Queercents

I’m writing this with gritted teeth, because I am so insanely mad at myself over the whole overdraft protection thing. As I mentioned in my last post, Mommy Dearest has saved my butt on this issue numerous times of late, as I’ve been a jobless college student spending an ungodly amount of hours on public transit everyday because I’m too broke to own a car. Oh, wait, this is all a good thing, because I’ll be graduating debt-free! (If I can learn to control my bank account before then.)

For me, I have never consciously used my ATM/Debit card when I knew I didn’t have enough (or any) money in my bank account. All the times I’ve overdrawn have been because I didn’t have an accurate perception of how much money was actually in that black hole. Needless to say, when I overdraw my account, nine times out of ten I am overdrawing by a few dollars. For which I have to pay $27 in fees. Which pisses me off.

Since opening a bank account in my own name all of a month ago, I’ve overdrawn twice, and both times were on accident. (Do you see a pattern here? Someone needs to start writing down all her purchases!) So now I have a crapload of fees to pay because I bought something a few bucks over my limit. Ugh. I need to start thinking about a getting a secured credit card so I can begin to be rewarded for spending other people’s money. Responsibly, of course.

Now there’s a savvy college student.

I moved out of my parents’ house a couple weeks after I turned 18. For various reasons, the largest being financial, I scurried back home with my metaphorical tail between my legs a few months after that. This was one of those “I told you so” moments my parents will look fondly upon ten years from now.

But now that I am a commuting community college student living at home, my financial situation has changed a lot. I thought I’d give you the run-down of how my parents and I share financial responsibility for myself.

My parents pay for everything school-related, which is one of the biggest gifts they’ve given me, especially at this point in my life. Depending on how many units I’m carrying, a typical semester will cost about $300 in tuition and $300-$400 in books. They also pay for my monthly bus pass and my BART tickets (kind of like the NYC subway, for all you non-Bay Area-ns). I pay for the fare on the second bus that operates around my campus. Read the rest of this entry »

Yo! How many times have you walked past the bulletin board outside the school library and pined for the day when you’d be able to take that semester abroad trip to Spain? Wondering how you’re going to get to Miami or Cabo for Spring break? Let’s see… you’re broke, right? Don’t cry, it’ll be OK.

First and foremost, any financial aid you receive from your school or from your state and/or federal government may be transferable to your study abroad program or host institution, meaning you’d have few out-of-pocket expenses if you did decide to study abroad. These out-of-pocket expenses include airfare, train tickets, lodging, and food”not to mention those cute little wooden shoes you found on your foray into Denmark. “So, Erin,” you say, “I’d still have to spend money to study abroad. What’s your point?” Well, you don’t have to spend as much money as you may have expected. Read the rest of this entry »

To attend a community college in my county in California, it costs $20 per unit. Each class is 3 units, so if you’re taking the full load (12 units), it’s costing you $240 per semester in tuition. Quite a steal, really, when you consider the fact that the average cost to attend a UC is around $20,000 a year, and a private university is upwards of $30,000. I took 12 units my first semester of college, and spent $498 on books. I spent twice as much on books than I did on my actual classes!

So I did a little digging. I cruised around online and visited some company websites for offset printers (people who print our too-heavy, oversized tomes of college wisdom). It can cost as little as $0.70 to print a standard paperback, so to print a full-color textbook, average market price $50-$100, my guess is that it only costs around $10 to $15. If your eyeballs aren’t falling out of your sockets yet, just know that book distributors, book stores, and publishing companies are collectively making $40 to $90 off that book gathering dust under your bed all semester. I hate money-stealers. I hate being ripped off. And as a college student, I especially hate paying more than I have to for something I need to make a future for myself.

I’ve got some suggestions for cutting down on your textbook costs, so listen up! Read the rest of this entry »

Gentlemen, if the functions of a woman’s body make you queasy, avert your eyes now. You have been warned! And ladies, if you would like to know how anti-gay and anti-women Proctor & Gamble (P&G) is milking you out of thousands of dollars in your lifetime, read on.

While some of us may view our menstrual cycles as “curses,” “the monthlies,” or “a sacred part of being a Woman,” companies like P&G see our uteruses as bleeding money machines. By creating brand loyalty even before we reach menarche (our first period) through those dreaded “What’s Happening to Lilly?” videos, corporations that sell “feminine hygiene” products ensure they’ll have our business for the next 40 years of cramps, bloating, and PMS.

Allow me to illustrate. Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re a college student like me, you know that getting your first credit card is like taking a step into the adult world; if you’re just coming out of a bankruptcy, you know all too well how difficult it can be to re-establish your credit. For those who are new to or re-entering the world of credit bureaus, APRs, and Mr. FICO, breaking into the credit scene is daunting and frustrating. Fortunately, there is an awesome credit-card-like square of plastic that can serve as a key to the realm behind those pearly Visa gates: the secured credit card.

A secured credit card is similar to a regular credit card”you use it exactly the same, you still get a monthly bill, and you still gripe about the interest rate. It’s an easy way for you to start building credit, minus the risks involved for the lender. Secured credit cards look exactly like “real,” or unsecured, credit cards. In order to get one, you must find a bank that offers them, and open a savings account with that bank where you will deposit as much money as you would like to have in your line of credit (usually up to $5,000). Bankrate.com has an excellent spreadsheet of banks that offer secured cards, and it’s competitor, Credit.com, has a similar webpage as well. Read the rest of this entry »