Pros and cons of eating out

As I sit at work, freezing in the Arizona summer air conditioning, I ponder venturing into the squinty, sweaty heat and finding something to eat at a restaurant. Sushi, maybe. Or something from the B-Line.

But I brought a peanut butter and honey to work with me, and cherries and a nectarine.

But sushi...

Just in case you're suffering a similar dilemma, and mostly to give myself reasons to keep my butt in this groovy swivel chair, I'm offering a list of the "pros and cons of eating out." Enjoy.

PROS
1. Don't have to make it yourself
2. Tasty
3. Gets you away from the office
4. Option to try something new
5. Helps the economy

Cons
1. You don't know if the person making it washed his hands first
2. Might not be tasty today as you'd hoped
3. Takes you out into crappy lunch hour traffic
4. Don't really know if the food is vegetarian/kosher/etc.
5. Costs money you should be saving
6. Restaurants are busy at lunchtime
7. Not necessarily healthy

Can't think of anything else. But there are more cons than pros. So stay in the office and eat that sandwich you slaved away making this morning even though you were an hour late to work.

Cheaper tuition at elite schools?

So Harvard and a few other schools are making it easier for poor people to get in. And by poor, they mean anyone whose family makes less than $60,000 a year.

Good, right?

According to an article I read, these schools are getting rid of student loans, capping the Expected Family Contribution and giving away grants.

Does that mean everyone will have an easier chance of getting in? No.

It just means that the poor people who know someone who know someone who works at Harvard will be able to afford going there once they get in. Cutting costs doesn't change the admissions process. Even if you have a 4.0 GPA, stellar GRE scores and a fantastic 12-page CV, you probably won't be able to reap the benefits of these "cheaper" programs unless you've got contacts.

That sort of spoils it for everyone who got their hopes up, doesn't it?

Living cheaply

It seems my theme lately has been money. Oh well.

So I read this article (yes, yet another article from Mom) that gave tips for living on $7 a day. I scoffed at the title. Bwah, I can barely get by on $40 a week for groceries and gas, and that doesn't include putting away $5 or $10 a week to save for retirement. What's a poor college student to do when the week's allowance slips away like dandelion fluff in a hurricane?

Now, I'm not anti-money saving and frugality. Americans are notoriously the worst of all Western countries at saving, so I definitely support change.

I'm just not sure how plausible it is to save money when you're in college, with stores targeting you as a consumer, yellow being all the rage this season, gas prices rising, summer heat waves approaching and the economy flushing itself down the toilet. But it's worth a try, right?

The $7 a day tips aren't too terrifying. They range from buying food in bulk (Costco, anyone) to comparison shopping. It's all common sense, and it comes down to planning (another tip mentioned, which I have known about all along).

With planning in mind, I thought it apt to list some of my own tips for living cheaply, which I think are much less painful than giving up food for a month so you can afford textbooks.

1. Plan a weekly menu and don't deviate
2. Try to eat meals over the course of the week that share ingredients
3. Plan trips out in the car so you're not driving back and forth and wasting gas--plan a route that is most effective in hitting all the stops in a loop or straight line.
4. If you have a TV at home or the Internet, you don't need to go out every weekend to be entertained. Hell, why not stay home and read? Books don't even need to cost money--ever heard of a library?
5. Coffee is not a necessity for life. Cut it out of your daily budget (you know how you are, Starbucks regulars) and you will have more money and a smaller waistline. The same goes for fast food.
6. Try public transportation. While I haven't grown enough balls to do this in Tucson yet, I'm working towards it. The bus is way cheaper than spending $40 a week on gas--especially if you get the U-Pass and university discount.
7. AC at night, blinds closed during the day.
8. Don't turn on all the lights in the house. Use only those you need, which is usually one at a time.

These are just suggestions. They work. You can try them if you like (and you should).

Also, the person from the $7 a day article reads the Simple Dollar financial blog, which is worth a look-see.