Donna Freedman

The complete college list (enhanced).

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thOver at A Mom, Money and More, my blogging buddy Sonya Ann has reprised her “Complete college list,” originally put together after packing her older child off to college.

Novices would do well to heed this detailed account of everything a student needs, from cards to bed sheets.

You don’t necessarily need all of these things, mind you. (Bug repellent? Movies? A Hairdini?)

However, the list is a great reminder of the things we’re so accustomed to having that we don’t really think about them.

That is, until they aren’t there. If the average freshman needs dental floss or shoelaces or cough syrup, which of these two scenarios is more likely?

Of course, even the most exhaustive list can use a fresh pair of eyes. No offense, Sonya Ann.

 

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8 tips for living on your own.

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thA reader named Nancy, winner of a $10 Wal-Mart gift card in my fifth anniversary giveaway, contacted me to ask about the solo life.

“I’m about to live on my own for the first time, and this gift card will parlayed into something important, like toilet paper or spices,” she wrote. “Any advice you can offer on how to live alone…would be appreciated.”

Although I’m now quite happily partnered, I did live on my own from February 2005 until well into 2012. And I loved it. Loved, loved, loved it.

Possibly that was because I’d lived alone less than a year total in almost 47 years on the planet. Being by myself – no one to tell me what to do, to turn the TV way up, to track across the floor I’d just mopped – was a tremendous luxury.

When I became a midlife college student, that solitude felt not just splendid but necessary. I’d stagger through my apartment door, set down my book bag, kick off my shoes, prepare a simple meal and luxuriate in the quiet.

A major downside to living alone? Paying for everything.

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A coupon app and a $2,500 sweepstakes.

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ImageProxyDon’t want to clip your own coupons? Let the Favado mobile savings app do it for you.

While you’re at it, enter to win the company’s Summer BBQ Savings sweepstakes. (More on that in a minute.)

Favado is a free app that tracks deals in more than 65,000 supermarkets and drugstores across the country. You make a shopping list right on your phone and then the app uses real-time data to match current deals, coupons and even “secret” sales (e.g., in-store promotions) with what you want to buy.

You’ll get automatic notifications when your favorite products go on sale at those stores – and the list includes markets like Whole Foods, Target, Trader Joe’s and Kmart along with merchants like Safeway and Walgreens.

“Want to save on groceries…easily? Get this app,” advises Emily Weinberger of Good Housekeeping magazine.

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Got retirement questions? Ask ’em.

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thKiplinger’s Personal Finance and the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors will co-sponsor “Jump-Start Your Retirement Plan Day,” an eight-hour online chat, on Thursday, June 5.

You can ask questions in advance or just follow along on Twitter as 20 money professionals offer their professional advice.

Free professional advice.

Now that I’ve got your attention, check out the touchy-but-necessary topics these money mavens will discuss:

  • Saving for retirement – 401(k)s, IRAs and Roth IRAs
  • Taxes and retirement – including but not limited to estate and gift taxes
  • Earning while retired – Social Security and income investing strategies, whether you’ve already stopped working or merely making plans
  • “Financial challenges” – paying down debt, investing, saving for your kids’ college

To that last I’d add “boomerangers,” i.e., kids who come back after schooling or because of personal economic downturns. About three in 10 young adults are bunking with Mom and Dad, but this isn’t always voluntary; almost 10 percent of grads between 21 and 25 are unemployed and 16.8 percent are underemployed, according to the Economic Policy Institute.

By comparison, back in 2007 those figures were just over 5 percent and 9.6 percent, respectively. Ouch.

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What’s going on.

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thSummer is in full swing in Anchorage, by which I mean the garden is planted and the clouds came back.

A little rain, even, although not nearly enough. After weeks of relentless sun I have to admit that it was good to see “normal” weather again.

Some people refer to clouds and rain as “state fair weather.” I don’t agree. State fair weather requires low-40s temperatures plus enough wind to blow the rain sideways. What good are carnival rides and barbecued turkey legs when it’s actually nice out?

But as with every summer, I’m losing track of time in a huge way. Look at the clock and it’s 6 p.m. The next thing you know it’s 10:30 – who let that happen?

Losing track of blogging, too, i.e., I haven’t written much lately. Let’s play catch-up.

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Giveaway: “How to Coupon Effectively.”

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6Jzsjxlu5p2na58f6rGMjSLcrgc08TYIRKAAQTwdk44NfpSB2lsDn1hAaYExm8F10Nkd7xE4qGu41_5nTQGUxg=s478Lauren Greutman, who blogs at I Am That Lady, can put to rest most coupon myths. For example, as the mom of four young children she doesn’t have time to turn couponing into a full-time job.

Nor is her pantry full of prefab potatoes, salty snacks and garishly colored cereals; in fact, her family eats gluten-free and organic.

That’s why she wrote an e-book called “How to Coupon Effectively: Learn How to Save Thousands Per Year Spending Only 2 Hours Per Week.” She’s offered to donate a copy to give away this week, to help some lucky reader save money without getting calluses from clipping those Qs.

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Heart-ening news.

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thAfter four miscarriages, my daughter and her husband have been almost afraid to hope. Recently they found out she was pregnant again, and for the past couple of weeks they’ve been holding their breaths.

Well, she’s also been throwing up. But holding her breath in between.

Earlier today she had another ultrasound. I’ll let her tell it — go read, “Houston, we have a heartbeat!”

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6 financial lessons from “Godzilla.”

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th-2To be honest, I’d hoped for more from the “Godzilla” reboot. The trailer sure made it look like a big ol’ popcorn romp.

Sure, plenty of stuff happened: buildings stomped flat, nuclear facilities collapsing, trains bitten in half, EMPs causing quarter-slot machines to malfunction.

But despite high production values and a handful of really swell actors (Bryan Cranston, Ken Watanabe, Juliette Binoche, David Strathairn) the film had a marked sense of detachment, as though nothing we were seeing really mattered much.

On the bright side, Linda B. and I saw the film on cheap day ($5.25 all shows) and we paid with discounted gift cards, which brought the cost down further. Not that it matters: I’m taking the price of the ticket as a business expense  because – as usual – I  found money lessons in the film.

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A travel Tweetchat and more.

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thHope you’ll join me Wednesday morning for a Tweetchat sponsored by GoBankingRates and CheapOair.

I’m attending as a guest blogger and will help provide tips on topics like low-cost student travel abroad, sticking to a travel budget, booking bargain travel, and low-cost Memorial Day activities.

You can ask questions or answer the ones posed, if you have tips to share. The chat takes place from 11 a.m. to noon PDT. Use the hashtag #COAChat.

Sorry to have maintained radio silence since last week. The weather has been glorious, which is distracting enough, but the unseasonable warmth sent the pollen count through the roof. (Think: a “high” reading times 270.) The sneezing and asthmatic wheezing, plus a couple of deadlines and ongoing anxiety caused by my daughter’s latest pregnancy, have kept me from achieving much.

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Traveling for the holiday? You need this bag.

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thThe TSA-friendly travel bag is always a wildly popular giveaway. And why not? Nobody wants to pay more for a .64-ounce tube of toothpaste than a 4.6-ounce one.

If you’re planning a trip over the long Memorial Day weekend, this bag of toiletries – all TSA-compliant – means you won’t have to check a bag.

It’s also great even if you’re not flying, since it’s easier to toss these toiletries into your overnight bag than to start stuffing in full-size shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and the like.

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