This guest article was written by Richard Hemby who regularly writes about online business degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college degree guide.

Being a student, it can be tough to manage money, as well as establish savings. There are various websites and tools available on the internet today that can help students with these problems. Following is some resources that can be used in helping students with money management.

BillHighway – This website has tools that can help sororities and fraternities manage their funds. Paying the rent, buying group gifts, and managing chapter finances can all be done here.

Mint – Connects to over 5,000 banks and credit unions, credit card, brokerage, and mutual fund companies. Automatically keeps transactions and account balances up to date and will even auto-balance your checkbook. Not to be confused with Shaun Inman’s Mint Analytics Software.Very different.

MoneyStrands (previously expensr) – A dependable solution for a student’s simple finances. Can create budgets and has forecasting tools as well.

You Need A Budget- YNAB is a software package that can help manage bank transactions. It can also track anything you want as well as categorize things. Includes tax forms as well.

BackpackIt – features a calender for students to set up due dates for bills. An email reminder will be sent the day before a bill is due.

MoneyInstructor – While the main focus is more on instruction rather than actual tools, this website offers help to students from kindergarten to high school. It has links to 529 college savings programs and lots of money management tips for young people.

SayStudent.com – Has a money management section with tools to help design an annual budget, reduce college expenses, avoid debt, student income ideas, and free money tips.

Moneytrackin’ – A simple but powerful online budgeting tool. Track expenses and income and get a clear view of your financial situation.

Geezeo- Free personal finance management system. Tracks bank accounts, financial goals, and has budgeting tools. Can collaborate with others about financial situations.

Wesabe – Advice sharing community to help students make better financial decisions. Offers a better understanding of how your money is spent.

MySpendingPlan – Free financial planning tools and online budgeting software. Manage tasks, save money, reduce debt, reach financial goals quicker.

BudgetPulse- Free service for planning your budget and tracking your money flow. Creates diagrams and charts you can use to analyze your situation.

Quicken Online – Manages your bank accounts online as well as your personal finances. Also comes with helpful charts and graphs.

ClearCheckbook- similar to the original Quicken. Enter and keep track of checking account transactions from your computer or cell phone.

SimpleDBudget - free and simple windows app for management your finances. You can categorize your incomes and expenses

This guest article was written by Richard Hemby who regularly writes about online business degrees and college related topics for Online College Guru, an online college degree guide.

Post from: Money Making Student

Tools and websites students can use to save and manage money

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All you have to do to get your hands on one of these books is to email us (please use the contact form, starting the message with- Competition: ) or leave a comment on this blog post answering the following question, in less than a 100 words:

What is your best or funniest money-saving tip?

We will select the 10 best entries who will be put in order of date received and the lucky 5 winners will be chosen at random using numbers generated by Random.org. Closing date for entries will be Monday 16th November.

So what will I get from the book?

This is an excellent book for students at university and those who will be applying. It is your guide to tuition fees, grants, loans and bursaries. As well as teaching you to budget for student life.

Sections of the book cover the likely costs of going university, including accommodation, food, study costs, socialising…And how to budget successfully.

Also the book has:

• A unique list of bursaries and scholarships
• Valuable survival tips and first-hand accounts from students
• Practical advice on gap year, vacation and part-time term work
  

So why not have a go at entering for your chance to win “The Complete University Guide: Student Finance”

Get your entries in soon!

Best of luck,

Martyn

Post from: Money Making Student

Win a Copy of “The Complete University Guide: Student Finance”

Related posts:

1. Tools and websites students can use to save and manage money
2. Oops! Better Time Budgeting
3. 20 Places to Buy, Sell, and Rent Cheap Textbooks Online

This guest post is by Adrienne Carlson who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degree.

Being a university student is not all fun and games as portrayed on television and in the movies – yes, you do get to enjoy the occasional party, but studying takes up most of your time (if you have really gone to college hoping to get good grades and secure a career based on your degree, that is). And if you’re not born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you’re going to be leading a hand to mouth existence, what with the loan you may have taken out to cover your tuition fees or the money and effort your parents have put into getting you to uni. Money is often hard to come by, and this is probably why most students work at a part-time job and get involved in other initiatives that help them save a few pounds here and there, but there are reasons to get into the habit of saving money beyond having enough to spend when you’re in uni, and they are:

• It becomes a habit for life: When you learn how to save money and be thrifty when in university, you learn how to do so for life. Even when you’re well settled and have a job that pays well, you’re not likely to go overboard. You know the value of putting aside some money for a rainy day because of your experiences in uni. And when the going becomes tough in case of an unexpected crisis or if you’re suddenly out of a job, you know you can manage because you’ve been wise enough to put aside some money for a rainy day.

• You learn how to manage money better: More than just saving money, you learn how to manage your money more wisely. Any extra money you make or anything that remains after your expenses have been taken care of, you know you must invest it wisely so that your money makes more money for you instead of just idly sitting in your bank balance. You’re also mature enough to stay away from high risk investments and stick to those that offer reasonable, but stable, returns.
• You become good at reducing unnecessary expenses: You’ve learned how to stay away from your credit cards in uni and to use them just for emergencies and other necessary expenses. You tend to follow this conservative thought process throughout your life, especially when you’ve seen the mess that people can get themselves into by using their credit cards unwisely. You also learn how to live within your means, never borrowing to buy something you don’t really need in the first place.
•  You know you need to repay your student loan: If you’ve gone through university on a student loan, you know you must pay the amount back. This makes you naturally prudent with your money and you tend to budget your salary and allocate expenses accordingly. It’s hard enough leaving uni without a job lined up, and when you have a loan that will eat into your pay packet, you become cautious and careful with money.

This guest article was written by Adrienne Carlson, who regularly writes on the topic of accelerated online degree . Adrienne welcomes your comments and questions at her email address: adrienne.carlson83@yahoo.com

Post from: Money Making Student

Why Students Must Get Into the Habit of Saving Money

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This guest post is by Karen Schweitzer from OnlineCollege.org

Buying university textbooks from a campus bookstore is expensive, and selling never yields as much as one would expect. Students who are looking to save money should go straight to the web. There are tons of places online offering deals that cannot be found in a campus store.

Here are 20 places where students can buy, sell, and rent cheap textbooks online:

Buy

JS Campus – JS Campus is the UK’s leading student bookseller. Students can receive regular deals on textbooks and shipping.

Better World Books – Students can buy both new and used textbooks through this online book seller. Shipping is cheap–only $3.97 worldwide.

Amazon Textbooks – Students who shop Amazon can save from 30 to 90 percent on new and used textbooks. Amazon is also a good source for study guides, reference books, and prep guides.

Buy.com – Buy.com is a great place to find cheap textbooks online. Students can choose from new and used books and can save more 10 percent off Amazon book pricing.

Powell’s – The largest independent book store in the world, Powell’s offers a wide variety of in-print and out-of-print textbooks at discounted prices.

Waterstone’s – Waterstone’s offers significant discounts on books and free shipping in the UK.

Blackwell – Nicknamed the "knowledge retailer", Blackwell has one of the largest collections of academic texts online. Books can be purchased new or secondhand.

Biblio – With millions of new and secondhand textbooks, chances are Biblio has the text you need. Biblio also features wonderful customer service for students who need help with textbook buying.

The Book Depository – This online book seller offers free worldwide delivery on textbooks and other academic texts.

iChapters – This unique site allows students to decide how they want to purchase textbooks. Students can buy an entire textbook or single chapters.

Sell

AbeBooks – Although they are better known for selling books, AbeBooks also has a buyback service for students who want to sell their textbooks. More than one million titles are eligible for buyback.

Student Books – This site offers a free place for students to auction their old textbooks. Sellers can also bid on other items.

Half.com – Students can use this eBay company to sell their textbooks to other people around the world. Half.com allows sellers to set their own price.

PriceMinister – PriceMinister is an excellent place to sell textbooks. Listing items is free and sellers are allowed to set their own price.

PlayTrade – PlayTrade is another favorite among students who want to make money off their textbooks and other old stuff. Selling on the site is easy and commissions are low.

UniTextbooks – Students can list old textbooks for free on this site and then arrange to meet the buyer face-to-face to avoid paying a seller commission.

Preloved – Preloved makes it easy for students to sell secondhand textbooks. There are no listing fees, no selling fees, and no commissions to pay.

Rent

YungJunk – This site offers more than one million textbooks that can be rented for free. Students pay only for the shipping.

Zilok – Students who want to find cheap textbooks online can rent books from other students through Zilok. The site allows buyers to name their price and decide how far they want to travel to get the books.

Find Guru – University students can search for rentable textbooks on Find Guru. Site members can also use Find Guru to rent out books.

Guest Post from Karen Schweitzer, the About.com Guide to Business School. Karen also writes about accredited online colleges for OnlineCollege.org.

Post from: Money Making Student

20 Places to Buy, Sell, and Rent Cheap Textbooks Online

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This guest post is by Heidi Taylor from Graduate degree online.

It’s not something most students are programmed to do, but it’s something that makes really good sense. The habit of saving for a rainy day is an aberration for the young, what with their tendency to live for today and take tomorrow as it comes. But the cost of university is high, and if you don’t realize that today, you’re going to end up with a huge debt and no way of repaying it when you graduate, especially because of the way the economy is and because jobs are hard to come by. If you’re looking for ways to save money while at university, here are a few tips to help you along:

• Don’t use your credit card: We’ve all heard that a penny saved is a penny earned; in the case of credit cards, a penny not spent is more than penny saved when you calculate the amount of interest you’re saving. Don’t get into the habit of charging things to your card. Remember, you’re spending money that you do not have but which is borrowed, and on which you will owe interest if you don’t repay it within a certain time.
• Make your own food: If you live at home, this should be pretty easy to follow since you can bring your lunch with you. But if you’re in a dorm room on campus, it’s best to eat at the cafeteria rather than buy expensive meals outside. It’s also more cost-effective to make your own coffee and carry it in a Thermos and eschew bottled water in favour of tap water that you can tote around in your bag.
• Spend less on booze and cigarettes: I know you think you’re entitled to a little fun and relaxation, but that’s no reason to spend what little money you have on alcohol and tobacco. For one, they’re not good for your health, and for another, they are pretty expensive when you indulge in them on a regular basis.
• Use your discounts: Most places offer a discount if you’re a student, so take advantage of this and shop at such places as much as possible. You could also make an effort to choose the cheapest entertainment options like attending a matinee show or renting a DVD and watching it in your room (you don’t have to shell out money on expensive snacks at the theatre as well).
• Go secondhand: It’s not something you need to be ashamed of if you’re seen buying used goods, especially when it comes to something as expensive as and as necessary as books. You could also try and find bargains online when shopping for other necessities like electronic gadgets and appliances.

Besides this, you need to manage the money that you do have wisely. If you budget well and stay within the boundary lines of this budget, there’s nothing you need to be worried about when it comes to your finances.

This post was contributed by Heidi Taylor, who writes about the graduate degree online. She welcomes your feedback at HeidiLTaylor006 at gmail.com

Post from: Money Making Student

5 Ways to Save Money When You’re a Student

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*UPDATE 18/05/09* From September 09 the interest rate will be 0% for post ‘98 loans. For Pre ‘98 loans the interest will be -0.4%. Find out more here.

Will student loan interest rate be negative next year?

Yes, if the Government follow their method for calculating interest rate for post (and Pre) 1998 loans. The rate as of March 2009 stands at 1.5% (post ‘98). This is calculated, according to Student Loans Company website (the company who collects and distributes the money on behalf of the Government):

“Student loans are not like commercial loans. They are subsidised by Government and attract a low cost interest rate. This interest rate is based on the annual March Retail Price Index (RPI) or the highest base rate of a number of major banks plus 1%; whichever is lower.

To date, the RPI has always been the lower of the two. The reduced bank base rate plus 1% is now lower than the March 2008 RPI so we have presently adjusted the student loan rate to 1.5%.

However, if the bank base rate goes up again, then the interest will also go back up again – although it will not exceed this year’s rate of 3.8%.”

Pre 1998 loans do not get the same treatment and follow the March RPI:

“You will not be affected by the change in rate if you took your loan out for a course starting before September 1998. Your loan is repaid through a fixed term (Mortgage Style) repayment scheme. You will be charged interest, based on the RPI. As from 1st September 2008, the interest rate is 3.8%, and this rate will apply until 31st August 2009″

But, for 2009/2010 the RPI for March 09 is -0.4%, so will the Goverment keep to their word? Will student loans shrink? There has yet to be confirmation, I’m not the only one who isn’t confident. Martin Lewis of Money Saving Expert has raised awareness of the lack of confirmation and promised in his weekly email newsletter (well worth subscribing to) to launch a campaign if there is no confirmation.

So we await an announcement…

Fingers crossed,

Martyn.

Post from: Money Making Student

Student Loan Interest Rate 09/10 Uncertainty

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Searching Google or other search engines effectively can be time consuming. Knowing how to find the gold value websites from the fools gold can be a nightmare.

With the increase in popularity of starting your own website or writing your own blog, the internet is becoming full of ‘noise’. That is sites that are content poor, or not appropriate to the subject you are searching for.

Cutting out this noise is a challenge for everyone, search engines included. Although the likes off Google try their best in giving results that match what you search for, it doesn’t always work.

That gem of a website you were looking for could be on page 5. How are you expected to find/ know about that? Well there are some things you can do to cut out the rubbish, by using filters and other techniques.

Top 5 Google Search Techniques

1. Include – If you want to make sure all your search results contain a certain keyword use the ‘+’ symbol in front of that word. Example: Back to the Future +III Would give you links to sites about the film Back to the Future III, but not other films from the series, e.g I or II.
2. Exclude - The opposite to include, If you would like search results with a certain word excluded you can use the ‘-’ symbol in front of that word. Example: operating systems -Windows Would give results about non-Windows operating systems. Which would otherwise be difficult to find due to the popularity of Windows.
3. Synonyms – If you do not want to limit your search to the words you have requested and would like similar words included then ‘~’ is the symbol to use before the word. Example: ~latest TV shows would give results for latest/new/current (e.t.c) TV shows, therefore giving a much wider range of results.
4. Alternative – If you want searches to include a word or an alternative word you can use ‘OR’, note the OR must be capitalised. Example: pets hamster OR goldfish would give results about either keeping hamster and/or goldfish as pets.
5. Explicit Phrase – If you want to find a phrase within search results enclose what you want to find in “speech marks”. Example: “money making student” will give every mention of the phrase money making student. Particularly useful for me, to keep track of what is being said!

The five tips I have just given are just a beggining there are many more ways of improving or tweaking search results. I consider the five above the ‘essential tools’ everyone needs to get the best out of Google.

If you would like to learn more check out these sites:

• Google – More Search Help
• Google – Search Features
• HubSpot – 12 Quick Tips To Search Google Like An Expert
• Night Dreaming – Google Search syntax dissected

Best wishes,

Martyn.

p.s. I have no idea how I came up with those search examples either! But you have to get the word ‘goldfish’ into a post at some point!

Post from: Money Making Student

How to Search Google, Effectively

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Student loan interest rates have fallen for the second month in the row after the Bank of England lowered the base rate to 1.5%. This has led to the student loans interest, falling to 2.5%, this took effect from the 9th January. Good news! For an explanation of how the rate is set please see my previous post, when the interest rate went down in December to 3%.

Keep smiling!

Martyn

Post from: Money Making Student

Student Loan Interest Down to 2.5%

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1. Student Loan Interest Falls Again, Now 3%
2. Student Loan Interest Rates To Fall
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