that, “ehh” feeling, you may want to consider something else.  Trust me, I was much better off with the better feeling, rather than that odd feeling.

Money should be a factor as well

College isn’t cheap, I know that.  Even if you’re getting college loans, you’re going to have to pay them back in the future.  This is why its important that you know the numbers.  Most colleges will place their numbers right on their website.  This is a great way to save time from calling.

Money doesn’t have to be everything though, because sometimes you may get what you pay for.  Just make sure that you consider this as a piece of your pie.

These are all questions and things you need to ask yourself.  There are many pieces of the pie to make you happier.  Take your time and lets hope that a great college finds you!

I had to point this awesome deal out for all college students out there right now.  For a limited time, you can get Amazon Prime for free for one year when you can prove to Amazon that you’re attending college.

All you’re going to need is a “.edu” email address, as well as tell them what school/major you’re taking part in.

With Amazon Prime, you’re going to get the following…

• Unlimited FREE 2 day shipping
• No minimum order size
• Upgrades to one day shipping at only $3.99/item

This is a great deal to take advantage of if you purchase a lot of items from Amazon.

If you’re interested in the deal, you can get the details here.  No strings attached, I promise!