Buddy Friday: Living on Your Own in College

My oldest daughter just completed her second year of college. She moved out of the dorms and into an apartment so she could intern over the summer. She was very excited at the prospect and grateful that she has a job waitressing to cover her expenses. We thought the opportunity would be good for her both for the experience of interning as well as the experience of "living on her own." We figured it would give her a good idea of whether or not she was ready for an apartment setting for the school year.

There are a lot of things a college kid doesn't know (even though they're convinced they know everything). How to set up a budget, how to balance a checking account, when is rent due, how does a wire work. All this was new to her. She asked questions, got answers, but felt like she should have been imparted with this knowledge somewhere along her educational journey.

I told her I would look for some sort of reference for her. I didn't know if it would be a beginning budget or bookkeeping book, i really didn't know what I would find when I went to the bookstore. The answer was "not much". It is funny, there is a huge push for college shopping, outfit your dorm room with the coolest, latest, greatest stuff. $pend money, money, money (after you've paid the tuition$$ mind you). But there is no reference for a college student to spend their money WISELY.

I plowed through the section, looked through books and the best I could do was a woman's guide to living independently. I did buy a copy as it did have a chapter on how to budget your money as well as how to save, how to invest. A grow into guide if nothing else. I may find myself writing a book.

Caitlin has decided to live off-campus this year, has found a rent and a roommate. I'm very proud of her. I'm also glad she has the opportunity to learn how to live on her own with the safety net of college and mom and dad before it's just her, an apartment and work.

I would love to know: What is your best tip for a college student living on her own for the first time?

Buddy Friday: Vacation Travel Tips and Tricks

Well, it's that time of year again when everyone starts to get the travel bug. I shared my birthday with Easter this year and did not feel like cooking and having everyone to my house. Instead, we took a short family trip down to Washington, D.C. to see our eldest daughter who is in college down there. It was a great birthday gift!

Now, the only time we had spent in D.C. previous was pretty much to bring her down or take her home and we basically did it in one day. (a 12 hour journey there and back with the least amount of traffic). We had never stopped to see the sights or smell the roses. This time was different. This time we left home on Saturday morning and returned on Tuesday evening. We had a great time and learned a little bit how to travel on mass transit around a large city. We live in a small town, near a larger town that only has bus transit. It takes us around 20 minutes to get where ever we have to go in our car and that is our only mode of transportation. When you live in the city, things are different.

1. It takes lots of time to get anywhere between walking to a metro stop and riding the metro. Have lots of it on your hands.

2. Take time to learn how the mass-transit system in the area works. Will you have to switch trains to reach your destination? Do you have to reach a certain stop to do that? (for more information on the DC Metro, please visit http://anenglishgirlrambles.blogspot.com/ she has excellent pictures and descriptions of the Metro on her "My World Tuesday" April 13 post.

3. Stop at the information desk and ask. That is what they are there for. Listen very closely to the directions. Ask to have them written down. That is what they are there for. They gave us something that looked like a hall pass for school with all the transfers and stops that we needed.

4. Don't worry about looking like a tourist--you ARE! We carried a camera bag and a backpack and a tote bag.

5. Carry your water and your lunch with you. We noticed that many, many people are opting for a picnic from home on a park bench or the ground. They brought their coolers with sandwiches and drinks and plopped right down. It didn't matter if we were at the zoo or on the National Mall (where all the monuments are located).

6. ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS have each member of your family wear their cel-phones and have them turned on. I was overwhelmed by the size of the area and by how easy it was to lose track of my family members. That was very stressful. (oh--btw, all the phones except my husbands were tucked safely away in my purse!)

Don't pack too many activities into your day!!! It takes time to get around the city and you don't want to cut yourself short on that. We had 2 activities planned each day. Sunday morning we went to the National Zoo and had planned to have lunch at a nice restaurant a stop away at 2:15. We could have spent a lot more time at the zoo and brought a picnic to boot. No one is spending $3 on water and $3.75 on PB&J, let me tell you. We did make it to the restaurant in plenty of time and had a nice leisurely brunch with our daughter. Monday's schedule was a little tighter.

The next morning we met our daughter on campus and she took us on the metro to the National Mall. We spent the morning there and had 2:05 reservations at the International Spy Museum, several blocks away. We could have spent ALL DAY on the mall, picnicing, taking pictures of all the monuments. We only saw 3 of them because of time constraints as the tickets for the Spy Museum were purchased in advance.

We left the mall hurriedly, got on the metro going in the WRONG direction (my eldest daughter was no longer there to navigate), got off 2 stops later and turned around. Got on the right direction, off at the right stop and RAN to the museum across the street. WHEW! Just made it! We went on an interactive experience there called "Operation Spy". It's great for the 7-14 year old boys. Not so much for the teenage girls. My son, who at 12 is not easily impressed, had a fantastic time. We left the museum, went back to school for my daughter and went out to dinner for my birthday that evening. The trip was a success, she looks fantastic, and we are home now. It was a great birthday. Enjoy your vacations, make the most of them. Take time to learn the local transit systems, pack your lunch but not your day and have fun!!!

for more Buddy's Friday posts, please visit Margaret's Ramblings.

Buddy Friday: 43 and Counting--Plan of Attack!

First of all, I have to say how embarrased and annoyed I was to have collected such a vast amount of supplies. Now, to be honest, I counted everything--container of rubber gloves, all the little dispensers of hand soap, the gallon jug that fills all the little bottles of hand soap. The sheer volume of supplies was overwhelming. The good thing is that they are in one place right now, ready to be used one by one.

After writing that piece, I knew I needed to come up with a plan, so I sat down with my crate of supplies and took another look. What do I need to keep? Can I share or donate some of these supplies? If I really will never use it, I'll put it in a pile for town cleanup day. I have already used up the last of 3 bottles with very little cleaner left. It is gratifying to turn bad habits into good and through the process of elimination, it will be good to replace these supplies with recipes and environmentally friendly products. 43 and counting!

Buddy Friday: I Got a 46!

We've all seen those quizzes and forwards. Take the quiz and post your score, forward it to everone you know and send it back to me! We've played along too, some of them are just fun and pass time. Now I have a question for you: How many bottles of cleaner do you have in your house? Me, I have a whopping 46 NOT including whatever is in my garage and my laundry detergents. If I assigned a basic cost of $4 per bottle, I have at least $250 in cleaning supplies in my house right now.

How did it get that way? I'm not sure. Something can be said for shopping without a list. Something can be said for wanting to try the latest and greatest product to hit the market. Apparently I'm a sucker for floor cleaners. I have mostly wood floors in my house and truthfully, the only thing that will "help" them at this point is a professional refinishing. But no, I get sucked into these products. Are they all "green"? Unfortunately, no, though some are. In an attempt to make cleaning faster, fun and a cooperative effort, the industry has inundated the market with a cleaner for each scenario when a lot of the time one multi-purpose cleaner will do. They have introduced wipes when a cloth or paper towel and spray would suffice. It is amazing and overwhelming to see so many products available and in the process I have made poor choices monitarily as well as environmentally.

I remember my mom cleaning with Pledge, Pinesol, Ivory Liquid and a vacuum cleaner. Our house was spotless. You could eat off the kitchen floor. In my attempt to clean better, I have aquired all the trappings that say they will help you clean better. The only thing that will help me clean better is me. From this point forward, I have placed a moratorium on buying any further cleaning supplies and make a commitment to use and dispose of the products I have in a safe manner. I will begin to look for recipes for further supplies once I run out or buy their green counterpart. I'd like to get back to cleaning simply and keeping as few supplies in the house as necessary. I'd like to get to green and stay that way. So what's your score?