Tips for Holiday Travel

With Christmas break just around the corner, the two things on your mind right now are probably: how am I going to make it through finals week? and what are my travel options for getting home? Now, I cannot help you with the finals situation (heck, I have my own tests to study for), but I can help with the travel options. Since I plan on doing a little traveling myself over the holidays, I researched on the internet some ways to cut down on travel costs. I even went as far as to research for both car and air travel. So here's my list of travel tips. Hopefully, it will make your holidays a little brighter and keep money in your wallet where it belongs!

If you are traveling by air:

1.) Book your tickets as soon as you know your loose dates and destination. Airlines often offer discounted ticket prices for those who book early. Also, passenger demand remains high, but many airlines have reduced their seating capacity.

2.)Avoid peak travel days. If you are flexible with your dates, try flying out/returning on a Tuesday or Wednesday to save money. Sunday, Dec. 21, Friday, Dec. 26, and Saturday, Jan. 3 are the three most expensive travel days. Skip flying on those days, and you'll save a significant amount of money.

3.) Carry on, Check less. Cut down on fees by checking less baggage. For each piece of additional luggage that you check, you can expect to pay a higher fee. Buy a lightweight carry-on bag that's in accordance with airlines' carry-on allowances. You'll save money, bypass the hassle of finding your luggage, and avoid the stress of lost luggage.

4.)Bring your own snacks. Airport food is ridiculously expensive. Pack your own stash of granola bars, fruit snacks, and cookies, and you'll be pleasantly surprised at the amount of cash you'll save.

If you are traveling by car:

1.) Carpool! Check with other students on campus to see where they are headed for the holidays. You'll most likely find someone who's going in your direction. Road trips are more fun with company, and splitting gas money isn't bad, either.

2.) Slow Down. This is for all of you race car driver wannabes: slow down and save money. According to FuelEconomy.gov, fuel efficiency decreases rapidly as speed rises above 60 mph. Also, each five miles above 60 mph adds about 20 cents per gallon to the cost of driving. By driving slower you also avoid expensive speeding tickets!

3.)Use cruise control whenever possible. Keeping a steady speed whenever possible will cut down on gas costs. 

4.)Pick a better route. Avoid routes with heavy traffic and lots of traffic lights. 

That's all I have for now. Hope my tips work for you!

Obama In Action

President-elect Barack Obama is on the prowl. Not only is he on the lookout for the perfect White House dog, but he is also hunting for economic gurus to join his cabinet. So far, Obama has recruited Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Tom Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services, Bill Richardson as Secretary of Commerce, and Timothy Geithner as the head of the Treasury Department. It may be too soon to say it, but I think Obama's recruits might be the financial dream team that we so desperately need.

What is Obama cooking up for the future? Put simply, he not afraid to spend. Obama wants to increase spending in certain areas and offer relief to many middle and lower income families. His plan is similar to what former President Franklin D. Roosevelt executed during the Great Depression. Instead of giving huge tax breaks and subsidies to companies and corporations in hopes that the relief will trickle down, Obama, like FDR before him, is going to offer relief to the average Joes by increasing government spending.

Government spending can actually boost our economy if the money is spent in the right places. For instance, using government money to build better roads, highways, and bridges is an excellent place to start. Why? If the government pays to have our roads and bridges repaired, jobs are created. Those who need work now have a chance to earn an income, and when they do, they in turn spend money. So money gets pumped back into the economy, which benefits society as a whole. Just remember, spending can be a positive thing, as long as it is spent wisely.

If spending is the key to reviving our economy, then count me in; I support Obama 100 percent. The question is: where do you stand?

Frugality is the Newest Fad

It's official; thriftiness is no longer a mindset for just us college students. With economic conditions in a crazy downward spiral, more and more Americans are making do with a lot less. I noticed, though, that this new frugality isn't just about spending less, it's about making your dollar go further. And if anyone's an expert on stretching every dollar, it's a college student.

So in the spirit of thriftiness, I've compiled a list of my top five ways to be frugal:

1.) Make Walmart your new best friend. It's the one-stop shop that's not too hard on your wallet.

2.)Banish all thoughts of buying brand-name goods. Let's face it: in the end you are just paying more for the name.

3.) Clip coupons religiously.

4.) Cut out the $4 Starbucks coffees. You can make a pot of coffee for under 50 cents!

5.) Skip the exotic vacations.  Turn your home into your dream vacation spot. Run a bubble bath, light some scented candles, buy a bottle of wine, and treat yourself to a day at your home-made spa. The key is to get creative!

Follow these 5 simple tricks and you'll be a thrift expert in no time!

North Dakota has a Basket of Goodies

Right now, North Dakota is the place to be. Why? Well earlier this afternoon I was scanning the Bismarck Tribune's Sunday paper, and I came across a interesting article in the Money section. Basically, the article centered around the fact that while our nation as a whole is facing a daunting economic crisis, North Dakota seems to be floating quite safely through this economic storm. In fact, the Bismarck Tribune reports that North Dakota's unemployment numbers are holding constant; in some industries, the numbers are actually declining. North Dakota's labor statistics show an unemployment rate of 2.8 percent while the nation holds an unemployment rate of 6.5 percent. The Tribune also mentioned that certain industries within North Dakota such as health care, technical, and service/hospitality suffer from lack of workers. 

What does this mean to you? As college students, our ideal goal is to be placed in a great job upon graduation, so we can start paying off those dreaded school loans. With North Dakota's swelling numbers of job opportunities, our shared goal actually seems attainable. Sweet!

If you have a few years until graduation but still want to earn some cash, don't worry. The thousands of job opportunities include part-time jobs. From retail and food service to technical jobs, the abundance is evident. Where can you find information about these jobs? Check the employment section in the Bismarck Tribune's classified ads or go to www.FindCareersNow.com for employment openings. Happy Hunting!

Volunteering Could be a Big Payoff

Here is some exciting news about volunteering: it could possibly be your new way to pay off college debt! I recently read an article in the October 2008 issue of CosmoGirl about a proposal that would help college students (like you and me!) pay off debt in exchange for one year of public service. I was really interested (hello, what college student doesn't like money?!), so I researched this proposal further on the internet. I read a web article titled "Service Pays: Creating Opportunities by Linking College with Public Service" and found out that this proposed government-sponsored program is called Service Pays. Under this program you could earn around $13,000 each year for volunteer work. Volunteer opportunities include rebuilding cities after natural disasters and teaching in inner-city schools. 

Sound awesome? I thought so. The only catch is that this program still has to be passed as federal law. So now is the perfect time to introduce my next challenge: simply write a letter to your elected officials, asking them to endorse the Service Pays Program. If we can get enough people to send such letters, hopefully it will convince our legislature to put this proposal into action. Like I said, this is the perfect opportunity to exercise your political power. You have a voice, so use it!  

For more information about Service Pays, visit <http://www.hlpronline.com/Vol1No1/warren.pdf>.

Election Day: Take a Stand

 It's the final countdown. A mere 16 hours remain until election day. This is the perfect opportunity to meet my challenge of getting involved politically. Seriously, you should be jumping out of bed at the crack of dawn tomorrow to cast your vote. Okay, not quite that early. 

 Voting begins at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Students living on campus have the convenience of voting on campus. If you are a student living on the University of Mary's campus, you should go to the Benedictine Meeting Room located in the Benedictine Center. Make sure to bring your M-Card with you, as well as another photo ID like a driver's license that can verify your age. If you are living off campus, look up which precinct you fall under and vote in the designated place. It will probably be a school, a church, or some other public gathering place. Don't forget to bring an acceptable form of identification showing your street address. This is so you can prove that you are voting in the correct precinct. The voting locations will be open until 7 p.m., so you have almost the entire day to cast your vote.

 Feeling uninformed about the candidates? Need a quick refresher? Log on to:

<http://www.morningsun.net/elections/x282359313/On-the-issues-A-look-at-McCains-and-Obamas-stances>.

This is a great website because it lists both John McCain's and Barack Obama's stances on key issues. It offers a short summary under each issue, which makes 

for easy reading. As college students, we like easy reading.

This week's challenge: VOTE! You have a voice so use it!

Politics and Economics: What's the Big Deal?

Hey! My name is Kelly Muscha, and I'm currently a sophomore at the University of Mary. My newly formed blog is an ongoing  assignment for my Media Writing class. I tossed around many potential blog ideas and finally decided to write about why it's important for college students to be aware of and involved in political and economic events. 

As a college sophomore, I often get caught up in my own little world that revolves around studying, hanging with friends, and working (because those student loans aren't going to pay themselves off!). It's easy to get so caught up in college life that you ignore political events, such as elections, or economic events like the recent 700 billion bailout. Many college students think that they really don't have a say, or that political and economic issues aren't relevant to them. I say that both these ideas are false!

What makes the United States so great is that, through our democracy, everyone has a say. Yes, that's right. It doesn't matter whether you are 18 or 80 years old, you still can have a voice in the matters of our country. And yes, political and economic events do affect college students. My challenge to you: step outside of your own little world and learn about what is going on in our country and the world. Knowledge is power! I will also include political or economic news updates in each of my blogs, so you can keep up with important issues. Hopefully, through reading about such issues, you will take a stand and get involved. We are the future, so we must aware and active.

Well, that's all I have for now. Later!