Archive for February 6th, 2011
Charitable Goodness: LoveDrop
Posted on: February 6, 2011
Living a frugal beautiful life is not just about saving money. Being charitable is just one aspect of living your best life, even if it’s just $1 a month. Enter, LoveDrop.
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Join the team – This is the best way to help out, and all it takes is $1.00.
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Join our blogger network – Blog about our Love Drops each month like I am 🙂 It’s easy, it’s rewarding, and it REALLY helps spread the word (which in turn helps our families). Love Drop will give you all the content you need.
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Give a gift or provide a service – Gift cards (iTunes would be great!), two iPads (so we can help the boys speak again!), and anything else you think could help out.
The best advice to save money on your campus is to be resourceful (beyond stocking up on Top Ramen). Each school is different in how it provides perks to its students, so keep an eye out for freebies. Until then, here are some resources for your resourcefulness:
-Free Amazon Prime: If you’re a student, you can sign up for a free year of Amazon Prime for free shipping on anything- not just textbooks or school supplies. Sign up with your student email here.
-Cell Phone Discounts: I currently save 17% on my phone bill each month just for having a student email address. Know that not all schools have deals negotiated with cell phone providers, and rates may vary from school to school. Call or visit your provider’s website for details by looking up “Employee Discount.”
-Student Rates on Software: Again, different schools offer different discounts, but you can get software cheaper than retail if you’re a student and your school qualifies. One site that does this is http://www.academicsuperstore.com/
-Fee Waivers: If you haven’t submitted applications yet, be sure to check if you’re eligible for an application fee waiver. Visit the university’s website and type “application fee waiver,” in the search bar. I was able to save several hundred dollars this way when I applied to grad school.
-TRIO/SSS: If you are a first generation and/or low income college student, see if your school has any of these federal programs. Different states might have local organizations like this- such as one I was in, California State University’s Educational Opportunity Program. Each semester I received stipends and access to free facilities, mentoring and book and equipment loans. Call your financial aid office to see what programs are set up at your school if you can’t find information online. (Also know you will have to fill out a FAFSA to qualify for these programs as they are need based).
-Free Books: I seriously never want to buy a book for school again, so I use Inter-Library Loan at my university. You can request your syllabus early or look up the booklist at your school’s bookstore or student center. Get to the library ASAP and request whatever you can. Also, almost textbooks are available to check out in-house for a few hours, or can be found in academic labs on campus, so get your tuition’s worth and use what’s available!
-Free Food: If you don’t know how great college is for free food, you haven’t been paying attention. Campuses are notorious for having bulletin boards plastered with campus events and information sessions that feed attendees.
-Campus Jobs: Simply being around faculty and staff will mean you will have a network in place that will put you ahead of your peers in terms of finding the best scholarships, exclusive campus events and people to write better letters of recommendations for scholarships and graduate programs. Working on campus builds rapport with staff and helps you connect with hard-to-find perks.
Frugal Beautiful 