Midtown Lunch

Working in Rockefeller center allows me to eat really well for really cheap (well NYC cheap) two days a week-- its amazing! 

A blog- Midtown Lunch-  has made the process of determining my Wednesday and Friday lunch selection much easier--they go to different places in the midtown area and then review them on their blog. This site is sooo cool!! One week, in October they reviewed all the Halal/Kebob places in Midtown and compared all the chicken and rice dishes you could get. It's cool, fun to read and just interesting. 

Of course most days I'm swamped with work (and always afraid I'll run into Magnolia or Crumbs for a cupcake) so I just end up eating Chipotle, which is delicious in it's own way, although not as adventurous. 

Down with Love? I'm not so sure...

Ahh Valentine's Day, that magical day when some boyfriends get it right and some just get it horribly wrong.

That's right, I'm blaming it on the men. It's not to say that women shouldn't do something romantic for Valentine's Day, it's just that traditionally it's the men who get it wrong. I'm sure there are some women out there who can't seem to commit or get the romance just right, I for one though would like to blame the men. 

My valentine's day was quite awesome this year, even though I found myself out of a LTR (long term relationship) for the first time in a LONG time on Valentines day, I still enjoyed the day. I even got to have my fondue =) 

"Umm Mom I..."

This quote is always followed by some sort of phrase that your parents definitely do not want to hear.

I must have said this phrase to my mom at least 50 times in my college career, and the words following ranged from the outrageous (got a tattoo in Italy) to the mundane (went to work) to the slightly less outrageous (got a dog). And yet each and every time I am always stressed out for days before (because generally by the time I am telling my mother I have done or decided to do what I am telling her) telling her for ABSOLUTELY NO REASON!!

So fellow college students, this post is going to be dedicated to How to Tell Your Parents the Important Stuff Without Sweating The Small Stuff (I like the caps, I feel they lend more importance to my statement) okay so here it goes.

Let's say you want to get a dog- because this is exactly what I just did- you need to explain to your parents (or parent or the person who is paying your bills) that you are ready for the responsibility and have carefully thought this out and blah blah blah...

Now while I do agree that asking parents for money often requires a lot of groveling, pleading and begging, there are a lot of other things that will make them give you the green for with a lot less anxiety. 

First show your parents you are responsible--do your homework, make the deans list, show them that your apartment can actually look like somewhere that is inhabitable instead of the next HAZMAT site.  

After you have done this show them how you will be able to afford a puppy or that new stereo. Will you get a new job? Do you have the time to take care of the pet and if not have you made arrangements for someone else to do so? Etc. 

Hopefully your parents will fall so in love with your new puppy (as my mom did) that they really won't ask any questions at all. 

Dee Dee was rescued! 

Cupcakes =)

At my internship in NYC I tend to do a lot of research. In my web-travels I happened upon this image and realized that sharing cupcakes with you might be a fun post- so here you go =)

Also fun fact about New Haven- while they lack a certain popular NYC bakery (Magnolia to be precise a name that makes me salivate) they do have an interesting invention- The Cupcake Truck is literally a truck that goes around New Haven (and sometimes HAMDEN!) and delivers gooey delicious goodness to those of us willing to brave the long lines and cool temperatures. Now, as it gets nice out it might not be so bad, although the lines will probably be the same.

And fun fact number 2 the Cupcake Truck is coming to Quinnipiac University. That's right- read it again and jump for joy!!! They will be in North Lot on February 26, 2009 (a Thursday) from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and you should definitely get yourself a cupcake AND FOLLOW THEIR BLOG- they are also on blogger- check it out =) because cupcakes make everyone happy

Have you updated your status today?

Facebook -- it's as much a part of the college experience as buying twin extra long sheets is.

It was founded in 2004 and was originally a college networking site, now it has expanded to include companies, high schools, cities, countries and just about every other type of "network" you can think of.

I have quite a love-hate relationship with Facebook. As a journalist I realize that the connections I have created with it will ultimately help me out in the long run, and as a college student I like it because it helps me stay connected with people I meet while abroad, at different college programs and at Toads on a Saturday, but then again I hate it. I hate it because I am always on it and I hate it because sometimes I worry that too much information is out there.

I have made myself facebook invisibile- you can't find me on facebook unless you are my friend- it is as if I don't exist. Which is kind of a cool thing, again back to the reason why I love it.

I think that if students (communications and others alike) truly harnessed the powers of Facebook, instead of just looking at who is most likely to be "best at everything" (the true result of a quiz believe me I know) and what wacky bumper stickers were posted, then they would realize how important social networking sites are becoming in the working world today.

But then again, it is kind of fun to just check out the crazyness that is the newsfeed...

Ways to Budget Your Money

Okay so whether you are a freshman or a senior, you always need to learn new ways to save money!

I have been budgeting for the past three years and yet feel as though there are still some things to learn. One of them is that you can never plan for that 3 a.m. dominos or the "emergency" trip to the nail salon, but you can plan for food shopping, going out, magazine subscriptions and eventually electric and cable bills.

Despite the hundreds of budgeting programs out there, the easiest way to create a budget (and stick to it) is to use good old pen and paper (and then sync it to your calendar on your computer and to your cell phone, etc.)

First determine how much you "make" each month- it can be how much money you make from a job, how much your parents send you, or how much you find on the floor- doesn't matter as long as it totals some amount.

Then, a good thing to do, would be to add up all your expenses- I'm talking everything- manicures, waxing, iTunes purchases, going out, etc.

Once you have that you subtract what you spend from what you earn- simple isn't it? And then you just try to not spend more than what you allocated for that month or week.

This to me is the hardest part of the equation.

Some ways I solve this problem-

I live off campus, so I have more opportunities for cheap eats- for example I can get to Kumo during the week between 11 and 3 when all their sushi is half off, and I can buy 5 lbs of Chicken in Stop and Shop and use it for about three weeks, but what should you do when you live on campus? A good thing to do would be to eat in the Dining Hall as much as possible- I know the food sucks, but you can create a variety of okay meals but just asking for substitutions, and that way you can save on your grocery bill. Another way to save on grocery shopping is to have it delivered. That's right I am telling you to have your groceries delivered to your dorm room- I'm not completely sure if this will work, but it is definitely worth a try!

To do this go to peapod.com and then follow the "easy" instructions and ta-da! You have just food shopped via the internet- isn't it a wonderful thing? I've been doing this since I got back to school and you know what- I've been saving money! I avoid the hunger pains that always overcome me as I enter Stop and Shop and ultimately only buy what I need instead of what looks sooooooooo good! It really does work, it might be lazy, but hey at least I have extra time to go to the gym! (That's another budgeting lesson for another day- budgeting time- that one not so simple)

Another way to save money is to try to always take the shuttle into New Haven if possible- and if you happen to be staying in Hamden for the night, then carpool and rotate the DD. Cabs around Hamden aren't really that expensive, but can add up, so having someone DD eliminates the expense and could potentially save you from going home with a Mr. Oh-So-Wrong.

Other than that, all I can say is try to budget, try to save, but most important try not to let it consume your life- if you are constantly worried about saving/budgeting, you won't enjoy the great time you could be having with your friends, because College only happens once- so enjoy it!

What the Stimulus can mean for students

It's official- both the Senate and the House passed some sort of Stimulus package and we, as college students, are a part of it.

According to the Zimbo- an interactive magazine with 15 million readers- the Stimulus package passed by the Senate provides "$13.9 billion for Pell Grants, to increase the maximum grant by $281 in 2009-10 and by $400 for 2010-11, and eliminate an existing shortfall in the program." The House's bill also set up provisions for extra money to be allocated to these grant programs, with $500 to be increased in 2009-10. The Senate bill would also include another $61 billion for the Perkins Loan program, although the bill passed by the House would not.

These are things that will affect you- maybe not today, or tomorrow but definitely when you are in the process of repaying your loans and therefore they are something you should be paying close attention to. The more money you are able to take from the government, instead of from private loans, will ultimately help you because they are lower rates than you get when you apply for private loans, such as the Sallie Mae loans.

According to the Student Lending Analytics blog, the stimulus package would also "provide limited 'emergency access" student loan pool for colleges that commit to providing adequate need-based aid.

• Colleges would have to meet certain criteria and bear some of the risk
• Participation limited to colleges that commit to maintaining or increasing the proportion of student need covered by their own grant aid for the next two years"

This will definitely help some of the colleges who are having to cut back, freeze jobs, or increase tuition in the next few years, but what will it do for students who are at these schools and suffering from the problems caused by the economy? Quinnipiac, for example, is raising their tuition approx. 4%--which according to the myQ announcement is the lowest it has ever been raised, but I think this is the worst possible time for any increase, regardless of how low or high it is.