10 Ways to Save Money as a College Student

As a college student myself, I know how difficult it can be to make it through the year with little to no money in your bank account. My freshman year I don’t think that there was a time when I had more than $50 in my account for the entire year. Regardless of what my situation was, it’s a common trend that all college students will experience at one time or another: not having enough money. Here are 10 money saving tips for college students as well as teenagers to make your funds stretch further than you ever thought they could:

1.)  Rent or Buy Used Textbooks

I still do not understand why some people purchase new textbooks every semester. My first semester of college I bought all new textbooks and spent $580. Ever since then I have been renting and buying used and have not spent over $150 a semester. Ebay, Chegg and Amazon are great for saving your money.

2.)  Drink Water

Don’t waste your money on juices and energy drinks. Water is free and a whole lot healthier than those sugar infested beverages.

3.)  Use Campus Transportation

I cannot tell you how many times I have gotten parking tickets on campus because I was too lazy to walk or take the bus to class.

4.)  Don’t Buy Your Music

Free services like Soundcloud, Spotify and Pandora are available so why would you waste $1.29 for a single song with ITunes?

5.)  Ditch The Cable

I had no idea how expensive cable was until I got it for myself. For the cheapest plan on Comcast, it cost me $40 a month, $40 that I really didn’t have to spend. You can watch TV online and play DVDs through your laptop for free.

6.)  Pay Bills Before They Are Due

There are too many times where I simply forgot to pay my rent and was forced to pay a late fee for my stupidity. Just plan to pay your rent and bills at least a week early, every month.

7.)  Skip The Alcohol

Alcohol is expensive, plain and simple. Especially when you’ve had a few drinks and are at a bar with a few friends, you’ll probably end up finding yourself buying drinks for them out of the niceness (drunkenness) of your heart. The solution? Go to the bar without your credit card or just have a couple drinks and vouch not to spend anything else. Or, just don’t drink!

8.)  Avoid Take-Out

Getting take-out is expensive and you will most likely spend at least $10 each and every time. Why not go to the campus cafeteria? Or go shopping and buy your food in bulk so you can save money?

9.)  Skip Expensive Spring Break Trips

So many of my friends have always gone on extravagant spring break trips. While I’m sure they are a ton of fun, they cost a lot of money and you end up forgetting more than you remember.

10.) Avoid Spending Money On the Weekends

This may be the best step you can take to save yourself a lot of money. Whenever I find myself with an overdrawn bank account, it’s usually on a Sunday or Monday after the weekend. Almost all of my purchases are made on the weekends on food, movie tickets, etc. Rather than partaking in costly endeavors you could read a book, play a sport or go for a walk (all free alternatives).

There you have it. Here are some great ways to safe money as a college student that teenagers can use as well. Have any other effective methods to save money? Comment them below and lets have a discussion. Thanks for reading!

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Websites to Improve your Skills

These websites will help you to improve your skills. By improving your skills you can make extra money online.

www.developskills.com.au

www.skillsyouneed.com

www.improveskills.com

www.skills.oecd.org

Read more about this way to make money online

Try to use advanced skills in the way to make money online

Websites to Improve your Skills 1001proways.blogspot.com

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Mobile Money Cameroon How To use MTN mobile Money Services

MTN Cameroon being the leader in telecom service in Cameroon had brought about many innovations in Cameroon. One of its major achievement is the introduction of MTN Banking services commonly known as mobile money. This mobile banking service has been of advantage to individuals, schools, businesses and other institutions.

In this post I will provide   answer some questions that will help you to use the services.

 Do you want to do a Payment?  How to Pay with MTN Mobile Money Money  is another great  check out.

   Before we begin you have to ensure you have a mobile money account registered with MTN Cameroon. If you don’t have, then read out the post:

                       How to Register For MTN mobile Money services

Basically, using MTN mobile money is all about dialing the USSD code *126# and following the steps depending on your needs or the type of transaction you want to carry out. To carry out  a mobile money operation, simply reply with the number that corresponds with ‘’what you want to do’’. For example if buy airtime is option 2, you will reply with ‘’2’’ (Please don’t use the quotes’’ just type 2).Here are some questions which will help you to use the service effectively.

1.     How can I contact MTN mobile money customer care?

-Dial 8787

-Choose your language

-Reply with 3 (at the moment),   For mobile money services.

-Enter the pass word 1111 if asked for.

Other pass words that work at times include: 7777 or 0000.

                                        2. What is mtn mobile money code?

The code *126# or *126*1# gives you access to all MTN mobile money options

There are other codes that you can use. You can read

3.     Which tariff plans can I subscribe to with MTN mobile money airtime?

The airtime you get from MTN mobile money is like any other airtime. You can use it with any tariff plan.

4.     How can I get my password if forgotten?

Get to customer service( see respond above if you have forgotten). Request for  a pin reset.

The agent will send the pin to your phone. When you recive the pin, write it oout on a piece of paper

-Dial *126*1#

-select ‘’ Manage Account’’  (reply with  ‘’5’’)

-Select ‘’PIN Reset’’  ( by replying with option ‘’5’’)

-Enter the code that was sent to you

-Enter a new pin (It should be of 5 digit) which you can easily remember.

You will always need this to do your transactions.

5.     HOW Can I withdraw money without a phone?

You cannot withdraw money without a phone. Every transaction is carried out with a mobile phone. You will need your phone to confirm the withdrawal.

                                      6. How can I change my pin?

-Dial *126*1#

-Reply with the number corresponding to manage account ( ‘’5’’ at the moment am writing this post).

-Select ‘’Change Account Pin’’

-Enter the old pin to confirm your account  and proceed to create a new pin.

                                       7. How can I put money into my account?

MTN Cameroon has more than 1000+ authorized partners where you can carry out your mobile money operations.  If you can find a sign post with the words

                                                         ‘’Mobile Money Available’’

 Then you can gladly do your transaction with no stress. The most popular places where you can carry out include:

a)     Filling stations like  Tradex ,  MRS, Oilibya  filling stations. MTN lately announced another partnership with Total.

b)    Financial institutions like: Express Exchange, Credit Du Sahel, CCC,Sofina, Garanti Mutuel, Afriland first Bank  among   other

c)     Any MTN service center in your town.

In order to carry out a successful recharge, you will need to give your phone number and the amount in Cash to the mobile money agent.

As a precaution, always ensure your phone is on, for you to confirm the transaction.

The Confirmation Message   always come with sender ID ‘’MobileMoney’’ or ‘’111111112’’

                                            8. How can I send Money or Make a payment?

In order to send money, you must have the phone number of the person or institution. Making mobile money payments require the following steps:

-Dial *126*1#

-Reply with the option Send Money (1)

-on This menu you have two main options (Mobile money user and Others)

  If the person you want to make payments to has   a mobile money account, Reply with option

‘’1’’.

Reply with Option ‘’2’’ to someone who is not having a mobile money account.

The number must not be an MTN number. You can send money to an Orange, Nexttel, or Camtel subscriber with no problem.

With option 2, you will have to send a token number to the payee.

For others ways to pay : Read How to make MTN Mobile Money payments

                      9.  How can I withdraw Money from my Account?

Withdrawals are done through an agent.

Here is what to do:

-Visit any agent or partner and give your mobile money number (Your phone number is your account Number). 

-Wait for him to initiate the transaction. He will ask you to authorize the transaction, once he is done on his path.

-To authorize the transaction,

 = Dial *126*1#

=Reply with option    ‘’4’’ (Pending Approval)

=Enter Pin to see the pending approval

= Authorize the transaction

=Confirm the transaction by reply with ‘’1’’ (Yes)

If you don’t want to you can decline with ‘’No’’ (2)

10.  How can I check my Balance?

     It is very important to know how much is left in your account.

One way to do this is by keeping the message you got from your last transaction.

If you are not convinced, then go the Mobile Money code way:

-Dial *126*1#

-reply with option ‘’5’’ and then ‘’1’’ to check your balance.

 Here are some of the questions we have been receiving from readers.  Will you like to use MTN mobile money?

Feel free to ask a question on how to use MTN mobile money services.

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Money Management For Teens To Become a Millionaire

As a teenager or young adult it is very tempting to spend your money on new gadgets as soon as you get your hands on some cash. While this can be exciting, how often have you bought something, like a new video game, and then regretted spending your money on that item. While saving your money may not be as exciting as its alternative, it is important to do. Saving and managing your money will create a financial cushion for yourself, when you begin to have more responsibilities, like paying bills as you get older and enter the “real world.” I hope that by reading this post you will increase your financial awareness and learn the importance and benefits of money management as a teenager. 

How to Begin to Save Money

When you begin to save your money you may not know how much to save each month or how to go about beginning the process. Here are a few tips that you can use to get you started.

Set Goals- Say you get a weekly allowance of $20 from your parents, which adds up to about $80 a month. Set a goal for yourself to save $30 of that $80 which will add up to $360 a year.

Talk With Your Parents: I know that when I was younger my parents were excited when I told them that I wanted to begin saving the money that I got for birthdays, holidays and odd jobs around the house. They set up a system where they would “match” every dollar I saved, as long as I didn’t take that money out of my account for personal use. Maybe you can bring this idea up to your parents and see what they think about it.

Have a Plan­-Saving before you spend may be the most important step to this process. As you get older many adults save a certain percentage of their income for retirement funds and other things. You too could save a percentage of money that you get each month and then spend the rest of your income on whatever you choose.

What to do With Your Saved Money

Once you have begun to save your money you will now need to find a place to keep your saved money. The first step that you should take is to open up a bank account for yourself. Opening a bank account serves many benefits, including: safety, easy access and more ways to save. You are protected from robbery that may occur if your cash is stored in your favorite hiding spot, the opportunity to access your account via debit cards/checks/online, and finally an opportunity to earn interest on your account. So what is a savings account and how do I go about getting one?

Saving Accounts

When you’re younger chances are that you most likely have zero expenses. Your parents probably pay for your essential goods like food, clothes and housing. This can make it seem like there is no reason to save your money and you will probably want to spend it as soon as you get it. However, once you get to college you will learn the importance of saving your money when you will have to pay for rent, schooling, food, bills, clothes and all other non-essential items. This adds up quickly and having a good savings account can help you decrease the inevitable college debt that you will most likely incur.

The amazing thing with savings accounts is that you can see your money significantly grow even with a small account. You will earn interest payments on your account on a regular basis and these payments will allow your account to grow without you touching it. For example, say you initially deposit $50 into an account and $50 every month for 5 years. The $3000 that you deposited (5 years*12 months/year*$50), with a 6.5% interest rate compounded annually, will turn into $3,585.31, a gain of $585! Now imagine that you continue to deposit $50 every month for another 5 years. The $6000 that you have put into the account has now turned into $8,428.98, a gain of almost $2500 that you would not have had had you not put it into a savings account. Scale up that $50 monthly deposit into your account and you will see yourself with incredible gains of tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars.

A great list of the best savings accounts of 2014 has been put together over at The Simple Dollar.With parental supervision, you should start researching some accounts and possibly open one up for yourself.

Investing

While investing your money may be a little bit risky, it is an awesome way to increase your financial awareness and possibly set yourself up for stability down the road. Investments do however pose more risk than savings accounts, as there is a possibility that you can lose your money. The three most common types of investments include stocks, bonds and mutual funds.

Stocks- Stocks are when your have partial ownership in a publicly traded company. If the company is doing well, you will have an opportunity to sell your “shares” of stock for more than you paid for them. However, if a company performs poorly you will lose money as you may end up selling your shares for less than what you paid for them. Investing in stocks is fun to do as you can see your investments increase when companies come out with new products or ideas.

Bonds- Bonds represent a promise from a company or organization for a payment of a specific interest rate for the money you leave with them for a specified period of time. Bonds are much more safe than stocks, but you will not have the opportunity to make as much money.

Mutual Funds-Mutual funds are professionally managed collections of money from different investors. Each mutual fund invests a variety of ways including in stocks or bonds. So you are essentially giving your money to these money managers who run these funds in the hopes that they will increase your capital for you.

Penny stocks also offer a way to make yourself a lot of money, however proceed with caution and only use funds that you can afford to lose. Check out my post Turn $500 into $5000 with penny stocks to learn more on the topic.

For more detailed information on the potential risks and returns on investing I suggest you check out a “ Beginners Guide to Investing” at the SEC: www.sec.gov/investor/pubs/begininvest.htm

Be Smart

All in all it is important to be smart when you are saving your money or investing it. Money management as a teen or college student is a great skill to have and if you can start saving at a young age you will be miles ahead of someone who begins saving at a older age. If you successfully save and invest your money chances are that you will become a millionaire at some point! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day!

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5 Tips to Use YouTube to Drive Traffic to Your Website

YouTube has established itself as one of the most popular websites in the world since its introduction in 2005. Ranking in at number 3 according to the Alexa Top 500 Global Sites, YouTube receives millions of unique visitors every single day. People watch a staggering 2 billion videos each day and according to YouTube, 24 hours of video is uploaded to the video website every minute. These statistics are absolutely incredible and YouTube has limitless potential in terms of generating traffic to your website or blog.

YouTube is no longer used by kids who are solely looking to watch a funny cat video or various sports highlights. It now serves as a great resource filled with thousands of hours of informational videos. YouTube not only functions as an amazing way to generate ad revenue from people directly watching your videos, but also as a great way to generate traffic to your blog or website. Here are 5 helpful hints to use when you are looking to use YouTube to drive traffic to your blog or website.

1.) Create a High Quality Video

Possibly the most important step in using YouTube to drive traffic to your blog is to create a great video. You don’t need a high budget to create a great video, rather a plan of action, knowledge on your topic and some sort of video editing software. Examples of different kinds or effective videos are DIY (do it yourself) or top 10 list videos. These will encourage people to not only click on your video, but also watch the video in its entirety. Nothing is worse than having someone click on your video only to exit out after 10 seconds due to boredom.

2.) Link in the Video Description

This one seems pretty obvious, but I see people forget to add their URL in their video description more often than not. If you make a popular video, why miss out on potential targeted traffic by forgetting to add a silly thing like your website’s URL? Make sure you add it to the beginning of the video description as it will be the first thing that stands out to the viewer. Also make sure you include some information on your video and be descriptive. You want to make sure you do this, because the more YouTube knows about your video, the more confidently it can rank it for a specific keyword.

3.) Get Traffic to Your Video

If you spend hours in creating an informational video only to receive no traffic to it, you’ll be pretty disappointed in your efforts. Unless you already have a solid subscriber base, you will need to promote your video in order to get some traffic to it. Just like search engine optimization for a website, you can use the same methods to promote your video. This includes adding good tags and keywords to your video description, posting it to social sites like Facebook/Twitter/Google+/etc, or sending your new video out to a mailing list. You can also post your video, granted it is helpful, to online communities like LinkedIn or Ouora. Getting targeted traffic from online communities will also help your video and ultimately your website rank better on search engines.  If you can generate solid traffic to your well-made video and then tell viewers to click on your link to your website, more often than not they will.  This leads us to our next tip.

4.) Tell Them to Click Your Link!

What’s the point of creating a video, putting your link in the description and then not taking the time to tell the viewers that you want them to view your website? Put emphasis on the fact that there is a link to your website in the description and you want them to click on it. If you can create a high-quality, informational video that people want to watch, chances are that your website contains a ton more material that the viewer may be looking for. You can also encourage your viewers to like and subscribe to your video and channel so they will be informed when you come out with additional videos in the future.

5.) Put Your Website URL in Your Actual Video

When using simple video editing software, you should always put your websites URL into the actual video if your main goal is to generate traffic. You should remember that often times videos are shared and embedded onto different websites. This means that your link is being shared and viewed all over the internet and not just on YouTube. Maybe add it as a watermark in the corner of the video, so as not to obstruct the viewers view, but so that they know that it is there. This will also help prevent others from stealing your video and taking credit for it.

There you have it. Make sure you apply all 5 ideas from above when using YouTube to generate traffic to your blog. As a teen it can seen overwhelming when trying to get traffic to your blog, yet these simple, yet effective tips can work wonders for you and your website and help you produce more traffic then you have ever received before creating YouTube videos.

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