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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 9, 2004)
ATT,Hit il 1 istheadvi and to alii 1 is called BQ. pagelA th the UPfl graved. |] wing sen 1 students oned stud: bikes, ids too Aggielife The Battalion Page 3A • Thursday, September 9, 2004 Dollar-desperate measures rom donations of plasma to clothes, students earn extra money in creative ways By Amber <iray THE BATTAIION y is, BJ incredibly, each year college students spend $5.5 billion on , ^ I c0 ^ 0 *’ mostl y on ^ ccr ’ a stu dy by the GL Ness Agency reported. -°i\ r I' 8 ' s n10re t ^ an stu ^ cnts s P en d on books, sodas, coffee, juice and milk combined, averaging $466 per student. From these statistics, °, lce l)e Pfs obvious most students, like Clint Perdue, are finding creative 11cr l0 "ays to earn and save extra cash to compensate from all the money . . .ley’re spending. ith stolen til , - Donating plasma is a great way to cam bar j in | ^ money,” said Perdue, a junior agricultural devel- ' uUs " ir ' opment major. t’s hi ^* ien Startc ^ giving plasma. Perdue was go a diJr emplQyed an< ^ P oc ^ e,e ^ a " be earned from the nations. m, espci. rate thai overingih icl Murph agement: there’s irj se it’s suc‘ nts should activity K'! ; an app:: kes cngn- )2-8125if “Once 1 got a job, I opened a savings account nd started putting away all the money 1 received,” said. jfe Donating twice a week for aboiSf ftfcr months ith his girlfriend Nina Ricks, a senior recreation, arks and tourism science major, the two saved lough money to pay for their spring break trip §st year. I “It paid for the entire week-long trip,” he said. “I mean everything from travel to the hotel to our lending money.” I In the few months following spring break, tley were able to save up enough for a trip to las Vegas. Avoid racking up extra costs need lessly and always set a little money aside for emergencies. — Nancy Granovsky Extension Family Economies Specialist major, sa^ and hero Through friends’ suggestions. Perdue began donating his plasma, d once he became a regular donor, he promoted the activity to any of his friends. ely answer:.! “It’s a great method for earning extra cash,” he said. “Plus when e." Rikeiyou refer people, you earn even more each time they donate.” sterling to! Over the past two years. Perdue has found a wmy to conveniently it we think lork regular donations into his week’s rhythm, i majoran;! “I just look at my schedule and find a couple of hours twice a ation. salt Meek that would work for me,” he said. “Then 1 just stick with it.” was a sue,! In addition to donating plasma, stDdents have found other ways chbox Foratii earn a quick buck around town. From writing other people's eek ai R urm papers to setting up Web sites that ask for each visitor to attend tkMonate a dollar, any way that can help add spending money to their :h as BocMockets have become popular. nunityi “Any time 1 need extra weekend money, it’s easy to find a shirt ora pair of shoes that 1 don’t wear very often,” said Andrea laltisperger, a senior journalism major. “And 1 just take them to Plato’s Closet to see how much 1 can make off of them.” Recently given the opportunity to sell back clothes, many students have found this option to be quite beneficial. “I started last semester when me and my roommate were cleaning out our closets,” Waltisperger said. “Instead of just throwing away our unwanted clothes we decided to sell them. And surpris ingly, you can make quite a bit of cash.” Another way stu dents earn cash at the end of each semester is by Hocking to the bookstores to see how much they can get for their used books. While most can find it frustrating when a book cannot be re turned, Waltisperger has found a new way to make sure she gets some money back. “When the book stores won’t buy back a certain book of mine. I’ve found that by putting them (on) E-bay, I could still make money off of them,” she said. “It’s good for students at other universi ties who are getting these books at a discount and it also helps me out.” While most students are looking for creative ways to earn extra cash, it is also important to save. “At the beginning of every semester 1 find coupons for free items at Kroger and other grocery stores in the local newspapers,” Waltisperger said. “If you just take the time to look, you can save a lot of money.” Texas A&M's Division of Finance Web site lists various money saving tips and suggestions. For instance, it suggests students wait a full 24 hours before buying an item they think they need, or to put all loose change into ajar for laundry and unexpected expenses. “In order to cut back on utilities, me and my roommate would Christopher |ones • THE BATTALION wash dishes as we went versus running the dishwasher everyday,” Waltisperger said. “Limiting laundry to once a week can also really lower the bill.” According to Student Watch Campus Market Research, nearly 40 percent of students have more than $200 of discretionary income a month, and UCity Magazine reports from sources of Stu dent Monitor, The New York Times and Jupiter Communications that students spend approximately $6,760 a year, excluding tuition. See Save on page 4A TE?C4SM^iLLCPF'rsilVIE-lVET O 979-822-2222 ■mg the fa! art j ! versify tarfafs ition, TX/Mf TAMU.Cota’ ymtheOivstf.) 979-M5-331} y The Battato.! advertising, cal a m to 5 p m pick upas#! per school i«i m RST AGGIES FORLIFE INVITES YOU TO HELP MAKE HISTORY /I /^VDAYSfor 4(Jlife SEPTEMBER! - OCTOBERIO Aggies for Lite invites you to join with dozens of churches and thousands of other people in this historic pro-life campaign consisting of: 40 DAYS OF PRAYER Individuals, groups, and congregations are uniting together to fervently pray for an end to abortion, and to lift up all those affected by the injustice. 40 DAYS OF FASTING As people of faith fast with a broken, repentant, and contrite spirit, God will save lives, heal wounded hearts, and restore our churches, community, nation and world. 40 DAYS OF OUTREACH The pro-life message will reach every household in Bryan-College Station, and every student at Texas A&M. Fame All tickets $7 (d), THE DOOR ses B Online 40 DAYS OF VIGIL Faithful believers will be holding a non stop, 24-hour-a-day prayer vigil-outside of the Planned Parenthood facility in Bryan that has aborted more than 2,200 innocent children. ; - Learn more about the campaign, upcoming events, and how you. can make a difference by calling (979) 846- 2825, or visit: wunv.40daysforlife.com airie RJ : Mall [\ .IlH se contact for Trust ^ ^ God 1 Choosei >iffi 1 Life ♦ All tickets $15 at the door or $12 in ADVANCE AT THE HALL, BASKINS, AND CAVENDERS ♦ With special guest: DJANGO WALKER The Texas Halt of Fame encourages you to drink responsibly and always designate a driver. Free soft drinks to designated drivers over 21.