August 20, 2008 by Mara Strom Welcome to part three of our series on living on a budget at college. (If you haven’t already read them, check out the previous posts: Eating on a Budget and Textbooks on a Budget.) Let me start by apologizing for not getting this post up on Monday. I just moved this weekend and despite Major-Internet-Provider’s most fervent promises that I’d be on-line Monday, that obviously did not come to pass. Anyway, the move has given me a great opportunity to reflect on all the millions and millions of little expenses that seem to crop up when you move to a new place. From light bulbs to toilet bowl brushes, Target has done a brisk business from me the past few days. Come the start of school, you, too, will likely encounter the bottomless money pit tha...

August 11, 2008 by Mara Strom We’ve been talking on the Financial Aid Finder about how to get through college without blowing your whole budget in the first few weeks. Last week, we put the spotlight on textbooks — a major budget buster for many students. This week, we’re looking at how to eat at school without eating up your budget. If you’ve spent anytime at a grocery store lately, you know that prices are going up (and up and up). In 2006 and 2007, the cost of food went up 4%, the biggest jump since 1990. This year, that bump is expected to come in at 5% to 6%. Whether you’re planning on living on campus and eating at the dining hall, or renting an off-campus apartment and fending for your own food, you’ll undoubtedly feel the pinch of these price hik...