Student Credit Card and Credit Education Blog

Ok, so I haven’t been updating you readers out there.  First of all, Merry Christmas! Now that school is over for a short time, I think it’s also a good time to start saving. With guilty money (<– money received as presents) and a little more time in your hands, I think it’s safe to say ‘OK’ to a part-time job. It may be hard to find that part-time job, but the seach may actually be worth it.

I have had a part time job since the fall semester started. It was hard, I admit. Trying to fit in my schedule to their’s was not easy. But the hard work payed off. I was able to pay my car, school, and food. Oh, but trying to find the job I had now was very difficult! I searched high and low! I waited for months and months. Many many interviews, but I was never called back. Being patient will pay off. Litterally. LOL

I’m still working as it is. Balancing school and work wasn’t like eating a cake, but it was doable. With the money I’ve earned at my part-time job, I was able to reach the $500.00 goal savings! (Oooh boy, it took a lot of courage to remove what little money I had and place it into the savings account.)

Good luck to all!

Wednesday is my last day of this semester. One more final and I can finally roll around doing nothing. (My favorite pastime.)

Have you ever noticed to save money, we eat cheap? I’m thinking dollar menus at quick drive-bys. Have you also notice our waists pay the price when eating cheap? Sure, it’s a lot easier on one’s wallet to spend a dollar than to spend six dollars on a healthy meal. But the price we ultimately pay? A body with less energy, and a brain with no juice. Occasionally having that cheap meal is all right. However, running into that mess may make everything harder to run away from. So save money, but at the same time, watch your health!

Home-cooked meals are a lot more appetizing and can save your wallet’s life! When you’ve mastered the art of cuisine, then BAM! We control the ingredients and in turn, we control the amount of fat we place onto our plates. Don’t forget, always be on the look-out for sales. Just yesterday, I went to the supermarket because I was bored. (Yes, I go to supermarkets to kill my time) And you know what I found? I found CAKE MIX. FOR SALE. Instead of the usual 1 for $2.25, it was a measly 2 for $1.99. I was in cake heaven. I trotted home happily and had a weeks supply of endless cake-eating!

Ok, so maybe some of you don’t do cake diets. Try your very own. You like them burritos!? Try making them. You control the ingredients. On an earlier blog, look look look for sales and if you could, clip some coupons!

One last helpful tip that I found is this website: http://www.retailmenot.com
Have you noticed before paying for some online item, there are “Redemption Codes” or “Discount Code” somewhere on the payment website? Retail-me-not finds those codes for you and you pay less. Sounds great, huh?

KURI UPDATE!
I haven’t been depositing money into my savings account. BUT I WILL! Watch me, Scholarship Points! I will reach that goal by December 31, 2008!

10 days till Christmas. (And counting)

Happy Holidays!

I’m going mad! Did I mention I’m going mad? Guam is HOT. Palm trees swaying, sun shining, and the ocean’s moving does not stop us islanders from celebrating christmas. On Guam, we hold “family” to our hearts like our life depends on it! So, of course, buying gifts is a must and it shows respect to our elders. Although most kids my age are independent, they still live with their parents. We’re like asians, you see?! Moving along… having to save money during this warm holiday season is very difficult. I do it the smart way: LOOK FOR BARGAINS.

Ok, I admit I haven’t looked for bargains. I spent 200.00 on a dinner show for my parents who love me. Over 100.00 on my other who spends his paycheck on me most times, and blah blah. Then there’s still my brother, sister, and my best friends!

Oh, fear not my fellow readers! I’ve just deposited money into my ING direct savings account. I won’t tell you how much, but I could say I’m around 84% to my $500.00 goal by the end of this year. Man, I’m good!

This is all my hard-earned money. My parents don’t financially support me. (Does living under their roof and pigging out on their food count? I don’t think so, but if it does, my bad!)

From the looks of it…. my glass is half full. & No, it sadly doesn’t snow on Guam. (*pout pout*)

The titles says it all! Here they are:

1. I have my very own hard-earned money.
2. Since I was young, I forced myself to learn how to save.

I don’t know what else to say! I do spend my money. I spend my money a lot a lot. I spend about 50 dollars on gasoline alone biweekly. I drive from home to school. Then from school to work. Lastly, from work going back home. Guam’s a commuting island. If one does not have a car, I think you’ll be a sad little puppy.
Another thing I continously spend my money on is food. I’m always on the run. I don’t have time to take breaks in my schedule during the weekdays. Soooo, if I spot a fast-food joint, I roll in the drive-thru and make a quickie lunch before I speed myself down to work so I don’t arrive late.
I did, however, had many drops in my account. Most of those drops are due to important spending. (Important Spending: Monthly car payments, Beginning-school tuition, etc.) When these drops happen, I freak out! So I begin my cycle of a saving-frenzy. I don’t earn a lot from my job. I don’t make a lot of hours at my job, either.

So my general point: You can still save money. I’m betting my coins that you can, too!

BTW, I hope you all had a wonderful thanksgiving.

Hafa Adai!

On an earlier blog, Captain J mentioned smart shopping through Ebay. I am here to show you how to earn money while shopping! (Sounds unreal, doesn’t it?) It is a website you must first log into, and find a following link to your favorite shop. (e.g. oldnavy.com, clothes.com, Ebay.com) Each and everytime you shop, you earn back a percentage of the amount you spent. Of course, the percentage varies from shop site to shop site. I prefer to use the website to link me to Ebay. When the website links me to Ebay, I buy what I want. When I do, I get 20% back!

Let’s say I buy a small laptop on Ebay for $400.00.  — 20% off of that amount equates to: $80.00 back!

Here it is, the wonderful website of refunded money you spend:

BIGCRUMBS.COM!

You can do the same with your friends, too. Go right on ahead and rake in your own money! More instructions are on the website so go have fun. However, remember not to spend your money carelessly. This is all about saving, saving smart, and spending wisely.

Kuri Update!
So far so good. I have managed to save up $23.00 into my ING Saving’s account! Now I have $477.00 to go! Even if I do have money in my account, I am far away from that goal of $500.00. I am trying my best with whatever I have. But sometimes I cannot resist the yummy taste of cheese fries, and the oh-so satisfying cold passion green tea. Oh, and I think I deserve a pat on the back because I totally didn’t stop by the dessert shop to buy cookies. (cookies I have been craving for since 8 in the morning!)

Can anyone say yummo?

Hafa Adai from Guam! (Pronounced Ha-fa day)  My name is Kressha but please call me Kuri. I am here to occasionally tell you readers how to save money. It is a long tricky process, but it will get you somewhere. I am from the University of Guam and I think it’s a great little University. Considering I’m on a small island, (25 miles north to south, mind you) there are not many things to do. Having to find something to do can be quite expensive. Sometimes, sitting with your friends can help lighten the burden of money. Instead of burning your greens on a movie, stay over at a friends house and watch an old movie with the junk already in the fridge!

There is just a ton of activities you could do without having to spend money. Going to the beach could be one. However, going to the beach is not possible to every person out there, unless you live near one. So maybe that is only a good idea to a few people. How about car-pooling? It might be stuffy, but it is an opportunity to have a great time while saving money on gasoline. I should try the car-pooling idea. Guam is a commuting island. Everyone drives something and there are NO public transportation. So luck you if you have a good system of public transportation.

Well, I am going to do my homework now. Best if you do, too.