Cell phone companies are crooks. Why? Same as oil – because they can be. After my 90 minute wait, I present my malfunctioning phone. Instead of doing everything in their power to keep a customer of over 2 years happy, I am told they can do nothing to help me. On the way home, I ponder why Verizon is so unaware, understaffed, and unforgiving…

At first, everything is great. You get a free phone and some doodads, hell, maybe a charger …

Once you get accepted to college, you will begin to receive numerous offers to borrow money. Whether or not you do so depends upon just one factor: how big the difference is between what you have and what you must have.

For students attending inexpensive public universities, loans are not always necessary because the financial gap is small.

Those in the Ivy League endure costs nearly double the average annual adult salary in the United States, so loans are a must. This article is meant for those attending schools somewhere in between.

Tuition may seem cheap enough at most places, but it is …

For a moment, imagine yourself wearing a diaper and crawling around the kitchen floor while trying to pick up a bug with your pinkie. This is how your parents see you.

Unfortunately, altering this mindset is not easy. Parents tend to operate on a point system. What this means is that for every responsible thing you do, you get 1 point, but for every bad thing you do, you lose five points.

Your goal is to conduct …

NOTE: Search elsewhere if you are looking for advice on how to find a new roommate.

My best friend and I were roommates the first semester of college. Beforehand, we thought that we knew everything about each other. Unfortunately, living with somebody else for the first time is kind of like a new marriage – the honeymoon is interesting, but after that things go a bit sour.

When you live with your best friend, it is honestly much more difficult than a stranger. (When you have a fight with your best friend who do you bitch to, your Mom?) Since you are …

Though we are among the most destitute of all individuals, we students still can’t help getting the occasional urge to sell our old Nintendo systems, roll up our pennies and buy something.

If you want to make the most of murdering your piggy bank, consider spending what little money you do have on things that will contribute to your quality of life.

A Nice Pillow

Every time I buy a pillow it comes from the four dollar bin at Wal-Mart. For the first two weeks the pillow is great, but after a month passes I am just as well off using a potato …

A hard concept for college students to grasp is that they are not guaranteed a job, a certain salary, or even a place to sleep at their parents’ house after graduation. Some of the richest people in the world don’t have college degrees, and some people with the supposed “best” degrees work their asses off every week for a proportionately mediocre wage.

You must get rid of this sense of entitlement and also realize that no …

College students are notorious for living outside of their means. I know you are broke, but go cry to that shiny new Nintendo instead of me. If you want to quit kicking your wallet’s ass, read on.

1. You already have debt from loans.
2. You have little to no income.
3. Mommy and Daddy aren’t going to bail you out anymore.

It’s time to get this under control. Load up any kind of program that lets you keep …

Holding an office in student government looks good on any application whether it be for college, work, or otherwise. The catch is that your leadership skills are not going to get you elected.

Much like every other system which requires the votes of fickle teenagers, winning is a popularity contest. If you have few friends, it is still possible to win by planning ahead and being careful how you present yourself.

I am going to approach this from the standpoint of somebody who is already in college, but most of the information will apply to high …

Some of these may require a bit of work and charisma on your part, but you will save big. I have assigned a 1-5 difficulty rating system with 5 being the most difficult.

(When finished reading, be sure to learn how to make a college budget, as featured on MSN MoneyCenter.)

Live off campus.

Dorms are too expensive and too small. Even with the deposit required for an apartment, you can expect to save 50-75% off of …