Money Saving Tip Wednesday?!

I know, I know - I'm a day late! Money Saving Tip Wednesday doesn't sound nearly as cool as Money Saving Tip Tuesday, but oh well!

This is actually my last post for Textbookless. Craziness. Therefore, I wanted to post more "mid-week."

To wrap up my money saving tips, I've decided to take a look back at all of the tips I've explored thus far. Lastly, I have a few final bits of advice to offer you as we part ways.

A Look at Textbookless

As previously mentioned, I wanted to shoot a short video that takes a deeper look at Textbookless. While making a video definitely isn't my strong suit, I hope that I was able to capture some different perspectives.

I interviewed my two friends - Zach Trinca and Kristin Klock, about their experiences buying textbooks while at RIT for the past four years. As they both graduate this May, I was interested to see how much money they've spent on textbooks verses how much they feel they actually used them. 

Their answers are interesting and semi-shocking. 

As two students from very different majors, Zach and Kristin capture the dynamic of what it could possibly mean to be "textbookless" across all majors. As Kristin said - she could do without her journalism textbooks, but couldn't have survived without some of the psychology ones. For that reason, maybe choosing certain majors means you're more likely to spend more money.

Regardless, there are a lot of different aspects that go into be "textbookless." For some it's possible, for others there is no chance at succeeding without them. So far, I've been okay - but I don't know if I'd be able to say the same if I was an engineering student or in a computer science major.

Stay tuned - the last Money Saving Tip Tuesday is coming this week!

The End

I can't believe it's actually the Thursday of Week Nine here at RIT. Besides being stressed out of my mind, everything is going pretty well.

Since this will be my last "update" post for this blog, I wanted to summarize a few things I've learned this quarter while being "textbookless." I also wanted to comment on the factors that I am quite sure will affect my final grades and yet - have nothing to do with textbooks.

Before that though, I have a short story about a quiz I had to take.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

I think this week's Money Saving Tip Tuesday contains my most exciting discovery yet. I am beyond thrilled to share it with you.

I love to eat healthy. If I can get something "organic," I will. If I can get something "all-natural," I will. Well this is awesome and makes me "feel good," it also means that I'm often spending quite a bit of cash on food.

Don't get me started on how ironic it is that healthy food is more expensive than unhealthy food - clearly that won't be changing anytime soon. Instead I am pleased to share that I've found somewhere to get healthy food for a relatively cheap price (I think). And it doesn't involve making the trek Public Market at 7am on Saturday mornings.

I give you Trader Joe's.

If ONLY I had done this sooner ...

If you've been keeping up with Textbookless, you know that last week I had my first major quiz that required a textbook.

If you've been keeping up, you also know that I don't have the textbook for the class - or any textbooks for that matter.

But just in case you haven't been faithfully reading this blog or are unsure of what I'm getting at ...

Last week I was in big trouble.

Because I didn't have a required textbook for a class that was giving a quiz on ... the required textbook.

The "required" textbook, borrowed from a classmate for this picture.

Photo Credit: Emily Clark

After numerous hours of "googling" the textbook and coming up with a whole lot of ... nothing. I had pretty much given up.

I was going to try and ace the quiz cold turkey.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

For this week's Money Saving Tip Tuesday, I wanted to do something a little different. 

I interviewed a friend (who wanted to remain anonymous) on how she regularly saves money.

Her money saving tips? Interesting and helpful. Read on to see.

1. Why did you decide to start saving money?

I decided to start saving money when I realized how much I wanted. I grew up in a home with just my mom and brother. My mom worked long hours and still managed to buy me everything I ever wanted. But as I grew older, my demands grew more expensive and I wanted too much. Since my mom wasn’t able to buy me as much as I wanted, I had to start buying my material possessions on my own. My mom has always taught me the importance of money management and I think that’s why I’ve become so good at saving.

Trouble on the Home Front

I have some bad news to share with you.

I didn't do so hot on one of my midterms - my Copywriting and Visualization midterm to be exact.

Although, I'm not sure my grade can entirely be blamed on the fact that I'm "textbookless." This has been a weird quarter for me.

Not to change the subject, but I know I've mentioned before that I've gotten lazy with my schoolwork. Why? I'm not too sure. Perhaps because it's finally getting nice out, perhaps because I am not on campus nearly as much as usual (due to the infrequent times my classes actually meet), or perhaps it's because I have an early case of senior-itis.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

With only four weeks left to offer "money saving tips," I am narrowing down which ideas I present to you.

I have asked family members, friends, and have reached out to Twitter and Facebook friends to get an idea of how others regularly save money. For my last "Money Saving Tip Tuesday" post (in a few weeks), I plan to compile a list of all of the suggestions I have been given. Therefore, don't be afraid to leave a comment or get in touch with me about what works best for you. I'd love to know.

The advice I have to offer today revolves around something I have been meaning to do for years. Literally.

The Middle & Midterms

Well, we’ve passed the halfway point.

This week marks the sixth week of classes at RIT for the Spring Quarter. Between this week and last, most students had or will have midterms.

For some strange reason, all of my midterms are this week – although I’m not complaining. Instead of everything being piled into Week Five, it’s been nice to have a little extra time to prepare.

I’ve been checking all of my grades on MyCourses, which is RIT’s online connection between professors and students, and am doing fairly well so far this quarter.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

Happy Spring to all! At least I think. 

With warmer weather finally making its presence in Rochester, my Money Saving Tip this Tuesday involves getting outdoors.

And eating more fruits and vegetables, for a cheap price. It's a win-win.

Because let's face it ... fruits and vegetables are good for you and tasty, but unfortunately expensive.

So to solve your "lack-of-fruits-and-veggies-because-they're-too-costly" problem, I give you the Rochester Public Market.  

Photo via www.plumdeluxe.com

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

Before I dive into this week's Money Saving Tip Tuesday ... I have some exciting news to share with you!

I have received a few quiz and assignment grades back from my professors ... and I've done well!

On Monday I received my Copywriting and Visualization content quiz grade. If you remember from last week's post, I was a little nervous for this quiz - especially after a friend in the class had showed me the extensive notes she had taken from the book.

Quiz #1

We're almost at the halfway point!

How exciting!

It's nearly the end of Week Four at RIT and although I don't believe I have any scheduled, next week is usually midterms week.

For most students, midterms means slaving over textbooks for hours and hours with the hopes of retaining at least some of the information that's been taught by the professor thus far.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

The advice I have to offer this week may not be applicable to all.

But if you have an online shopping addiction, like myself, it should be helpful.

I've tried this tip in the past, only to eventually let the temptation creep back in. This time I am determined to stick to it.

What am I talking about?

The "unsubscribe" button. You know, the little button at the end of all your e-mail notifications?
I receive way too many e-mails from stores. My inbox can often be found with e-mails detailing the newest J.Crew arrivals or Madewell deals.

... You spent HOW MUCH on textbooks?!

Since nothing exciting has been happening to me regarding textbooks, I thought it'd be fun to feature a textbook experience from someone else.

Sadly my best friend from high school, Sarah, recently spent over $1,000 on textbooks. I think it's safe to say she is having a textbook nightmare. I recently caught up with her to discuss the fortune she spent this semester on textbooks and just how necessary they've been.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

Welcome to week three!

How did you do with last week's money saving challenge? Did you make it an entire week without buying any food on campus? Did you solely eat food you already had available? If so, congratulations!

I did okay.

On Wednesday without even thinking about it, I went to Chipolte for lunch. It was one of the rare times I actually planned to go back to my house during the school day and therefore I didn't have any food packed for campus. I figured I could just eat when I got home.

But Chipolte sounded better.

Money Saving Tip Tuesday!

Hello all, I hope the week is treating you well!

In this week's version of "Money Saving Tip Tuesday," I present you with a new challenge. This week, I'm testing it out.

I am not allowing myself to buy any form of food on campus.

I usually spend from 10am to 8pm either on campus or at work, or some combination of the two. Most of my meals are obviously eaten during this time.

Hello, Spring Quarter!

Why hello!

Welcome to Textbookless! This blog will detail what happens when you refuse to buy textbooks for your college classes. It is a personal experiment that I'm preforming on myself.

Last week was my first week of classes for the Spring Quarter at RIT. The classes I will be taking are as follows:

• E-Journalism II
• News Editing
• Copywriting and Visualization
• The Congress