Help Your Electronics Budget

Are you a fan of electronics? There are ways to get all of the high tech toys you love without breaking the bank.  Check out these six steps on how to tighten your electronics budget without sacrificing anything!  You can find out more great tips at Apartment Therapy.

Ditch the Expensive Cable Plan
If you're on the fence about cutting cable, read through our helpful guide to walk you through the pros and cons of ditching cable. Streaming TV is definitely here to stay, and there are great ways to find what's available and where it's playing online. If you can't live without cable TV, at least stop paying for your expensive monthly cable box rental and purchase a cheap over the air antenna. Perhaps even ask yourself if you can survive without TV at all!

Stop Buying Movies
The writing has been on the wall for physical media for quite some time, yet many of us just can't quite let go of our media collections. But since many of us are leaving cable subscription, it might be time to migrate over to streaming services and pare down your media collection (a great opportunity to sell it for a little extra cash). Highest quality playback still requires discs at this time, and latest releases are not always immediately available online (though this is becoming increasingly not true), but there's always Netflix or Redbox for occasional affordable disc rentals.

Stop Buying Music and Stream It!
Online streaming music is everywhere. Yes, commercials are part of the agreement when you stream free, but honestly there aren't actually that many commercials on Pandora, Rdio, Spotify, or other alternatives. It's not like the olden days of radio where you had to hunt around for something to listen to, there's pretty much a streaming station or playlist for every musical taste out there.

Take Advantage of Rebates
Government and utility companies often offer rebates for energy efficient appliances and devices. Before you buy, check around to see who's offering what kind of discounts if any. For example: Pepco provides the electricity in our area and they provide up to $2,750 in rebates with the ENERGY STAR program.

Be a Smart Consumer
Most important for anyone on a budget is to eliminate/limit impulse purchases. Buy smart and don't be swayed by every little iDevice that gets marketed as the next best thing. In instances when you do need to purchase electronics or appliances, consider buying last year's models. Usually year to year changes between models are modest to moderate. This is especially true with HDTV sets, where prices between last year's model can be hundreds of dollars cheaper than the latest release.

Slim Down The Cell Phone Service
We're not necessarily saying you have to completely ditch the cell phone, but paying thousands of dollars a year for a mobile device can cost a decent percentage of income across a year. Considering moving away from a contract agreement and moving over to a prepaid service to stop hemorrhaging money each month.

Surviving College on a Budget

College can be rough on the wallet.  However, even with limited funds you can still have fun.  Check out these great ways to save money in college and stay within your budget.  You can learn more at ecampustours.

Since you don't have a lot of cash flow in college, you need to learn how to be thrifty with your money. Here are some tips for surviving on a college budget.
 
Walk or ride your bike to classes. By doing this, you won't have to spend as much money on gas or car maintenance. You also won't have to shell out a bunch of money each semester for campus parking fees.
 
Get good grades. Having good grades can save you money on car insurance. Check with your insurance company to see what grades they require for the discount.
 
Look for free or cheap entertainment. Stop spending ridiculous amounts of money at your local movie theater. Many campuses host free movie nights throughout the school year. You could also set up a netflix account and watch movies in your dorm room or apartment for cheap. Check out sites such as Groupon and DealChicken for deals on movies, food, travel, etc. Instead of going out to clubs every weekend where you have to spend money on cover charges and beverages, save your cash by attending art openings or free student concerts. Stay away from shopping malls when you are bored; you'll be too tempted to make purchases. Instead, keep yourself busy by going for a long walk, playing sports, having a picnic with your friends, etc.
 
Don't pay for a fitness club membership. Most campuses have fitness centers that are free to students. If your campus doesn't, buy some hand weights and take up running, biking, swimming, etc.
 
Use coupons. For every item that you purchase, check to see if you can use a coupon for it. This includes groceries, clothing, electronics, etc. If purchasing items online, you should first visit sites such as ultimatecoupons.com or couponchief.com to check for online coupon codes. In addition to discounts, some sites, such as Ebates, offer cash back and will mail you a check based on your purchases. If your mom is a coupon clipper, have her send some in your next care package.
 
Get free Internet access. Many campuses offer free wireless access. If you have a desktop, some colleges provide their students with free or discounted dial-up accounts. If you need faster service, head to your campus computer lab.
 
Purchase a laundry rack. Using a laundry rack instead of a clothes dryer will cut your laundry costs in half. Plus, your clothes will last longer and look better.
 
Buy your textbooks online. Websites, such as Amazon and barnesandnoble.com, offer cheaper textbook prices than your local bookstores. In some cases, you may save more than 50% by purchasing books online. You can also save money by renting textbooks at sites such as chegg.com and campusbookrentals.com. Added bonus: you bypass the whole standing in line thing.
 
Be smart about credit. If you use a credit card, make sure you have cash to pay off the balance every month as not to accrue interest. If you get into debt during college, those credit card woes will be with you long after graduation.
 
Get a free checking and savings account. Look around your community for banks that cater to students. Make sure there are no attached fees for ATM withdrawals, online banking, funds transfer, etc.
 
Don't shop for groceries when hungry. You'll end up spending way more than you originally intended. Make a list and stick to it!
 
Carpool. Going home for the weekend or for a holiday? Carpool with other students from your hometown. Gas doesn't seem that expensive when you split the cost.
 
Don't forget about financial aid. Remember to research scholarships and grants.
Your college years can be a financially rough time. With a little planning and a lot of willpower, you can survive on a college budget.

Quinoa Instead of Rice

Are you looking for a new healthy alternative for lunch and dinner?  Check out Quinoa!  It is a great substitute for pasta and rice.  This is a great recipe to make this delicious substitute at home in no time.  You can find out about more great recipes at The Kitchn.

Quinoa has come a long way in the last few years. From health stores to the mainstream, its high protein content and delicate texture have made it a popular substitute for starchier pasta and rice. Several of us here at The Kitchn like to make a big pot of quinoa on the weekends and eat it throughout the week with curry, grilled vegetables, or braised meat. It's one of the most delicious, fast-cooking lunch staples we know (not to mention healthy). Here's how to cook great quinoa — not mushy, not bitter — but delicate and perfectly fluffy.

Cultivated in the Andes for over 5,000 years, quinoa has been called the "mother grain" and "the gold of the Incas." (It's technically not a grain but a seed, but it is used in virtually the same ways as other whole grains.) Today, the popularity of quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is growing steadily as people discover its pleasant nutty taste and superfood qualities. As a complete protein source also high in iron, magnesium, and fiber, quinoa is not only one of our healthiest pantry staples, but also one that's incredibly easy and quick to cook.

We've read that there are 1,800(!) varieties of quinoa, but just three main types are found in markets here: the most common white variety, as well as a red one and a black one.

Here is our standard method for cooking any of these.

Basic Quinoa Facts

How much cooked quinoa does 1 cup dry quinoa yield?
1 cup dry quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked quinoa.

How much liquid do I need to cook quinoa?
To cook 1 cup quinoa, you need about 2 cups liquid.

How long does it take to cook quinoa?
1 cup quinoa will cook in about 20 minutes.

How do I make quinoa less bitter?
Nearly, if not all, of the natural bitterness of quinoa's outer coating can be removed by a vigorous rinsing in a mesh strainer.

How do I make better-tasting quinoa?
Quinoa is really excellent when cooked in vegetable or chicken broth. Also, add about 1/4 teaspoon salt to each cup dried quinoa when cooking. Try adding other spices aromatics during cooking as well: A clove of smashed garlic, a sprig of fresh rosemary, a dash of black pepper.

Can I use my rice cooker to make quinoa?
Yes! Just use the 2:1 liquid to quinoa ratio and follow the instructions on your rice cooker.



How To Cook Quinoa
What You Need

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa (any variety — white or golden, red, or black)
Olive oil (optional)
2 cups liquid, such as broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

Tools

Fine mesh strainer
2-quart saucepan with lid
Spoon
Instructions

1. Measure quinoa and liquid. Measure out 1 cup quinoa and 2 cups liquid.

2. Rinse the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer, and rinse thoroughly with cool water. Rub and swish the quinoa with your hand while rinsing, and rinse for at least 2 minutes under the running water. Drain.
Why rinse quinoa? Rinsing removes quinoa's natural coating, called saponin, which can make it taste bitter or soapy. Although boxed quinoa is often pre-rinsed, it doesn't hurt to give the seeds an additional rinse at home. Some cookbooks suggest soaking the quinoa but, in our experience, this is unnecessary.

3. Dry and toast quinoa in saucepan. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in the saucepan over medium-high heat, and add the drained quinoa. Cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, letting the water evaporate.

4. Add liquid and bring to a boil. Stir in the liquid and the salt (if using) and bring to a rolling boil.

5. Lower heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Turn heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

6. Let stand covered for 5 minutes. After 15 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let stand for 5 minutes, covered.

7. Fluff and eat! After 5 minutes, remove the lid, fluff the quinoa gently with a fork, and serve. (You should see tiny spirals (the germ) separating from and curling around the quinoa seeds.)

Additional Notes:
• One cup of dried quinoa yields about 3 cups cooked.
• Some people like to add olive oil, butter, salt, or pepper. Cooked quinoa can also be used as the basis for pilafs, salads, breakfast porridges, and more.

Gmail Organizational Tips

Do you have a Gmail?  Did you know there are tools and tricks to help keep your inbox as organized as possible.  Keep reading the blog below to learn how to make your Gmail inbox more efficient.  You can find out more information at Apartment Therapy.



Efficient Gmail Inbox Habits

Sort as emails come: The best way to stay organized is to start from the get-go. Don’t let emails pile up throughout the week, believing you'll get to sorting and reviewing them "later". As emails start to flow in, at the least, organize them with designated labels ("followup", "family", "response needed", etc).

Labels: Back in 2011 Gmail began offering “smart labels”, a feature which automatically labels incoming bulk, notification, and forum messages for easy sorting and review. If you're the type who subscribes to regular email newsletters, store/sales notifications, or other group-wide correspondence, smart labels could be helpful in keeping the inbox trim and slim.

Color Categorization: Color categorization with labels: use it. If you’re someone who has to keep tabs on multiple tasks (who doesn't?) or juggle different groups of friends, categorizing incoming email by color will greatly simplify inbox reviews, creating color associated connections between senders and their emails. Assigning a color for emails sent from close friends and family is practically a must for anyone with a busy inbox.

Filters: After you’ve created labels and assigned colors, using filters is your next line of defense in streamlining an email inbox. In the Settings menu, select Filters and click, Create a new filter. Here, you'll be able to assign search criteria used to scan incoming emails and assign specific actions, including, "Skip the Inbox" or "Mark as read”.

Tools

Gmail offers an additional wide range of tools to help users stay organized and efficient in regards to their email needs:
Drag and Drop files: Instead of manually clicking “Attach a file” simply drag and drop files directly into the message.

Apps search: By activating “Apps search” you can extend your searches beyond the inbox into Google Docs and Sites.

Offline Gmail: Compose emails even without internet connection.

Tabs: the latest Gmail feature update takes something we're all ready used to while using browsers – tabs – and integrates them as a feature for easier viewing/sorting right from the Gmail inbox.


Users can turn on this new feature by clicking on the Configure icon (the little cog icon in the upper right), and choosing "Configure inbox". From there, optional tabs can be turned on or off, and once set, Gmail will automatically categorize the inbox by appropriate tab for segregated and tabbed viewing.

At launch, Google only offers five tabs categories:

Primary (messages from friends and family)

Promotions (sales and deals from retailers)

Social (social network sites)

Updates (online statements, verifications, receipts)

Forums (mailing lists, discussion board exchanges)Messages can be drag-and-drop between tabs, with specific senders set to always appear in a particular tab, and star messages so that they also appear in the Primary tab. Depending upon your workflow, this new tabbed view can help prioritize the process of viewing, responding, or archiving emails.

Emory Traditions: Dooley

What is Dooley?  Do you know the story of Dooley at Emory University. It is one of the Universities many loved traditions.  Keep reading and check out Emory for more great history of the campus traditions.



It may be easier to describe the endearing aspects of Dooley because the history is somewhat clear, the traditional enactments fairly routine, and the cant easily adaptable. What is known is that in October 1899, the Phoenix, Emory’s monthly literary journal of the day, carried— amid articles on the evolution of penmanship, the poetry of Sidney Lanier, and the Civil War prison at Andersonville—an essay titled “Reflections of the Skeleton.” Purporting to be from a specimen in the Science Room, the essay began with a lament of students’ return to campus: “For three months I have had a rest up here among these silent specimens, pickled bull-frogs, canned quadrupeds and other reptilian vertebrates, but now these college boys are back again and I am miserable.”

We learn certain facts about the skeleton in this self-introduction (he used to live in New York, for instance), but more interestingly we can infer something of his character. Ruminative (what else can he do, after all?), somewhat dour, he remarks that he is unsure whether he is doing any good in the world, “because there is no element of love or work in my life.” Presumably he once loved being alive, but he notes that times have changed; sophomores now disturb the silence by singing “Hello, My Baby.” He laments, “I am real glad I am dead, since people have begun to sing such songs.”Then we hear no more from the skeleton until 1909. In the October issue of The Phoenix that year appears “Dooley’s Letter—By Way of Introduction.” Somewhat at odds with the earlier bone-man, this letter writer distances himself from “that spurious Mr. Dooley who lives and writes in New York. I am the only original, authentic, and genuine Dooley.” He reflects on his life as the only son of a wealthy Virginia planter. Born during the Revolutionary War, he retired to Georgia after a long and eventful life. “Bearing the scars of many battles,” Dooley visited Emory College and has kept up with its history. “I little dreamed then that my lot later in my experience would be cast with her as a member of her faculty.”

Reaching old age and finding his strength of mind declining, Dooley was seized by “an old habit which I learned while campaigning”—drinking alcohol. Soon “liquor ruined me,” and Dooley passed from this life “in the home for incurables”; the home’s doctor saved the skeleton for instruction and eventually found Dooley “this position on the faculty at Emory.” From his perch in the Science Room, where he hangs with a steel rod up his back to support him, Dooley has been able to observe and note the characteristics of every member of the College community.

In the 1909 letter Dooley relates in great detail his first—and so far only—visit to the chapel, when unidentified boys “in the early hours of a dark and gloomy night” carried him from the Science room to the chapel, where they suspended him from the ceiling above the president’s chair on the rostrum.

I waited patiently for the hour of prayer. It shortly began to be heralded by the boys who gathered around the outside of the chapel. . . . The boys came trooping in, smiling broadly; and then one by one the faculty wended their way towards the rostrum, smiling even more broadly than the boys. . . . [I]n a moment the tall, majestic figure of the President [James Dickey] crossed the threshold of the house of prayer. No smile lit up the grim severity of his austere countenance.

Lighting into the assembled body for the frivolity at hand, President Dickey vented rage at the sacrilege of the skeleton’s presence in chapel. Dooley himself felt defended, at first, but then soon realized that he himself was the object of Dickey’s rant.

Oh, it was so warm. I felt like Dives did in Hades for I was directly over the spontaneous combustion. I had expected the President to say courteously, “Mr. Dooley, we are glad to welcome you among us.” I asked for bread but I got a stone. I looked for a welcome but I got it where the chicken got the axe. . . . One solitary visit made me feel unwelcome, and my sentiments now regarding chapel attendance are expressed in the common expression, “Never again.”

No doubt that sentiment regarding chapel spoke for many of “the boys.”

Wishing he had more space for more such stories, Dooley promises to contribute regularly to the Phoenix. Before signing off, however, he utters his immortal parting line: “Presidents may come and presidents may go; professors may come and professors may go; students may come and students may go; but Dooley goes on forever.”

An invisible but vociferous commentator on College life in the last years of Emory’s Oxford existence and the first years in Atlanta, Dooley published his observations in the Phoenix and, later, the yearbook The Campus while managing to maintain the anonymity of his amanuenses.

Not until 1941, apparently, did Dooley begin his campus appearances as a kind of Lord of Misrule. That year the trustees at long last permitted dancing on campus, and student activities coordinators planned a “frolic” to take advantage of the new freedom. Lending his name to the romp, Dooley himself appeared at “Dooley’s Frolics,” a tradition that persists to this day as “Dooley’s Week.”

In the ensuing decades a number of other traditions have grown up around the figure of Dooley. Contriving to appear on campus at the beginning of the week that bears his name, Dooley has made his entrance by every means imaginable—one year coming through the Haygood-Hopkins Gate on a motorcycle, another year landing in a helicopter on the Quadrangle, and still another time rising from his very grave on the Quad. Custom has allowed him the privilege to arrive at a classroom and set students free. His “peacekeeper” is a squirt gun. Since an unpleasant incident in the impudent sixties, when a student attacked Dooley with the apparent intention of unmasking him, the visitor from Beyond is accompanied by a retinue of hand-picked students, whose black garb and “shades” appropriately complement the weird visitor from the grave.

Taking for himself the first name and middle initial of whoever happens to be the University’s president, Dooley rises above the mutability of University life and, indeed, of life itself.

Which brings up the more excruciating aspect of Dooley. Immortal and thus, one would hope, eternally vital, Dooley at the end of the twentieth century has appeared to be wearing down, if not wearing thin. There was the moment preceding the Carter Town Hall Meeting in September 1996, when he came to the Woodruff Physical Education Center to pay his respects to President Jimmy Carter and the gathered Freshman Class. Those who were there still recall with horror the interminably long, painfully slow walk Dooley made from the back of the audience to the stage, and then, having had his statement read, the equally patience-wearing crawl back out the doors.

How is it that a spirit who claimed in 1909 to be able to “flit here and yonder and make a call wherever I may choose”—a spirit with a penchant for irony at times whimsical, at times caustic, and with enough physical courage to ride motorcycles and helicopters (what has he got to lose, after all?)—can have become the decrepit and unimaginative traveler of the 1990s? Does it have something to do with the decade—the infection of Dooley’s bones by a widespread American caution inspired by economic prosperity and anxiety about its end? Fear that the new millennium will bring the sound of Gideon’s trumpet, raising others long-dead from their graves too? Who knows? But many hope that Emory’s Lord of Misrule, who once had the flexibility to clamber out of a coffin and the vitality to scamper in and out of classrooms, can learn once again to move with the speed of laughter.

Take Your Dream Vacation

Did you want to go on a vacation this year, but you just did not have the money?  Check out these great vacation planning tips for next year.   Working through these steps will help you plan and go on the vacation of your dreams.  You can learn more by checking out Apartment Therapy.

I haven't been away on a proper vacation in years. So when it comes to planning the perfect getaway, I can't tell you much about the best hotels or airlines. I'm not the person to give advice about cruise lines and tour packages. But you know one arena where I have lots of experience that can be applied to planning that perfect vacation? Saving up for it!

It turns out that saving up for a major vacation is much like saving for other major expenses: a bathroom remodel, car purchase, or appliance updates. Some steps that can help to sock that money away:

• Plan early. Preparing a year or two ahead of a major trip is not at all too soon. This will allow you time to save up and plan thoroughly.
• Set a budget. As with any large purchase, setting a budget will give you a goal to work toward. There are lots of online calculators for helping to budget your travel.
• Open an account. Open a savings account dedicated solely to your vacation. Make sure there are no fees and assure that the account comes with a debit card, which will be handy when you begin to book flights and accommodations.
• Automatically transfer. Determine a percentage you can deduct from your paychecks and have it automatically transferred into your travel account. This way, you aren't tempted to spend this money on other items, and it takes absolutely no effort to move it from point A to point B.
• Identify savings here and there. Have a change jar? Take it to the bank and get all of that loose change into your travel fund. Do you and your family members receive birthday/anniversary gift money? Save it instead of buying yourselves something with it. Cull all of the unwanted items in your household and head to Craigslist or hold a yard sale. You'll reap the added benefit of decluttering while you save! If you have children who receive an allowance, encourage them to get on board with the saving and contribute to the travel fund, too. It can be fun seeing what you can save as a team in the course of a year. If you begin saving as much as two years ahead, consider at some point putting the bulk of your travel savings into a 1-year CD. Currently, this will accrue 1% interest, which will cover some of the incidentals during your trip.

Happy Fourth of July!

What are you doing today?  We hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday!