How to Save Money on College Text Books

College textbooks are a huge expense. If you buy retail, you can easily spend several hundred dollars on textbooks every single semester. Often times the cost of these textbooks will have to come out of your pocket - not your parents' or grants.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways you can save money on textbooks.

Shop for Used Textbooks

Try to buy textbooks used rather than new. You can easily save 50% or more by doing just this. There are a few different places you can look.

In most college towns, there will be a bookstore that specializes in buying and selling used textbooks. Sometimes this will be your college bookstore. Sometimes it'll be your local bookstore.

If you can't find the textbook(s) you need from a used textbook store, you can try shopping online instead. Your costs will be slightly higher because you have to pay for shipping, but it'll still be a lot less than buying retail.

Talk to Other Students

If you know someone who took the class the semester before you, ask if they'd be willing to sell it to you. You'll usually be able to get a pretty good price.

If you know the student well, you could even just ask them to borrow the book for a semester. When you return it to them, they'll still be able to sell the book. You get the semester for free and it costs them nothing.

Check for an "International" Version

Believe it or not, you'll often be able to find international versions of popular textbooks in English for a fraction of the price of the local versions.

For example, you might find your statistics textbook in its Japan edition. The title and front cover might be in Japanese and English, but the book's actual contents are in English.

Use sites like Amazon.com to find these textbooks. Check with your professor to make sure these textbooks will cover what you need to know.

Check for Digital Versions

Check for digital versions of your textbook on the Kindle bookstore and the iBookstore.

The biggest labels in the textbook publishing world have already signed on with Amazon to produce their textbooks in digital format.

Digital textbooks are still pricey, but much less expensive than their physical counterparts.

Go 50/50 with another Student

Finally, if you're really on a budget or if you can't find any discount textbooks, go 50/50 with another student.

It can be quite tricky to share a textbook. Sometimes you'll have to study together or go without the textbook for a day.

6 Ways to get Cheap Car Insurance

Car insurance payments aren't cheap, but that doesn't mean you can't lower your expenses on your insurance policies. There are several ways that can help you save a few dollars on car insurance. Here are some tips you can follow to get cheap auto insurance.

• Buy safety devices for your car. If you’re planning to get that theft alarm for your vehicle, this is the right time to do so. Having theft devices on your car can help lower your insurance costs. These devices would ensure your insurance provider that you are less likely to encounter car theft incidences.

• Use the same insurance provider for all your cars. If you have more than 1 car at home, one good way of saving on auto insurance cost is by using only 1 insurance company for all your cars. This way, you'd easily be able to ask for a multiple car discount. If you can't get a discount on all of your car insurance policies, what most providers do is give you a lower rate for your second car. You'll be paying the same amount for your first car, but the rest of the cars you sign up will be at a lower rate.

• Group discounts. There are insurance providers who offer discounts if you are a member of certain groups, or if you carry a certain credit card. Before signing up with an insurance company, it's best to ask if they give discounts to members of organizations or if they are affiliated with credit card unions. Some Agents might not inform you about these discounts unless you ask them.

• Look for an insurance company that offers both home and car insurance. Most providers will give you as much as a 20% discount if you get both your home and car insurance with them. Doing this woon't only save you money, it also reduces paper work and makes applying easier as you are getting all your assets insured by only one company.

• Be a low risk driver. Taking care of your driving record is very important if you want to save on auto insurance expenses. The more tickets you get, the higher you will pay for your car insurance. Insurance providers don't want to cater to people who are prone to accidents, as this means shelling out money because of your inability to drive safely. Keep your driving records as clean as possible so you won't have a hard time getting a lower appraisal for your auto insurance.

• Keep your credit score high. Most insurance providers conduct credit checks to see if you can pay for your insurance policy. If you have a good credit score, then you don't need to worry about anything. If your credit rating is not good, you might want to look for an insurance company that does not do credit investigations, although this may result in a higher rate for your insurance.

With a little bit of research, you'll find an insurance provider that can give you a good price for auto insurance. Once you obtain coverage, keep your driving record clean to ensure your rates stay low.

What is a Short Sale? How Does it Work?

A short sale, if done well, can allow you to walk away from your home free and clear, even if you're underwater right now. For many homeowners, a short sale is the only option that allows them to avoid certain foreclosure.

What Is a Short Sale?

A short sale is when a bank agrees to let you sell your home for less than the value of your loan. They'll accept the proceeds of the sale and forgive the rest of the debt.

In other words, instead of having to foreclose on the house and sell the house themselves at market rate, they'll let you handle all of that - and just take the money.

Doing a short sale is still bad for your credit, but it's much better than a foreclosure on your credit report.

What Does the Process Look Like?

Start by talking to your lender. Your lender can help you walk through the process and explain exactly what your bank is looking for in a short sale.

You'll need to arrange a buyer. The bank won't do this for you. Instead, you essentially have to come to the bank with the paperwork ready.

If you want to work with a real estate agent to list your property, you need to first submit a letter of authorization to your lender. This allows your lender to disclose financial details to potential buyers and your real estate agent.

Try to work with an agent who has short sale experience. Selling a home on a short sale is quite different than a regular transaction.

A short sale involves negotiating with both the buyer and the bank. Instead of going back and forth between a buyer and seller, the agent essentially has to get the lender to agree to a price.

Though selling a home with a short sale is trickier, many buyers are willing to jump through the hoops for one simple reason: they can often get a much better deal than buying through the normal channels.

Closing a Short Sale Deal

In order to close a short sale, you need to have all your documents in order, as well as the agreement of your bank.

You'll need to draft a hardship letter, explaining why you can't repay your loan any longer. The worse your financial situation seems, the better your chances.

You'll need to prove your income, your expenses and your assets. Furthermore, the bank will want a rough projection of how much they can expect to receive after the short sale.

If you're underwater on your property right now, a short sale can help you get out. You won't walk away with any cash, but you can preserve your credit and get away from those crushing monthly payments. In exchange, you have to be willing to put in the effort to make the short sale happen.

Common Bankruptcy Questions and Answers

Although bankruptcy is seemingly quite common in the world today, there are still many people who understand very little about the way that the whole process works. A lot of bankruptcy questions still proliferate on the internet and there just can't seem to be enough resources to answer them all. Here are some of the most common bankruptcy questions:

1) What is bankruptcy? Many people ask this question mainly because of the discrepancy between the reality of bankruptcy and what is portrayed in media. Many people think that bankruptcy is just something that happens. But actually, bankruptcy is something that's declared by law. When your company goes bankrupt, it wouldn't be a sudden occurrence of you finding out that the treasury is empty. It would be a decision reached by either your company or your creditors. It would be a process to be decided and overseen by the courts.

2) Is bankruptcy something to be desired? This question has something to do with the pros and cons of bankruptcy. In order to answer this question, you need to understand that bankruptcy should be considered as a last resort. Another important factor in answering this bankruptcy question is knowing the fact that although declaring bankruptcy will be able to rid you of most of your debt, it will also clear out most of the assets of the company. If you are a single proprietorship, you have to know that the assets of your company and your personal assets have no distinction under law. You will be cleaned out.

3) What's Chapter 13 and Chapter 7? Many people who are just learning about the different facts regarding bankruptcy are faced with the terms "chapter 13" and "chapter 7". It is only natural that this is one of the most common bankruptcy questions circulating today. The fact is that Chapter 13 and 7 are two chapters of the bankruptcy law that people can file under. Chapter 13 allows a person to renegotiate with the creditors. Under chapter 13, a person can be allowed to repay all of his debts over time.

The second part of this bankruptcy question is chapter 7. Under chapter seven, a person can choose to liquidate all assets and have those assets distributed by the court among creditors. Not many people know that even in bankruptcy, you still have a choice.

4) Which chapter is for me? When people learn about the options that they have for filing bankruptcy, the next bankruptcy question they raise is what chapter should they choose? Well, chapter 7 seems to be a popular choice since it does not require you to pay back any of your debts. However, if you choose chapter 13, you will get a better opportunity to discharge your debt and still keep all of your stuff. Sure it will be harder, but in the long run, it will leave you with more stuff.

5) Will all of my debts be wiped out by bankruptcy? Many people think that by declaring bankruptcy, all of their debts will be wiped out. However, the real answer to this bankruptcy question is 'no'. There are certain types of debts which are protected by law in case the debtor declares bankruptcy. This bankruptcy question has risen in popularity ever since the government released the new bankruptcy law which is stricter in discharging debts.

Household Budgeting Basics

Creating a household budget will help you to stay on track and make sure you have enough money each month to pay your bills, plus have money for anything extra that may come up. Here are some household budgeting basics to help you get started.

Use the computer to create a spreadsheet that will hold all of your information. You’ll need to include your income, your monthly expenses, yearly expenses, and room for anything else that may come up. These would include vehicle repairs, school costs, going out to the movies, and other things along those lines.

1. Income

The first thing on your spreadsheet should be your income. You’ll want to include everything you may have such as paychecks, secondary income, child support, bonuses, and other forms that may only come once a year, like tax refunds or gifts.

2. Monthly Expenses

Monthly expenses are the next thing to add to your spreadsheet. These would include credit card payments, utility payments, loan payments, and anything else that comes up every month. You’ll want to have monthly amounts and due dates so you can place these under your income where it comes in each month.

3. Yearly Expenses

Yearly expenses may be a bit of a challenge to include, but it’s a good idea to do it. This will help you avoid the stress of coming up with the money when they come due each year. This will mean you’ll need to create a spreadsheet for each month for the entire year so you can include these types of expenses.

4. Extras

Extras are hard to budget for, which is why you should try to plan on them each month. Putting money into a savings account will help you to have the money when the time comes. It’s nearly impossible to plan for vehicle repairs or emergencies, so a savings account will help to ease the burden when these types of things come up. You can plan on maintenance to your vehicle or yearly checkups with your doctor, but there are times when even these things don’t help, so planning ahead can be of great benefit.

5. Vacations

Planning a vacation is hard to do, but when you plan your budget correctly, you’ll be able to include this in your month to month budget. Your savings account will help with this plan as well. You’ll be able to see where you have a little extra money and you’ll have the ability to set some money back so you have the ability to take a vacation when you’re ready.

Creating a budget will help you spend your money wisely. It’s nearly impossible to remember every little expense, so creating a spreadsheet will help you to maintain your budget. You’ll have the ability to see the big picture, which will help you to see what you can do to increase your income and lower your expenses so you have more money at the end of the month.

10 Steps to Eco-Friendly Laundry

When you make the choice to live a green life, you can't forget to take steps to turn your laundry eco-friendly. This might be one of the easiest areas to go green, but it's definitely going to require lifestyle changes. But, if you follow these tips, you can have an eco-friendly laundry room.

1. Water temperature - Just heating the water to wash your laundry uses a lot of energy. It's such an easy solution to turn that dial to cold and save on energy. And if you're concerned that your clothes won't come clean, you need not worry. As a matter of fact, washing in cold water will help prevent stains from setting in and will keep colors from bleeding into your other clothes.

2. Full loads only in the wash - Washing large loads will save water and energy. You use roughly 40 gallons of water whenever you do laundry, so if you can do one less load of laundry a week, you'll save 10% on your energy and water bills.

3. Upgrade your machines - There are so many energy-efficient laundry machines out there that can save you so much on your energy costs. If you aren't in the market for new laundry machines, then don't go out and buy them, but if it's time for an upgrade, get the most energy-efficient one you can afford.

4. Change your laundry detergent - Using natural detergents and stain removers is great for the environment. You can even make your own. They are free of chlorine bleach and synthetic fragrances, are generally made out of plants and are specifically made to perform well in cold water. Read the fine print to make sure you are getting a natural product.

5. Non-chlorine bleach - Chlorine is not good for the environment. Switching to a non-chlorine bleach is simple and it works just as well. A bleach made with peroxide instead of chlorine does the job correctly and it doesn't even have to be a name brand. This really adds up to helping the environment and it's so easy.

6. Say 'no' to dryer sheets - The chemicals in dryer sheets and even fabric softener are not only bad for the environment, but they're also bad for our skin. To keep that static cling down, either find an eco-friendly dryer sheet, or use a wool dryer ball. It will remove that static cling with no chemicals.

7. Hang to dry - You know you love the smell of your clothes when they have been outside drying in the sun. There's the added bonus of the sun; it's a natural bleach. If you have a stain on something, spray it with a little lemon juice and hang it to dry. Nothing gets more natural and eco-friendly than that. If you live in a cold climate, have no fear; you can still hang your clothes to dry on a drying rack indoors where it will double as a humidifier. Put your rack over your heat source and you'll moisten the air while drying your clothes.

8. Use what you have in your home for cleaning your laundry - Baking soda is a great deodorizer and lemon will help remove stains. Vinegar is a great natural cleaner. Whip up your own detergents for great cleaning products that cost less and help the environment.

9. Hand wash - Skip the washing machine altogether when you can and wash by hand. Wash the least dirty clothes first to use the water longer. Use a large bucket, or if you have a large utility sink you can make quicker work of this process. Sure it's a pain and uses a lot more physical energy, but ultimately it is a great way to go green washing laundry.

10. Wear clothes longer. You don't have to wash pants after every wear unless you spilled something on them. Wearing clothes longer means less to wash of course.

Taking these steps to eco-friendly laundry will not only save you money, but will make a difference on your carbon footprint and the environment. Do you have any other eco-friendly laundry tips to add?