Around the web, 4/10/15

As I work furiously to finish my thesis before the end of the spring semester, I haven't had much time to put into the blog. Priorities!...

Anyway, I have been on Twitter, sharing some of the best content I found. Here are my favorites:

-This one is targeted squarely at recent college graduates, who may be struggling with whether it's better to rent an apartment, or try to buy a home and take on a mortgage in addition to the student loans! A tough question, tackled here: http://squaredawayblog.bc.edu/squared-away/grads-with-student-loans-rent-or-buy/

-These 15 money-saving hacks can apply to anyone! My favorites from this list are tips #1, 5, 7, 10, and 15. http://fundingmyway.com/15-simple-money-saving-hacks/

-This is Investment 101: Investing for the Real World. Put some money into dividend-producing investments (as part of a properly diversified portfolio, of course!). Reinvest the dividends, and...poof! It's like getting free money! http://misfitmoney.com/investing-for-beginners/dividends-are-the-easiest-way-for-you-generate-additional-income/ Remember, millionaires make their money work harder than they do!

-What if you want to start investing, but you have barely any money to spare! On her excellent blog, author Stefanie O'Connell dug up a couple no-minimum investment options: http://thebrokeandbeautifullife.com/where-to-start-investing-when-youre-broke/

-In fact, you don't have to be broke for years while taking on a monstrous student loan debt! If you aren't traditionally academic (you didn't enjoy your classes in high school, or you didn't do so well in tougher courses), you can take a quicker and cheaper route to a nice salary while solving people's practical problems! [The alliteration was unintentional, but I'm keeping it anyway!]
A number of blue-collar professions are in-demand and can't be outsourced. Some examples include electrician, mechanic, carpenter, roofer/builder, plumber, paramedic/certified first responder/emergency medical technician, or other professional trade. Don't count out working in the military, either--they need help in a number of non-combat areas, like working in logistics, intelligence, or repair.
You might find it more rewarding--on several levels--to work in one of these fields instead of trying to figure everything out while accumulating debt in a traditional four-year college. Stefanie O'Connell discusses that here: http://thebrokeandbeautifullife.com/how-to-make-six-figures-before-thirty/ *Disclaimer: working in these fields won't guarantee that you'll make six figures. In fact, you probably won't, unless you start your own business. But the point stands that there are a variety of rewarding, well-paying alternatives to college--going into one of these fields can help you avoid burdensome student loans!

-Speaking of those student loans: are they worsening economic inequality? A French economist argues that they are: http://bigthink.com/think-tank/hefty-student-loans-are-worsening-income-inequality

-Microsoft is finally surrendering to pirates!
They will reportedly allow people who pirated Windows 7 or 8 to upgrade to the legit Windows 10 when it becomes available--just like the people who are running the genuine versions! Microsoft appears to be bowing to the inevitable: nobody is willing to pay for an operating system anymore. Credit Microsoft for finally getting in sync with the times!  http://www.techrepublic.com/article/microsoft-gives-up-on-charging-for-windows-in-china/
Tech geeks might find it entertaining to debate whether or not this move will ensure that Linux never attains widespread use...
*UPDATE 5/24/2015: Despite numerous reports originally, it turns out that this is not true. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2484352,00.asp?

And, kids, this is your lesson:

http://weknowmemes.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/dont-believe-everything-you-see-on-the-internet.jpg

-This teen has her stuff together! She's helping her mother with the family budget--kudos to this young woman whose heart (and mind!) are definitely in the right place! http://canadianbudgetbinder.com/2015/03/16/ambitious-teen-helps-mom-with-family-budget/

-This is a common trait among entrepreneurs: they refuse to accept a "no." You might even say that entrepreneurs tend to have a lot of...grit!
Barbara Corcoran, an investor on the very entertaining show "Shark Tank," wrote an example of how she refused to take no for an answer--and that's why she got a spot on Shark Tank! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140906172705-264544111-the-best-entrepreneurs-don-t-know-when-to-quit
Speaking of Shark Tank--if you haven't seen it yet, you should! Here's a link to an episode from season 6 (aired March 2015).
And, if you haven't heard, Bowling Green State University in Ohio has a similar production annually, called "The Hatch." It's a great educational opportunity for students there (and it's entertaining to watch)!

-Also on an entrepreneurial note, here's a peek behind the curtain of some of today's most successful and talked-about companies--before they were household names! https://medium.com/@todfrancis/what-did-billion-dollar-companies-look-like-at-the-series-a-e53ea8043a85

-Diversification is just as important in marketing as it is in investing, as this article makes clear: http://marketingland.com/unofficial-death-google-means-marketing-122696
There's one particular quote from this article that really struck me, and it dovetails nicely with an article that's been simmering in the back of my mind for months (but so far exists only as a title). The quote is, "...there's often more to be learned from failure than successes."
Very true--and, as many successful entrepreneurs will tell you, they often learned valuable lessons from starting businesses that failed early in their careers. [See the note on Barbara Corcoran's article two paragraphs above. Remember, failure isn't final!]

-Need a new lock for a broken door? You can make one yourself, for the cost of a used fork from a thrift store: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lNFJt10w1E

-Sometimes, instead of trying to keep wages low and profits high while accepting an absurdly high salary, a CEO has compassion for employees and does something extraordinary to increase their happiness, like Dan Price of Gravity Payments! Read more here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/14/business/owner-of-gravity-payments-a-credit-card-processor-is-setting-a-new-minimum-wage-70000-a-year.html

Hope you found these links as interesting and helpful as I did! Happy saving!

Finance meme

Grammatical mistakes aside, Kermit really knows what he's talking about in this meme:

http://www.hekaheka.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/kermit-7.png

Happy saving! :)

How 'saving money' really works

Along the same lines as my post on the Millionaire Mindset, I want to make the notion of saving quite clear. What a lot of people do to save money is actually doing the opposite! Despite what retailers will tell you, buying a product at a discount does not mean you are saving money!

The Wal-Mart Trap

Bargain hunters beware!

Though Wal-Mart has great prices on certain items, they're not always the cheapest option around. They built a very successful business based on advertising their low prices, and then having such a wide selection that people don't bother to go anywhere else for their other goods.

Moviegoing

Image from imgur

I just found this meme, and I thought it was both funny and applicable to this blog :)

I think this serves as an example to illustrate a larger point about planning ahead, and having the self-control to say 'no' to products or services that you see as a poor value. With all the stuff that's available in this world, all the different manufacturers offering products, companies offering services, charities, and other organizations each trying to get some of your money, it's up to you to be a smart and discriminating shopper. 

6 (+5 more) simple ways to save

If you have your own apartment (or house) and you're responsible for paying utilities, there are simple ways to cut waste and save $$$. Here, you'll find 6 that you may not have thought of:

How to listen to the music you want, for free

I found the following web page thought-provoking:  http://www.bargaineering.com/articles/buying-vs-streaming-music.html

This is an interesting analysis, but is a false dichotomy (i.e. that you have to pay to stream vs. pay to buy a song). There are other options, as mentioned by a few people in the comments. For example, Pandora, Grooveshark, Spotify, and Last.fm are well-known free music streaming services. Lesser-known ones are listed on Lifehacker, along with strengths of each: http://lifehacker.com/the-best-streaming-music-services-you-arent-using-but-476372723

YouTube is also an overlooked option: it offers auto-playlists based on certain songs or bands that you like, or you can create your own playlists and add songs to them. You'll have to put up with ads on some of the videos, but it does allow customization and a high degree of user control--all for free!

Interesting story

Though this doesn't necessarily apply to college students, it's a good tip if you're wondering how to make ends meet: http://www.debt.org/blog/cord-cutting-cable-frugal-man/ Try re-considering your 'must-haves.' (Story found courtesy https://plus.google.com/communities/116393177625731626010 the +Financial Literacy Google+ community)

Tips for college students

Despite what books, TV ads, financial planners, and others would have you believe, there is no big 'secret' to being financially successful. There are, of course, lots of tax loopholes, complicated investment methods, and other such tricks to making money.

Unless you are a CPA, tax lawyer, investment banker or otherwise want to be involved in studying the myriad financial laws of this country (and possibly others, as well), a simpler approach probably sounds good to you.

Welcome!

Hello world, and welcome to the new Froogal Stoodent blog! The purpose of this blog (in case you couldn't tell from the title!) is to provide tips and advice on saving money. This is aimed directly at college students and graduate students, though the advice could be useful to anyone.

I will largely draw ideas from my own experience and expertise, but input is encouraged! This site will work best as a forum for people to discuss ways of saving money and living frugally. Learning how to live below your means is certainly an ongoing process, but it's up to you to make the commitment to do so. As with most things in life, the results you get will reflect the effort you put in.

So if you want to learn how to lead a frugal lifestyle that will yield benefits for many years after you graduate, you've come to the right place! After all, who doesn't want to save money?!

As difficult as it can be sometimes to sit at home while your friends go to concerts, parties, and dates to the movie theater or posh restaurants, consider how those same friends will feel when they graduate with $30,000 or $60,000 or $100,000 of debt--or even more! If that thought isn't enough motivation to seek alternative ways to have fun, go on dates, and eat well, I don't know what is!

Before we get into the heavy stuff, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Zach, I'm 25 years old, and I'm pretty easygoing. I'm a graduate student in Cognitive Psychology at a university in Ohio, but I'm originally from central Pennsylvania. My father has worked in a warehouse for about 30 years, and my mother retired from her work helping people navigate their medical insurance benefits (a minefield, to be sure!) when I was born in 1989. She has not worked since.

So, it probably goes without saying that I've never been particularly well-off. Because of this, I'm fortunate enough to have been taught the value of living below your means, so my meager pay as a grad student is actually more than enough to meet my needs--but only because I do without some things that a lot of people take for granted.

Since so many people talk about having money issues, I figured a blog such as this one would be a good way to share my knowledge and provide a forum for other people to do the same. While a grad student like myself can't increase his income, he CAN decrease his expenses--and that goes for just about everyone who doesn't make more money than he knows what to do with!

My own tips and ideas will be coming along in future posts. But for now, here's a link to a site that I found: http://www.hackcollege.com/blog/2013/10/07/20-money-saving-tips-for-frugal-students.html  It's got some good ideas that you may have thought of, or you may not have. In any case, there's always more to learn. So, let the savings begin!