1 down, 3 To Go

Today with the aid of my Free Check I paid off my Master Card. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

Next on the chopping block - American Express

I have also added another card to my side bar. My goal was to pay off 2 cards this year, lets see if I can still do it.

New Follower

I have a new follower. Welcome Shanasta of Slave to Student Loans.

I have Sallie Mae, who is your master?

How to Make College Less Expensive

Disclaimer

I am not a financial adviser, nor do I have children in college. I am just a woman with A LOT of student loan debt. Hind sight is 20/20. So with the knowledge I now have this is the way I would have saved money on college.

Feel free to pass some of these tips on to anyone you know who is college bound.

Things You Can Do in High School

1. Take A.P. classes
A.P. classes are a great way to get some of your general education classes out of the way (for free). The fewer classes you have to take, the more money you save.

2. Get Good Grades (I did this)
I graduated high school with a B average, with that I was able to get a small grant for my freshman year. Money saved. If I had it to do again I would have really tried for an A average.

3. Go to Summer School (I did this too)
Back in my day (Class of 97) it was very hard to graduate high school early. I think the school got more money if they had a certain amount of students. But if you live some where that they will let you skip a grade and/or graduate early do it. This looks good for colleges and you may get a scholarship. If not (this is if you want to go to an out of state public school), you can move to the state that you want to go to school. After you live in a state for a year you become a resident (unless the rules have changed). Residents get in-state tuition, this can be the difference between $100 a credit and $400 a credit.

Things To Do In College

1. Go to Community College
At most schools the first two years is dedicated to taking general education classes. For a fraction of the cost you can go to community college, take the same classes, and save a lot of money.

2. Go to a Public School
Now days most public universities are just as good as private universities. Unless going to Harvard or Princeton are family traditions (in which your parents can probably can afford to pay for your school anyway) find a good public school and save some money

3. Go to an In-State School
Most states have at least one stand out school (I'm lucky Florida has 5 that I can think of off the top of my head). Find one with the major you are interested in and go to it. If there isn't one in your state, consider moving there for a year and become a resident.

4. Try Not to Take Private Student Loans and/or Take Only What You Need.
This was my down fall. The first time I went to college I had federal loans and I took every cent I could get. Not to bad considering it was a public school. The second time I went to college I went to a private school and had to take out a private student loan. I still took every cent I could get. BIG Mistake.

So, those are my thoughts. Please add any that you may have.

Forgive Me Father, For I have Sinned........

It's been 4 post since my last confession.

I've been a bad girl this week. I went out to lunch not once but twice this week with some of my coworkers. $40 down the drain. At least I paid cash for these lunches.

I also charged 2 things on my credit card. I haven't charged anything in months.

My mothers birthday is on Sunday and I needed to get her a gift ($50 gift card to Barnes & Noble). Due to my bad planning I did not have cash on hand to handle the transaction, and I didn't want to give her an IOU until next Friday. After all, she let me move in with her in what was supposed to be her quiet retirement.

For myself I bought some clothing from my store ($70). I bought a sweater (marked down), a sleeveless turtleneck (also marked down), a blouse, and a sleeveless shirt. Did I need more clothes? Not really. But I did it anyway.

So, now I have $120 charged on a credit card. But I wrote my budget for February and will have the new charges paid for by the end of the month.

What is the penitence for this sin? 10 Hail Marys?

4 New Followers

Wow, I am really excited to see more people following my blog, and I enjoy getting the chance to read your blogs.

I'd like to welcome Just Me, TeacHer, Crystal, and Hendrawan Armanto. Thank you for comming along for the ride.

2 New Followers

Yes, I plan on doing this with every new follower I get.

Thanks for joining 444 and Mrs. B's Debt Adventure.

I look forward to reading your blogs, it's nice to know we are all in this together.

Extra Pay Check

For those of you who get paid every other week and will be getting 3 checks this month, what are your plans for that "extra" money?

I have 2 options, either

1. Complete car repairs ($700) and put the rest toward paying off Master Card

or

2. Pay off Master Card and charge some of the repairs on Amex and/or Visa.

That way I can have a zero balance on one card (to motivate me and perhaps raise credit score), and I can pay off the charge with my tax refund.

I know the smart thing is to use the cash to repair the car since I don't plan on buying a new one any time soon, but I would get a lot of satisfaction out of seeing a card with a zero balance.

What do you think?