Finding safe, affordable off-campus housing can be a struggle. After all, not all places that advertise their availability as apartments or houses are actually safe. In today’s world, there are many people who seek to take advantage of the younger population in need of somewhere to live.
Here are the top five things you should look for when searching for safe college accommodation:
Continue reading 5 Tips for Finding Off-Campus Housing
As a parent of an incoming college freshman, you’re likely feeling the stress of how to provide your child with the best housing. While most students choose to live on campus, some parents make the decision to purchase a home near campus for the sole purpose of housing their student while in college.
I had a friend that purchased housing near the campus of Texas A&M. Freshman housing was limited, and they factored in the cost savings over the years of on-campus housing and food. Once their student graduated, they kept the home as rental property and still rent it out to college students each year as off-campus housing.
Continue reading Purchasing Off-Campus Housing for Your College Student
Have you been thinking about some of the things that you can do when it comes to saving money while living off campus? There are plenty of options here that you can consider. In this article, we’re going to be looking at a few tips that will always help you to save money when it comes to your off campus home, so keep reading down below if you would like to find out more.
The first thing that you are going to save money on is your grocery shopping. If you are only ever buying named brands, why? Have you tried the cheaper alternatives? A lot of them taste just as good as the larger brands as they are made from the same things. We’re of course, not saying that this is always true, but even if there is a little taste variation, there is a huge price variation. The last thing that we want is for you to be spending money unnecessarily when there are cheaper options that you do actually like. If you try the alternatives and decide you don’t like them, that’s completely fair enough, but you have got to try them first.
Continue reading Saving Money While Living Off campus
The time has finally come for your son or daughter to enter into the next phase of their educational careers. In just a few short months, they will be enrolled into college as they prepare to earn their degree so that they can be successful in the career of their choosing.
Although all of this time they have been living with you, and as we all know, one of the major transitions that come with going to college is that students are able to live on campus (or even in an apartment). If you’ve been trying to figure out if that is an option that is most suitable for your son or daughter, we have a few things for you to consider before making a final decision whether to live on or off campus.
The Pros of Living on Campus
One of the main benefits of living on campus is that it’s convenient for your child to get to their classes. There’s no traffic or weather conditions that could make it challenging for them to either get to class, or to get to class on time. Another bonus is that great memories are made from living among other students who are also learning in a college environment. There are college roommates (and suite mates) who end up being friends for a lifetime. Still, another benefit is that it gives college students a sense of independence. While they may have relied on you to wake them up to class or to help them budget their own money, living on campus helps them to learn how to make many decisions on their own on a daily basis.
The Pros of Living Off Campus
If they live with you, an immediate benefit is that it saves you money on either room and board or assisting with their rent and other living expenses. Plus, you have the peace of mind of them coming home every day. If they live in an apartment, this even further prepares them for “the real world”, plus it provides them with the privacy that they may need in order to study. One thing to consider with this particular option, however, is if they do live in an apartment or even if they are looking into house rentals in order to rent with a few friends, they are going to need some reliable transportation in order to get back and forth to school.
So when it comes to making the ultimate decision on what is best for your college student, there are three main questions that you should ask yourself: “Would my child thrive more living on campus or off?”, “Is my child emotionally mature enough to live outside of the home?” and “What makes the most financial sense?” Once you have taken these various pros into consideration and then answered those questions, undoubtedly, you will come to the resolve that is best for your son or daughter (and for you).
Offers of admission are arriving and your college-bound teen is most likely already looking toward the future. Planning for dorm life now will prevent panic at the end of the summer.
College is such a fascinating time. If a student makes the decision to live on campus, for approximately four years of their life, they are able to live in a space that affords them total independence; at least for all of the months that they are enrolled in school. But while they are living in a dorm, they have to figure out how to furnish it in a way that will make them feel comfortable, while also being what they can afford.
If you have a college-bound student in your life who needs some help with furnishing their dorm room and you want to do it in a way that is both modern and cost-effective, we have five great tips for you:
Get the right kind of bedding. Dorm rooms already come with beds. Yet unfortunately, they’re not always the most comfortable. Thankfully, there are mattress toppers (even memory foam ones) that you can get for a really reasonable prices at stores like Wal-Mart and K-Mart. Also, make sure to get pillows that will support their head and neck and sheets and comforters that are preferably made from organic cotton or bamboo.
Purchase some really cool light fixtures. The overhead lighting in dorm rooms can tend to feel pretty institutional. One way to fix that is to buy some modern lighting fixtures. You can start by picking up a dimmer for the light switch, but don’t forget that places like Target and Overstock also carry some pretty cool looking light fixtures that don’t cost a ton of money. Then you can get some fluorescent light bulbs in colors like blue and green to add even more personality to their room.
Pick up some pictures. Depending on the college, sometimes the administration will allow a college student to paint their walls (so long as they paint them white again at the end of the school year). Whether or not the college student in your life is able to, it can feel so much more like their own space if they have pictures hanging on the walls. You can either have some of their favorite prints professionally framed or help them to build a picture collage over their bed.
Don’t forget about storage. Do dorm rooms ever have enough storage space? Usually not. Stop by your local container store to pick up some storage bins, baskets, totes or trunks? They are great for storing things like clothes, linens or even waterbed sheets. Or, if you want the kind of storage item that is multipurpose, opt to get an ottoman. That way, they can put all kinds of books and electronics inside, close it and then sit down or put their feet on top of it while studying or watching their favorite movie.
Add a refrigerator. Although all campuses have places where students can eat, chances are, there will be all-night study sessions that will require the need for a snack or two. While all of the things that we mentioned are important, an absolute essential item for a college student is a refrigerator. Not only does it store food, but the top of it can be used as a “tabletop” for an alarm clock or indoor plant. Plus, you can usually find a really good one for less than $150. It’s definitely a dorm room gift that any college student will enjoy.