SAVE THE DATE: Pre-approving for a Home Workshop!

  Upgrade your PAD to a PALACE!

Purchasing a home is the first of many steps taken to establish yourself as an adult. Join Dennis Ciani from the Blanco Vista Community, as he discusses what it takes to become a home owner and how to outsmart the experts at their own game!

Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: McCoy 119
 
*Snacks will be provided*

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Financing With FAFSA

By Ashley Bahl

FAFSA applications are lengthy, tedious, and often times result in little financial help. As a college senior who recieved no aid through FAFSA, I wish I came upon these tips earlier in life. Instead of greedily hiding them in spite, I thought I would share with you the simple tricks and tips to get the most out of your FAFSA application:

1. Don't include retirement assets on the FAFSA. The FAFSA formula doesn't care how much you've got stashed in your IRA, 401(k) or other qualified retirement accounts and doesn't ask. You could have millions stuffed in qualified accounts and it wouldn't hurt your chances for financial aid.
   The FAFSA does ask about taxable accounts and colleges savings plans.
2. Don't assume you won't qualify for aid because of your home equity. The FAFSA doesn't inquire if you own a house, so the amount of home equity you enjoy is irrelevant. The FAFSA does ask about second homes and real estate investments.
3. Be careful what assets you include in your calculations. In addition to your home equity, don't include cars, boats, furniture or other household possessions as assets.
4. Avoid procrastinating. File the FAFSA as soon as possible. If you wait until April to file your taxes and the FAFSA, you could miss deadlines for state financial aid assistance, as well as need-based help from your child's college.
   If you can't complete your income tax return promptly, fill out the FAFSA with estimated figures.
5. List the most current marital status. You need to state what your marital status is on the day that you sign the FAFSA, whether you are married, separated or divorced.
6. Have the correct parent complete the FAFSA. In cases of divorce and separation, make sure that the right parent completes the FAFSA. The custodial parent must fill out the financial aid form, but that won't always be the person who enjoys legal custody through a divorce decree.
   For financial aid purposes, the parent who must complete the form will be the one who has lived with the student for the majority of the year. For example, if the child resided with the mother for 6.5 months in 2010 and the dad for 5.5 months, the mom would complete the form.
   Ideally, the divorced parent completing the FAFSA will be the one with the lowest income because only his or her finances will be shared on the aid form. The FAFSA won't ask about the ex-spouse's information.
7. Don't enter the wrong income tax figure. Provide the federal income tax you paid or will pay based on your 2010 federal tax return — not the tax withholdings on you and a spouse's W-2 forms.
8. Be careful about tapping retirement funds. When you withdraw money from retirement accounts, this money will be counted as part of your adjusted gross income, which will impact your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC is the dollar amount that a school, at a minimum, will expect you to kick in for one year of your child's college expenses.
9. Avoid blank answers. If your intended answer on the FAFSA is zero, write “0” or “not applicable.” Leaving blanks can cause miscalculations and the application could be rejected.
10. Don't inflate your education. If both parents didn't graduate from college, don't list “college” as their highest education attainment even if they did attend some college. Plenty of schools treat applicants more favorably if they are considered “first-generation” college students.
11. Don't forget to list the colleges. On the FAFSA form, you can include up to 10 colleges to which your son or daughter has applied. The federal processors will send the pertinent FAFSA information to the schools on the list.
12. Double check all your figures. That's a no-brainer, but too many people skip this step.
13. Ask for help. When filling out the FAFSA, you can obtain help through the government's toll-free number: (800) 433-3243. You can also take advantage of the government's online chat sessions by using FAFSA on the Web Customer Service Live Help on Monday through Saturday. Just Google the term.
14. Correct mistakes. After you've submitted your FAFSA, you can still correct mistakes. Return to the online form and click “Make FAFSA Corrections.” Any changes will be processed within three to five days.

Gas-Saving Tips

With gas prices at an all-time high, it seems we have to completely empty our wallets to keep our tanks full. Try these tips to feed your guzzler and your wallet.

1. Skip the Drive-Thru: sitting in a drive-thru line for food, an ATM or whatever is a good way to burn gas. Just park and walk in. Not only will you save gas - you'll also burn a few calories!
2. Park Further Away: circling and maneuvering parking lots while trying to find the closest spot to the store is also a good way to waste gas. Just park further away and walk and you'll avoid the unnecessary circling.
3. Hang Up and Drive: talking on the cell can actually make you less aware of how you're driving. Try to focus on not breaking those gas-saving rules instead of jabbering away on the phone.
4. Check the Traffic Reports: taking a minute to check these before you head out may save you from sitting in traffic and wasting gas on your way to your destination.
5. Streamline Your Vehicle: things like bike racks, car top carriers and flags take away from how aerodynamic your car is on its own. Keep the add-ons to a minimum and reduce wind resistance and gas consumption.
6. Don't Lane Hop: switching lanes often means that you're accelerating and braking more often. Try keeping your lane hopping to a minimum.

How to plan spring break when you're on a budget

Spring break is fast approaching and of course being college students we all would love to go somewhere but don't quite have the budget to spend a lot. I recently found this article and found it to be very helpful when trying to find somewhere to go while maintaining a budget! Check it out!

http://www.ehow.com/how_2154245_plan-spring-break-budget.html

118 Tips To Take In

As a college student myself, I’m always looking for tips on how to save money. I came across this Web site that gives tips on saving money from books to entertainment. With 118 tips, you are sure to find something to keep you from breaking the bank!

http://www.collegescholarships.org/student-living/save-money.htm

Cheap, Easy Way to Get New Stuff

Do you have used books, movies, games or music sitting around collecting dust? If so, and you're willing to part with it, swap.com is a great way to exchange your old things, for new movies, books, games and music.

Swap.com is an online community of people wanting to get rid of their old stuff in exchange for new things.

All you have to do is sign up at swap.com and add items to your "want" list and items that you want to get rid of to your "have" list.

Once you have items listed under your wants and haves lists, swap.com searches for matches on your lists and brings up trades that you can do. You can browse through movies, books, music and games to find items you would like to swap for.

When you find an item you are interested in you click the "GET NOW" button and information on the product and the trader pops up. Once the trader has accepted your request, shipping information is sent to both parties.

Cost range from 50 cents for low value items to a dollar for high value items such as video games. After that, all you have to worry about is shipping.

It's simple. It's easy and it's way cheaper then having to go out and buy it.