One might be tempted to think housing selection is simple, like ordering a burger at an In ‘N Out drive-through. It’s not that simple because the housing “menu” and several nuances make it more complicated. There is a big difference between the relative ease of submitting a housing application as a new, incoming student (and having the college make the room and roommate assignments), and taking on the challenges of recruiting one’s own roommate and dealing with a large menu of housing options, limits, timelines, deadlines, nuances, etc.

Here are a couple ways to save on living expenses:

1. Live on campus

2. Live with roommates – Craigslist is good for finding roommates

3. Live close to campus as the apartments are typically cheaper

4. Find someone who will let you live in return for part-time work

Many college students are included in these numbers. So crashes happen. Expecting them not to happen is futile. The problem is many students skip out on paying for car insurance because they are so strapped for cash. This is a very bad idea. Insurance is just not one of those things you can choose to pay or not pay. if you cause an accident you will be responsible for paying for all damage and medical bills. You could even be sued. This would cost you so much more than you monthly insurance premiums.

There are many ways to lower your insurance cost instead of forgoing paying for it. For example, Geico offers a student discount if you meet certain criteria. There are also other less known companies that specialize specifically in selling cheap car insurance premiums. Also, there are companies that offer safe driver discounts.

Here’s another tip: “Get good grades. Most auto insurance companies will give you a 10% to 15% discount on your auto insurance premium for having good grades. A 3.0 GPA or higher is usually the standard for receiving the discount.” Source: http://moneysmartlife.com/college-student-car-insurance-tips-on-getting-the-best-rates-for-students/

You can receive 0.25% off the fixed interest rate for signing up to have your payments automatically deducted every month from a checking or savings account. If your consolidation balance is $10,000 or more, you will receive an additional 1% off the fixed interest rate after 36 consecutive, on-time payments made electronically.

By consolidating student loans, you can bundle all of your loans together into a single loan, which means that you will have only one lender and one payment to deal with. Student loan consolidation also gives you a chance to lock in at a low interest rate, which can save you a great deal of money over time.

Here are some great tips on how to consolidate student loans.One good thing about government loans is that the interest rates are fixed when consolidating them, and so rest assured that the rates that the lending company will charge you are within the boundaries of the law. Albeit there is already a ceiling on the interest rates when consolidating government loans, it is always to your advantage if you will shop around for those with really low interest rates.

I would recommend consolidating with Direct Loans (the federal loan company). With Direct Loans, you don’t have the chance of a private bank jacking your interest rate, and you have many more options for deferments forbearances, payment plans, and best of all, US Dept. of Ed doesn’t report negetively to the credit bureaus until 60 days past due. Basically, you’re going to have more options, and probably a lower interest rate. Best of luck!

Can a private student loan consolidation really lower your monthly payments? In many cases the answer is “Yes.” In some cases, the answer in “no.” Private student loan consolidation sometimes allows a borrower to extend the repayment term of the loan. More monthly payments on the same principle amount of debt will – all else being equal – lower the monthly payment. Frequently the monthly payment associated with private student loan consolidation is meaningfully lower when compared to the existing private student loans that have been taken out by the borrower. But it is important to note you could end up paying more over time because of interest.

In addition to extending the repayment, private student loan consolidation also sometimes results in a lower interest rate margin for the borrower. Since private student loans are made to students to help pay for their education – when it is not known whether the borrower will complete their course of study – and since many lenders have determined that students that complete their course of study are better credit risks than those that do not, graduates are sometimes able to obtain a better interest rate margin through a private student consolidation loan than they have with their existing private student loans. A better interest margin will – again all else being equal – result in a lower monthly payment for the borrower.