Whenever I buy a new gadget I do tons and tons of research to make sure that I’m getting not only the essentials that I need but more bang for my buck.  Since this will be mainly for doing projects, reports and things like that for school I had to figure out what is the best laptop for a college student? With so many different choices and styles nowadays trying to narrow it down to just one was almost mind boggling.  Here are a few of the ones that made the final cut before I tell you which one I actually bought.

First, before I even get into that.  A sure way to save you time and gas is to do some online comparisons first from some of the stores that you would have physically traveled to.  Instead of trekking all across town to say Best Buy, then to Fry’s, then to Walmart, or Target and all these other retailers just pull up their websites and do a general search there.  Now everything on the site may not be in the store and some of the store items may not be listed on the websites but it will give you a genral idea of their inventory.  You can use some of that gas money you saved to buy yourself a USB memory stick or something.

Okay so after looking at and comparing what seemed like thousands of laptops in all different sizes, colors and styles I narrowed it down to these top 5; Acer Aspire 15.6″ Notebook, Toshiba Satellite 15.6″ notebook , Apple macbook, Dell Inpiron Mini Netbook, and the final contestant is the HP Pavilion 13″ Laptop.

To help you break it down a bit more, I did a sort of Final Four ( in this case five) round robin tournament to help decide the best laptop for a college student.

Acer Aspire (A)    Vs    Toshiba Satellite (B)

Amount of Hard Drive Space: 250GB (A & B)

Operating System: Windows 7 (A & B)

System Ram: 3GB (A) 2GB (B)

Price: $449.99 (A) $499.99 (B)

Battery Life: Up to 2.5 Hrs (A) Up To 3 hrs (B)

Screen Size: 15.6″ (A & B)

Other Features: USB Ports: 2 (A) 3 (B), Built in card reader: 5 in 1 (A) 6 in 1 (B), Bluetooth wireless enabled (B)

After this round the winner would be the Acer Aspire (A).  This laptop is $50 less and you get 1 GB more of processing speed with 3GB of ram instead of 2GB, and it is a little lighter.  The battery life is 30 minutes less but that can be overcome with a few tweaks to the usage.

Dell Ispiron Mini (C)   Vs  HP Pavilion 13″ Laptop (D)

Amount of Hard Drive Space: 160GB (C) 320GB(D)

Operating System: Windows 7 ( C& D)

System Ram: 1Gb (C) 3GB (D)

Price: $349.99 (C) $549.99 (D)

Battery Life: 8hrs 45 Min (C) 6 Hrs (D)

Screen Size: 10.1″ (C) 13.3″ (D)

Other Features: USB Ports – 3 (C) 4 (D), Card Reader (C & D), Webcam – (C & D)

After this round the winner is the HP Pavilion (D). I know, I know it’s not fair to put a laptop up against a netbook when you want to figure out the best laptop for a college student but netbooks are on the rise and some of them are pretty comparable with the smaller laptops. That’s why I put it up against the smallest laptop in the bunch.  The netbook is a whole lot lighter on the wallet then the others but I don’t think it’s something that should be used as a sole device.  It should accompany a desktop or bigger laptop to take on trips or to class instead of lugging around the bigger device.  while yes, they are making them better and better all the time right now it may not be the best laptop for a college student all by itself.  The larger hard drive and bigger screen made the HP Pavilion the better choice in this battle.

Acer (A) Vs HP (D)

Amount of Hard Drive Space: 250GB (A) 320GB (D)

Operating System: Windows 7 (A & D)

System Ram: 3GB (A & D)

Price: $449.99 (A) $549.99 (D)

Battery Life: 2.5hrs (A) 6hrs(D)

Screen Size: 15.6″ (A) 13.3″ (D)

Other Features: Card Reader (A & D), Webcam (D)

In this one the HP moved on to the next round.  Even though it is $100 more than the Acer it has 70GB more Hard drive space, 3.5hrs more of battery life and a webcam.  I know I love to make video blogs for Youtube and Skype for free with my family and friends back home so that would come in handy.  The screen is smaller but it is a lighter weight and more portable than the 15.6″ Acer.

HP Pavilion (D) VS Apple Macbook (E)

Amount of Hard Drive Space: 320GB (D) 250GB (E)

Operating System: Windows 7 (D) Snow Leopard (E)

System Ram: 3GB (D) 2GB (E)

Price: $549.99 (D) $999 (E)

Battery Life: 6hrs(D) 7hrs (E)

Screen Size: 13.3″ (D & E)

Other Features: Webcam (D & E), USB Ports – 4 (D) 2(E), Multi touch trackpad (E)

This one was tough. It seems like all I see around campus are Macs so that’s why I researched them.  The HP Has a bigger hard drive, more ram, and is $450 less than the macbook.  They both have the same sized High Definition screens at 13.3″ and webcams for chats and vlogging.  The only thing that Apple has the HP beat on is the multi touch trackpad and 1 hour more of battery life but there are all sorts of tricks to gain more life out of your battery between charges.

I liked each one of these devices for different reasons so it was so hard for me to settle on just one winner.  So my opinion? In the end the price won out and I chose the HP Pavilion 13.3″ laptop.  It just seemed like more bang for my buck and as a poor college student I want to make sure I always get my money’s worth out of everything.  When it comes down to it,  a lot all depends on that individual student.  I think that a small, portable yet powerful laptop is the option for me but some may want something with a bigger screen that is more durable so that it can take those bumps and bruises, I know I put my laptop through all kinds of crap!

Those were just some basic comparisons to help when deciding what is the best laptop for a college student.

I know if you are anything like me then you can’t wait until that refund check comes in the mail or by direct deposit from the government. The question is how long does it take to get tax refund back?

The answer to that is simple yet a little complicated.  The length of time it takes to get tax refunds back depends on when and also how you filed your taxes.  If you are filed your taxes electronically then you will receive it back faster than if you mailed it in.  According to the IRS it should take about 3 weeks if you are like the 2 out of every 3 people that filed their taxes electronically.  If you are that other 1 out of 3 then it can take at least 8 weeks before you receive a check in the mail.  That is, if you did everything correctly.  If this amount of time has passed and you did not get your tax refund back then there is a system in place that allows you to check on the process and see what the hold up is and when to expect to receive your money.

Now once you’ve received your refund there are lots of ways to put that money to work for you other than just spending it frivolously. For example, you can always save that money for a rainy day,  pay off your debts,  invest it, or use your refund check as start up money to start some type of business or service that will generate even more cash for you. There are lots of business that you can start up on a shoestring budget. Some ideas are:

Bookkeeping/ Accounting – this is an in-demand services that many small businesses would rather hire someone to do.  And the good thing is, you don’t need to be an accountant to do it.

Petsitter or Housesitter – people are always on the lookout for someone to watch their  homes or pets while they’re out of town. For this business, you don’t need any particular skills or training  just reliability and trustworthiness.

Tutoring – many parents would love to have additional instruction for their children. If you’ve got a subject that you’re particularly good in, you can start a home tutoring business.

Secretarial Service -there are lots of people and small businesses that have the need for secretarial services. You can offer services such as proofreading, typing and transcription services.

Catering Service-  in the fast paced world we live in, many people just don’t have time to cook.  If you like cooking, you could start your own catering services. You can also cater for business or parties.

Cleaning Services – cleaning is another activity that people don’t seem to have a lot of time for nowadays.  If you’re good at cleaning and organizing, you could easily take advantage of this in demand service.

Personal or Shopping Services – this is another great service to offer, especially during the holiday season.  One of the most important characteristics for this is dependability and trustworthiness.

With most of the above businesses, start up is quite low. Not only that but you can get going with these tasks quickly and easily. The most important aspect of getting started in any of the above businesses is advertising your services. But even this is doable.

If none of the above businesses sound like anything you’d be interested in, just do some brainstorming of your own. The type of business or service you begin depends on your skills and interest.  When starting a business or service think about something that you like and know how to do well that can turn a profit.  For example, if you like to bake cakes, cookies, pies and that sort of thing, then you could take your refund check and use it to start a business selling these items out of your your home.  If you do something you love and make money while doing it, then that’s a win-win situation.

So now that you know how long it takes to get tax refunds back, and what to do with it once the money arrives -  its up to you  how you’re going to spend it.

That first car may still be a few months – or even a few years – away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to save money for a car right now. Besides the ability to buy a car, saving bucks will teach you how to manage money wisely throughout your life. But for now, just think about how sweet it will be to drive you and your friends to school every day or the movies every Friday.

There are three basic principles involved with knowing how to save money for a car; generate income, spend wisely and save big. We will go through each of these principles so you can learn the best strategies and path to success.

Keep in mind as you read through that your financial abilities are strictly up to you. If you want a car, you have the power to make it happen with some savvy financial finagling.

1. Generate Income
If you’re going to save money for a car, you’re going to  have to generate some income from somewhere. So the first thing you may want to do is  start up your own neighborhood business, walking dogs, shoveling snow, mowing grass or babysitting. You might be pleasantly surprised at how much income you can bring in from these odd jobs and you will learn a thing or two about entrepreneurship at the same time. There are loads of other ways for you to generate the money that you need to save for your car.

For example, you can sign up at a bunch of freelancing sites on the Internet to completee odd jobs for people to make money. Some site that you can sign up at include guru.com, rentacoder.com, scriptlance.com, ifreelance.com and many, many others.You don’t have to be a genius to find jobs at these site. All you need is the desire and drive to  make money.

On these sites you’ll find all kinds of freelancing jobs that you can do – some skilled and some unskilled.  Plus, you can find lots of other ideas  here at College Money Making Ideas and other sites across the Internet on how to generate money for your new wheels.

2. Spend Wisely
The best way to understand exactly where your money is going is to keep close track of your spending. While it may seem silly to record every trip to Starbucks or McDonald’s, you will be amazed at just how revealing that spreadsheet will be. You may find that you are spending the equivalent of a full tank of gas on frivolous non-essentials that you can easily live without every week. This knowledge may inspire you to spend less – by renting a movie with friends instead of heading to the theatre or forgoing your afternoon French fry habit in favor of saving a bit of dough every day. Getting in the habit of living under your means (spending less money than you make), will be a lesson you will benefit from for the rest of your life.

3. Save Big
So where does all that savings go? Into a savings account, of course. Check this out – open a savings account at your neighborhood bank (many will offer accounts to students with no minimum balance requirement). You will probably get a bank book to keep track of deposits and withdrawals. Print off a picture of a totally cherry auto that you can attach to the front of your bank book. This will serve as a reminder every time you get tempted to take money out of your account as to why the cash is in the bank in the first place. For added incentive, see if you can talk the parents into matching your savings deposits dollar for dollar. Remind them how much you will learn about company retirement plans with this simple matching program.

Saving for a car may seem like the impossible dream right now, but you can make it happen.  By generating income, spending wisely and saving big, those wheels will be parked in your driveway before you know it!

Magazines are a mainstay for college students, with hundreds of titles offering information on everything from fly fishing to French cuisine.

We love ‘em, we read ‘em and we collect ‘em – but can we afford them?

If your pocketbook is getting leaner but your love of the printed word grows stronger, we’ve got the tips you need to continue enjoying your favorite titles and save cash at the same time.

1. Go with Subscriptions
Sure, you can shop the at the grocery store with coupons in hand to save fifty cents off of your next issue of Glamour Magazine. But purchasing a subscription for that mag will save much more than fifty cents over the course of the year. Order them online, or fill out the card that always falls out of the magazine when you take it off the rack. Or save even more with these ideas on how to find cheaper subscriptions.

2. Shop Around for the Lowest Prices
There are plenty of websites that offer competitive prices on magazine discounts. But don’t take our word for it – shop around the Internet for yourself to find the best subscription rates on all your favorite titles. You might be surprised at how much those “set rates” can fluctuate.

3. Use Student Discounts or Frequent Flyer Miles
Often, students can get discounted magazine subscriptions for all kinds of publications with a student ID. Ask the customer service department of your favorite publication if they offer reduced rates students. Frequent flyer miles are another great tool for getting discounted magazine subscriptions – simply cash them in and save!

4. Check out eBay
With some serious shopping and a degree of caution, you can really save a fortune on magazine subscriptions sold on eBay. Safeguard your purchase by restricting your purchases to brokers who have a top notch rating, and you may find you’re getting your favorite publications for next to nothing.

5. Ask about Past Issues
If you don’t need the absolute latest edition of your favorite magazine, you might save significant cash by asking retailers like Barnes and Noble to purchase magazine issues that have come and gone over the past couple of months. Some of these companies would much rather sell old publications cheap rather than having to send them back to the publisher or trash them.

6. Read Online
Many popular magazines offer their top articles online for readers to enjoy for free. If you don’t care about receiving a physical copy of your magazines, this may be the cheapest way by far to enjoy your faves.

You may be saving bucks this year, but that doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your favorite reads. With these tips for getting magazines on the cheap you can enjoy your faves and save dough at the same time. Happy reading!

There is no doubt about it; college is an expensive venture indeed. Whether you are counting on student loans, Mom and Dad or a full time job to pay the bills, the money will never seem to go as far as you like.

The good news is that there are ways to save and stretch your cash during these lofty years of academia, and you won’t even need to make the Dean’s list to cash in.

We have five great ways college students can save.

1. Food

One of the cheapest ways to keep your belly full during the college years is through a campus meal program. If you live in the dorm, this is definitely the way to go. Keep in mind that many programs allow you to take food from the cafeteria back to your room, so you can grab a couple of extra cookies from the dessert bar for later. If you are venturing into apartment life, cook at home rather than grabbing a meal on the go. Ramen noodles, boxed mac and cheese and bags of frozen veggies are some of the most frugal selections around. Oatmeal is another thrifty choice that will keep you satisfied until lunch most mornings. And forget Starbucks; invest in a coffee maker and brew your own.

2. Books

Textbooks are one of the biggest expenses that most college students will face at the beginning of each semester, but there are ways to save here as well. First, never buy books new; there is bound to be a place that sells used textbooks to the frugally minded. Keep that place in mind after finals are over as well, because you can probably sell many of your books back and make enough to enjoy those year-end parties to the fullest. Literature courses may also allow you to hit the library for the classics, since you probably won’t need them for more than a few weeks at a time.

3. Transportation
Most campuses are compact enough to allow students to get around on foot. You will save gas and parking money and stay in shape at the same time. If you can’t hoof it everywhere you need to go, a bicycle will usually do the trick. Use your car as little as possible or don’t bring on at all if you can get away with it. There are always friends when you need the occasional ride somewhere!

4. Discounts

Student discounts abound in college towns, so learn who offers them and take advantage of the savings whenever you can. You might find cheaper movies, food or even discounted computers and supplies. The discounts may not seem like much on the surface, but 10-20% adds up fast when you are on a tight budget.

5. Banking
Shop for the banks that offer free checking and savings accounts to college students, so you don’t get nickel and dimed in account fees. Many banks will also offer a free box of checks when opening an account. With the many options in auto pay or plastic today, that one free box of checks may last you well into your sophomore year. Once your accounts are open, take the time to keep track of them so you don’t go in the red. Overdrafts can cost a small fortune.

Cash may be tight during the college years, but there are ways to get by. With these tips and a few savvy strategies of your own, you will save bucks and survive higher academia in style.